I want to wish Old Glory, our Stars and Stripes and the symbol of our democratic society a happy Flag Day.
Betsy Ross crafted a marvelous piece of cloth back in the day and, oh brother, it has withstood plenty of tests, crises and even some assaults on its very self.
Which brings me to my brief point.
We should celebrate Flag Day not just because we honor the cloth that we fly in front of our homes (as I do in my Princeton, Texas, home). We should honor what it symbolizes.
It is the symbol of liberty, and it embodies the very founding of our great republic. Remember that our nation came into being when our founders protested the rule of the English monarch. Therefore, we are a nation born out of dissent.
Therefore, the flag we fly — and we honor! — is the very symbol of that principle.
Should those who burn the flag to protest government policies be punished because they demonstrate their opposition in that manner? Not by government edict! The Constitution protects us against any government reprisal.
I’ll “punish” anyone who chooses to burn the flag in an effort to lure me to their point of view. I am likely to reject whatever point the flag burner intends to make.
It’s their right to do so. The flag they burn is the very symbol of that right. It is why I honor the flag by flying it proudly.