June 15, 2018
Greetings! Happy Friday! Yesterday was the 243rd birthday of the United States Army and it was also Flag Day. Both were cause for celebration, and that is precisely why Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor used our web page and other social media posts to recognize and honor the Army and the flag we call “Old Glory.” Yesterday we celebrate. Today we opine. Sadly, next week, June 21 will mark the anniversary of the 1989 Supreme Court decision in Texas v Johnson that invalidated prohibitions on desecrating the flag. Their decision held that burning the flag was protected speech under the First Amendment. In Justice Kennedy’s concurrence with the decision he wrote, “… It is poignant but fundamental that the flag protects those who hold it in contempt.” On the other hand, in the dissenting words of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the desecration of the flag is an “inarticulate grunt or roar… not to express any particular idea, but to antagonize others” and is protected by the majority’s ruling. So, as it stands, anyone with a grudge about anything can disrespect or desecrate our flag. Legally, they can. But should they? And why would they? On June 14, 1777 the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag with these words: “Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.” A new constellation. A set of stars. Guiding lights. Of course, it is just a piece of cloth. Threads sewn together. Colors common to many other flags throughout the world. Indeed, it is a thing in those terms. But it is no ordinary thing. Your car is a thing. Clothes are things. Your phone and computer are things. Some things are more important than other things. We use things to go about our lives. Some things that are important for you are not as important for others, and vice versa. The thing about our flag is, it’s a symbol for all of us. It unites all of us… or at least it should. Our flag? You can see it on a bumper sticker of a car in front of you, or at the courthouse square. The corner store on Main Street flies it, and it graces the front porches of neighbors down the street. It’s a patch worn on the shoulders of our troops in battle. It is on the surface of the moon. It rests with our fallen at the bottom of the sea. It marks our tragedies and our triumphs. It represents our sacrifices. It is a symbol of every citizen from every state. Every color, creed and chemistry. We all are part of that new constellation. And those among us who have sacrificed the most for it, laying down their lives for their brothers, have been carried to their final resting place draped in its glory. Show me a car that carries that much symbolism. Show me a phone, or clothes, or any other THING that carries the spirit and symbolism of our flag. That’s the thing. There’s nothing like it. It’s the one thing that unites all of us. Or, as I said, it should unite all of us. In his poem, “The Voyage of the Good Ship Union” poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (father of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.) wrote about the effort of the Union forces trying to save the nation and abolish slavery during the Civil War. The final lines of the poem are: “One flag, One land, One heart, One hand, One Nation, evermore!” One constellation. Who can disrespect that? And why would they? At Mistletoe Enterprises LLC and Victory & Valor, we honor the Flag of the United States of America. We can, and we do, because we believe WE SHOULD! Too many have sacrificed for what it stands to do anything less than honor it. By honoring the flag, we honor those who sacrificed for our country. On that note, have a good weekend.
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AuthorTom Davis is the owner of Mistletoe Enterprises LLC. He also publishes and distributes the Victory & Valor Flyer, it tells the stories of heroes from all walks of life. Archives
December 2018
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