Your Rights, My Flag
You have the right to disrespect The Flag. You have the right to be unpatriotic. You have the right to criticize our country, our government, or even our way of life. And even though I don’t have the right to spit in your face while you do those things, the thought will probably cross my mind.
You also have the right to go home after a day of protest and sleep in a building that will not be allowed to burn to the ground. You get to walk down streets that do not have animal feces, rotting waste, or burned out cars on them. And if you so desire, you can go to a public library and learn more about how our evil, corporate sponsored government sends young puppet soldiers into foreign countries to slaughter innocent victims in the quest for cheaper oil. The free education you received has properly prepared you to consume every word and, hopefully, think critically about the information you’re being given, at no cost to you.
The people who taught you to read are patriots. The people who pay taxes are patriots. The people who break up your domestic disputes are patriots. The people who pave your roads, direct your planes, supply your news, jump-start your father’s failing heart, and guarantee your rights not be infringed upon are patriots. You’re allowed to speak out because someone making their mother proud stood up for your right to be pathetic. They did it knowing that not everyone would appreciate their efforts. But they believed in the gesture. They believed in the cause. And unlike you, they believed in acting in the cause versus just speaking out from a cowardly and safe distance.
Lots of people fall short of being patriotic. Lots of people think a corrupt government, a racist police force, or failing social programs gives them the right to lose hope and be unsupportive. That’s fine. Thousands of proud individuals did, and still do, their part to protect that choice. Also, thousands of people leave their families, put on a uniform, walk into a burning building, drive towards gunfire, work 16 hour days, research laws, donate time, nurse the dying, teach the uneducated, pray for the injured, and simply serve food or hand out blankets to ensure that each and every person receives the rights this country touts.
Spit on the flag. Burn it. Ridicule our leaders, our systems, and our culture. That’s fine also. Someone more noble than you gave you that right. Someone more brave than you stood up in much worse circumstances to provide you with the option of being defiant. And all you’re doing is proving how unselfish their actions were. All you’re doing is proving how much more respect they deserve than we have given them. All you’re doing is proving how much more honorable they were for giving someone so ungrateful such empowering rights. And despite your disrespect, I’m sure they’d say “You’re welcome” as they proudly hang a new “Old Glory” in the old “Old Glory”s place.
Patriotism isn’t something that fades when someone else steps on it. In fact, just the opposite happens. Because we know who has contributed. We know who has sacrificed. We know what the cost has been and who has paid it… for us and for you. Do whatever you feel is necessary. We’ll do the remembering. Because all the people who gave you your right to be insolent are worth remembering. Their efforts will be memorialized long after your tantrum has been forgotten.
