Showing The Colors

By Semperpapa

It appears that almost everyday a new story hits the wires about some controversy on the display of the American Flag.
It almost always refers to some Homeowner association rules and regulations that prohibit the display of any flag, banner or political advertisement. In all, the real point of the matter is lost in the abused field of common sense.

In my opinion, the issue is very clear: when it comes to the symbol of our Nation, there is no gray area. It’s all black and white.
Old Glory is not just a flag; it is not just a banner. The symbol of the United States transcends political affiliations and religious beliefs and country of origin. Well, at least it should.

Of course the lawyers have a field day with this issue, on both sides of it. There are those who take up the case of the people who believe that they have the right of displaying the flag and there are those who are so hungry for national spotlight that they would enjoy the controversy that such a case would bring.

The cases that have appeared on the news prove that there still is some positive use for the media, because the exposure of these situations has the result of galvanizing the reaction of a large multitude of people.

There are those who invoke the First Amendment right of free speech expressed in the display of the flag, the same right used by those who aim at desecrating it. But is it really a matter of free speech? Shouldn’t the flag be held at a higher standard than, let’s say, a bumper sticker calling to “save the whales”? I think it should.

I understand that some real estate associations use these rules to curb the tendency for some people to paste an entire neighborhood with hideous signs, but the American flag should be an entity well above the rest of the lot.
Of course the whole thing comes down to the lawyer in search of the next case, because if an association would stipulate that the ban on sign and flags and such does not include the American flag, they would have someone filing suit for discrimination against their right to display whatever stupid sign they wanted.
And that is where the problem lays.

When the term “melting pot” is used to address the United States, it refers to the historical ability of our country to accept people from everywhere else in the world and allow them to enjoy and participate in the unique environment that our Nation is.
One only has to look at the names of any member of a US national sport team to see the point. There are names of German root, Italian root, Hispanic, Asian, African and so on. But they all are playing for the success of the United States.

What has been lost is the principle of America as one nation. For those of us who were not fortunate enough to be born in the United States, becoming an American should mean that while we maintain the heritage of our old culture, we must embrace and strengthen the ideals of America by conforming to the rules and regulations of America.
Instead, what we are witnessing today is an increased tendency of people who have come to America, legally and illegally, demanding that the Nation would accommodate their special interests, even if they go against the rule of law.
These are the same people who left their country of origin because of discrimination or lack of opportunities or persecution. Also the same people who never dare demand changes in their countries, and yet they feel free to demand special treatment in ours, all the while displaying the flag of their native state.

What our Nation needs is a return to the times when the principles and ideals of America was revered, when multiculturalism was the strength of our country and not its demise.
The concept of multiculturalism has been hijacked by those who saw the opportunity to gain personal power and wealth, on the backs of those who could be easily brainwashed. And in the process of crying racism at every possible corner, they have diluted the real meaning of the word to the point that very few pay much attention to it, allowing real cases of racism to go undetected.

One first step toward the reestablishment of a strong America is by recognizing that that at no time the display of the American Flag on our soil is to be considered inappropriate or offensive.
So many people cry about the deep political and philosophical differences among Americans, but political correctness blinds them from realizing that Old Glory is already uniting all Americans.

And if the American Flag offends you, than you should not live under it and return to where you came from.

Just my thoughts!