Stomping on the Flag

Yesterday while waiting for my girls at the end of school, I watched as some children ran out of the building to lower the flag. It was the same scene as every other day until I witnessed one of the young men wrap himself up inside our flag. I don’t know exactly why he chose to do this—perhaps he thought it was a way to keep the flag off of the ground; however, it isn’t proper or acceptable and in doing so he dropped the corners in the mud and stepped on our flag. As I was witnessing this process I took notice of several so-called AMERICAN adults standing around while I was across the way in my van. I felt reasonably secure in the thought that the men and women standing within the sound of voice would encourage these young people in how to properly rest the flag, so I waited.
I sat there for a moment taking in this sight, thinking the people right there would tell the children what needed to be done, a large SUV pulled up beside me stopping for the crossing guard blocking my view, when the vehicle pulled away saw—to my horror—our stars and stripes laying on the ground while these children were trying to retire the state flag and dragging it, too, on the ground.
I couldn’t believe my eyes! At least 10 AMERICAN adults stood there while these 9-11 year olds were unintentionally violating our beautiful, sacred flag. Not one of those characters who enjoy the freedoms, liberties, and security this flag represents could take three seconds to say something like: hey guys, make sure the flag doesn’t touch the ground…NOTHING! Personally I think it’s incomprehensible.
I exited my van to cross the street, walk across the entire school lawn, and watched as I marched myself over to see one of those children picked up our flag and then—for reasons I couldn’t say or guess, he tossed it back onto the ground. He THREW Old Glory on the ground! My heart began to race; how could they not know this is not OK? Were they not instructed, reminded, and/or encouraged to honor the symbol of all that we hold dear? And worse yet, NO ONE, not one living soul had ANYTHING to say, not one of these criminally ignorant human adults did a thing.
I approached the children to see our flag carelessly folded up—to be honest, it was mostly wadded up, carelessly tossed aside atop the state flag. My heart sank. I knew it was on the ground, but I had thought they had at least folded our flag, to see it crumpled on the ground was more than I was prepared for.
I scooped up MY American flag, the flag my husband defends everyday for you and for me, along with my state flag I told the children that we NEVER ever let our flag touch the ground, not EVER. I hugged these flags to my body and took them into the school office. Does anyone remember that IF we allow our flag to touch the ground we’re supposed to burn it? Burn it because it has been desecrated?
Americans, do we no longer value ANYTHING? Are we so iniquitous, so hardened that NOTHING is sacred to us? I’m not speaking of religion, simply of honoring the most basics of goodness. Millions of men and women have put their lives on the line for our flag, hundreds of thousands of lost their lives for this flag of their own volition, our national anthem is all about this very flag, do we not care when it’s being defiled—even in ignorance. Do we not stand up for anything? Do we not take a moment to teach our young about respect, admiration, and reverence?
I am so offended, so disheartened, and utterly astonished that not one person could open his or her mouth to help these young people show reverence or esteem for that which assures our right to stand around yapping our jaws on our cell phone, protects our right to speak our minds without retaliation, allows us to choose almost anything we desire…this is Old Glory, YOUR Glory, without it you have no promise to a voice or choice or freedom. Who needs enemies? Who needs a war? We’re so self- absorbed we’re going to destroy ourselves because we can’t step out of our own little bubbles to take notice when something isn’t correct, we can’t be bothered to help. Indeed, we’re so into our own little individual lives that we’re socially suicidal.
As far as I’m concerned, if you stand around while anyone devalues our flag, you are just as guilty, especially when YOU know better, to me, you’re NO better than any terrorist bent on our destruction. Shame on You! Sins of omission are just as dangerous—if not more, than those of action…lack of action is a clear and active invitation to assault.
We complain that our youth have no values, are selfish, destructive, and have no regard or respect for anyone or for anything. Well, where are they supposed to learn that? Where are they going to see it? Until we, as adults, stop pretending that all is well, that there is nothing that actually pertains to our lives unless we intend it, until we open up our little eyes and take notice of the fact that the world doesn’t just consist of you or me, until we do and say what we complain our youth aren’t doing the children of tomorrow are doomed to self-destructive behavior, complacency, and will not be prepared to protect themselves against any number of attacks because they’re being taught to look nowhere but within themselves, their wants, and their desires…
Our Flag for goodness sake! It isn’t the fabric that matters; it’s the disregard for sacrifice, loyalty, goodness, justice, liberty, FREEDOM, family, equality, honor, all things good and proper—it’s the symbol of our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This flag is what waves over us to say: all these things are protected and valued here. Stomping on the flag is the same as stomping on all these virtues. A child may not know better but we American Adults do, it’s our obligation to teach and display this to our country’s children, to step in and help out when something isn’t right!