Flying the American flag in Arizona, March 2021


Once I was convinced that it wasn't going to rain today, I put up my American flag. It's March of 2021, and I'm in Arizona, and I know that it sends confusing messages, which as a patriotic American I deeply resent, and I'm determined to take it back, and make it a symbol of justice and liberty for all.

I don't know how things are where you live, if you live in the United States, but around here for the last few years this flag has been hijacked by people who pushed very hard to take away democracy itself. You can call them "Trumpers" or "MAGA" people, or whatever, but they're frightening, even to me, and I'm a white guy.

So while I was respectfully unfurling the flag while standing on a ladder in front of my house a few minutes ago, I know that some eyes looked away, or looked suspiciously. I have black neighbors, hispanic neighbors, female neighbors, non-Christian neighbors, and for all I know homosexual neighbors. And when they see a grizzled white man in Arizona flying an American flag I don't blame them for feeling nervous. I am so sorry this happened, but thankfully it's coming to an end.

No, you'll never be able to stop the hatred. There will always be people who are fearful of people who are different from them, in nationality, race, or religion, or whatever. And if those people want to fly "Don't Tread on Me" or "Trump for President" flags I guess they can - it's a free country. But the disrespect that I've seen for the American flag, including flying it upside-down and flying it dirty and intentionally ripped, is something I'd rather not see.

I try not to get upset, to have a sense of humor about these people. I heard a comedian describing their movement as the "New Klux Klan", which still hurts, but it's clever. I never saw any burning crosses on anyone's lawn last year, but many times I felt that I just as might. And the people driving by with banners flying might as well have been dressed in white hoods. I was horrified, and the American flag was right there all along.

Bad things happen when good people do nothing, and I'll admit that I've rarely done anything at all. But what I've seen in the year, starting with the huge groundswell of people who turned out to vote, has woken me up. And the very least I can do is fly the flag, of which I'm very proud.

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high-flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of,
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
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