Old Glory: Why Is It Drastically Changing For So Many (Astonished) People?
Patriotism consists not in waving the flag but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong. ~James Bryce
I've always considered myself a patriotic person.
I believe those underpinnings began as a youngster, attending Memorial Day festivities with my family.
We lived in a small town where the annual parade consisted of the high school band, scout troops, fire engines, Zem Zem clowns, and city officials. In those days, these officials were primarily white men, riding in convertibles hoping to exchange smiles and waves for votes in the next election.
The procession marched down the main street and into a local cemetery, marking the parade route's end. Shortly afterward, a service was held to honor the fallen soldiers of America's wars. A temporary platform was built for the occasion, which consisted of an opening prayer, speeches, lowering of the flag to half-mast, a 21-gun salute, and the playing of Taps.
The opening prayer and speeches were boring to my childhood self. So instead of paying attention, I spent this time scanning the people sitting on the platform's wooden folding chairs.
They included regional dignitaries and a veteran representing each branch of the military. Some were missing limbs, and others looked old enough to have fought in the Civil War. They were dressed in uniforms adorned with rows of colorful medals and wore the shiniest shoes I'd ever seen. Their faces were expressionless, betraying no visible emotion. A few had a faraway look in their eyes as if they were someplace else.
However, once the flag lowering began, I turned my attention to Old Glory slowly making its way down the pole. Complete silence filled the air at this point, punctuated only by a muffled cough or car horn in the distance.
Once it was secured at half-mast, the 21-gun salute came next. The sharp, explosive sound of the rifles pierced the air, one shot methodically followed by another. Despite knowing the next one was coming, I quaked a little each time. The soldiers stood in a line farther away from the crowd of people, yet the noise seemed almost deafening.
Once they finished, there was a momentary stillness, and the bugler would begin playing Taps. The melancholy music filled the cemetery, an antidote to the loud gunfire. I glanced around at the headstones nearby, noting the tiny American flags that designated veterans' graves.
That's when the real solemnity of the moment struck me. Countless Americans have sacrificed their lives defending our country and freedoms. Most were young, not quite children but not yet adults with families that would never be complete again.
My sadness felt like a heavy coat under the warm sunshine, and shaking it off always took a while.
As I grew up, my sense of patriotism grew with me. With hand over heart, I'd recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day at school and whenever the National Anthem was played. I was proud to be an American, living in 'the greatest country in the world.'Â
I took a lot for granted. We had some of the finest educational and medical institutions in the world. Our military was considered the best, and the government protected its citizens and their well-being. We didn’t have to worry about the safety of our food and water supplies. Additionally, scientists tracked potential environmental dangers, and certain agencies safeguarded the wilderness areas, including the wildlife that called it home.
And I loved the concept of the melting pot. Ours was a country that had an open-door policy for anyone who wanted to be an American citizen. This fit with my young mindset, as I was the kid who said hello to the new students in class and always tried to make them feel welcome. To learn about other cultures and meld our separate identities into a new conjoined one was, in my mind, a fantastic opportunity.
There was a sense of community in those days. Neighbors gathered on front porches to chat during summer evenings. Everybody knew each other, and while their political parties may have differed, their commitment to American Democracy, decency, and the rule of law was unified.
Don’t get me wrong. Our country was still dealing with racism, bigotry, corruption in business and politics, and so on. But, the overriding rule was you treated people with civility or stayed silent and kept your negative opinions behind closed doors.
Not so these days. That door was thrown WIDE OPEN, and much has changed in the United States (which is no longer united):
Our individual freedoms are under attack by what was once known as the Party of Lincoln. Racial, gender, marriage equality, labor, and so many others.
Women are a target with reproductive rights being stripped away, as well as our right to contraception. So, if you’re a rape victim, well…sorry about your luck, Chuck. There’s always the Rhythm Method for folks needing birth control, btw the Equal Rights Amendment has yet to become a reality.
Voter suppression is high on their to-do list, with many states passing legislation to make casting a ballot harder for minorities and low-income groups.
Despite rampant gun violence with young children and adolescents as frequent targets, they want to advance gun rights rather than pass common-sense legislation.
Disinformation and misinformation are disguised as ‘alternate facts,’ and conspiracy theories have perverted common sense and decency.
Our national security has been compromised by an unscrupulous former president whose supporters remain unwavering in their support of his blatant treason.
After watching these events unfold over the last years, I walked out to my front yard, filled with disgust. I pulled my small American flag from the fence it was mounted on. Feeling defeated by all the negative news, that familiar sense of pride for Old Glory was gone. Realizing that a sizable portion of my fellow citizenry now rejects everything the United States stands for is incomprehensible. I am genuinely astonished.
But, the feeling didn't last long.
I'm still astonished and angry that they are trying to remake the USA into something unrecognizable with certain groups and religions controlling our way of life. However, by the next day, I had a change of heart.
Starting with the Revolutionary War through Desert Storm, I thought about all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our democracy. And those who did return from war but whose lives were changed forever by what they saw and experienced.
I thought of veterans' families who suffered in their own right and the people in the path of those wars. So much loss and devastation. But, they didn't give up fighting for their ideals and beliefs.
Feelings of guilt began to replace those of defeat from the day before. I took the flag from the drawer and walked to the front yard, placing it back on the fence. I realized that no matter how this nightmare we're living in plays out, I owe a lot to those who stayed in the fight and believed their homeland was worth it.
We owe them the same righteous dedication they showed us. So, I'll continue my efforts to GOTV and pray that my fellow Americans understand that our Constitution and freedoms are on the line. That life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for ALL people (not just select groups) are teetering on the brink of extinction.
If we don't get this right, our great American experiment will be over and relegated to the history books.
And if that does happen, God, forbid, I’ll be searching for a new home.
I’m looking at you, Canada.
I HOPE everyone had a great Labor Day weekend, whether that involved parades, cookouts, or lying around in pajama pants all day!
INCLUDED BELOW is a video of the bugle version of Taps, similar to what I heard on those long ago Memorial Days. Learn more about the music, history & legends here. So hauntingly beautiful it still gives me goosebumps. Take a moment to enjoy it if you can.
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