flag day

I've been thinking more about Flag Day.    The mere sight of our flag stirs up great feelings of patriotism and love of our country in me.    I see it and I see freedom and justice and equality and opportunity —– a radical vision of how life on earth can be.

Maybe we should take Flag Day as a day to vow that that's what this flag will mean to *everyone* who sees it.    During various blips of history, the American flag has indeed meant those things to just about everyone.    In other times, when people see it they might think "That flag represents the people who needlessly slaughtered my innocent-bystander cousins," or "That flag represents victimization of my entire people."    And validly so.

Old Glory is never more than a generation away from being a symbol of pure evil, and it's never more than a generation away from surpassing even what it has stood for at its very best.

It all comes down to how I talk, how I vote, how I spend my money and time.    I renew my pledge that they will point toward liberty and justice —– for all.