The U.S. Flag: America’s Symbol, or Political Football?

A flag is a symbol. At the highest level, a flag is the unique and proud emblem of a nation-state. The national flag symbolizes, represents and, in many ways, is the nation, and thus is inviolable.

In the United States, we hold the Stars and Stripes in such high esteem, honor and prominence that it commands not only our love and respect, but also our allegiance. In fact, in our national “Pledge of Allegiance,” the first expression of allegiance is “to the Flag of the United States of America.” Then we add, “and to the Republic for which it stands.”

Starting with the Grand Union flag unfurled defiantly by George Washington’s troops at Prospect Hill, followed by several versions of the Stars and Stripes flown in battlefields throughout the world, up to today’s 50 stars, 13 stripes flag carried by our troops into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands upon thousands of our brave men and women have given their lives…for that Flag.

“That Flag” is not the flag of the Democratic Party, or the Republican Party, or of any party, group or individual. It is the flag of the United States of America and of its people–all its people.

It thus deeply saddens, and angers, me when I see, hear or read how the American flag, our flag, is manipulated by groups or individuals for purely political, partisan purposes.

I am talking about the use of that sacred symbol to imply or to outright claim that one party is more patriotic than the other. I am talking about those who would turn the American flag into a wedge issue–use it to divide our nation, rather than to unite it. I am talking about those who almost literally wrap themselves or their politics in the American flag. I am talking about the flag lapel pin and many other flag related “scandals.” And, yes, I am talking about the latest, widely reported “flag scandal” at Invesco Field.

While, at worst, it appears that the manner in which one or two individuals handled the thousands of flags, left for pickup or for storage at a shipping dock at Invesco Field, may not have been the most appropriate way, the response by some has been disproportionate and offensive. Again, the flag is being used to question the loyalty, the patriotism of not only the Democratic Convention organizers, but also of Senator Barack Obama and of the entire Democratic Party and, consequently, of one-half of the American people.

Call this incident stupid, call it thoughtless, but don’t call it “unpatriotic!”

I mentioned how we pledge allegiance “to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands.” The words that follow and conclude this solemn pledge are: “One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Those concluding words—especially the “indivisible” part—would be meaningless if “that Flag” belonged only to one half of a divided nation, or if “that Flag” were to be used to pit American against American.

Calvin Coolidge perhaps said it best:

We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth. It represents our peace and security, our civil and political liberty, our freedom of religious worship, our family, our friends, our home. We see it in the great multitude of blessings, of rights and privileges that make up our country.

Our flag is identified with too much, represents too much, means too much for it to be turned into a cheap political football.