Walking the dogs at 4:30 a.m. on the third day of the twelfth month of the ninth year of the twenty first century gives an opportunity to notice things and think about the traditions of the past and the present. And stuff.
Should a United States flag, presented upon a pole, be a statement to the world, or an individual display of respect for all that it represents - and it just happens to be visible to others? Does it matter?
I used to walk to school with the colorful dots of Wonder Bread bags flapping out of the tops of my winter boots. You never see that anymore. It was an excellent barrier to the wet winter snow, and hours of playing outside in it gave plenty of opportunity to use that amazing Wonder Bread shield. Every morning I would flap to the flagpole with the tightly triangulated flag held in hands that knew this was a very powerful piece of cloth - you could tell by the strict instructions given on how it was to be hoisted, brought in if it rained, and properly folded and placed in its designated spot. If it started to rain a scampering of feet, me with Wonder Bread bags flapping, and some other dually appointed flag caretaker would RUN to get that powerful piece of cloth out of the elements. It was called respect.
After the hoisting of the flag, a school full of children (the building was big enough for us all to get in to so we could learn to read) would turn and face the honeycombed speaker set high on the wall and put our hands over our hearts and recite the following words:
I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands,
One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All.
Thirty words that gave an internal direction on the compass of our minds: Home. Macro Home. The micro home was where all the real action took place, of course, but that idea of the Macro Home and the pledge I took every morning gave me an expectation of the world, and a desire to fight against enslavement and injustice; Wonder Bread bags flapping and all.
After reading all the HOOPLA from various sources, both political and religious, regarding that Pledge of Allegiance - it still seems to me that even the ability to disagree with it is part of what it promises. Yippee Skippy... (also good on that Wonder Bread).
