Enough Already: The Flag, Anthem & Statue Of Liberty Are Sacred

I do not consider myself a rah-rah patriot and recognize that the United States is far from perfect but am almost at a loss for words over recent attacks for things we take for granted as symbols of our nation…the American flag, the National Anthem and the Statue of Liberty.

All three came under attack as we celebrated our 245^th birthday with racism the theme for those who mainly through social media expressed their displeasure with things most Americans still find somewhat sacred:

The Flag-    It seems that some now view flying and displaying the flag as a way of advertising you’re Trump supporter.  In other words the flag is no longer something that unites but rather divides us in a time when we need to accept that most of us really want the same things for ourselves and our families.

The Anthem- Over the last few days I have read numerous attacks on this mostly because of some of the words in the third verse which to be honest I have never heard sung or even read.  Once again some are insisting that the anthem should not be played (and people asked to stand) before the start of sporting events because many athletes and spectators oppose what it stands for.

The Statue of Liberty- Here I will just share some words from Phillip Kennicott the chief Art and Architecture Critic of the Washington Post.  In a story titled Maybe it’s time to admit that the Statue of Liberty has never quite measured up the Pulitzer Prize winner wrote, “It’s ambiguous and ambivalent.  As familiar to some Americans as the flag, the statue is just as meaningless or foreign to others, a sign without significance, or worse, a symbol of hypocrisy or unfulfilled promises.”

I choose to believe that the flag, our National Anthem and the Statue of Liberty are symbols that help unite what most of us believe in.  Maybe it’s because I don’t know any better but I’m okay with that.