On the subject of flags, here's an old editorial I had wrote about 5 years ago, when I was just starting to get published. I feel I've *evolved* a lot since then, but still feel the same about being able to burn the flag.Thought some may find it of interest and, please know I mean no offense to Christians:

Hypocritical patriots burn liberty

As a young child growing up in Casper, I was taught a reverent respect for the flag of the United States. In school, we saluted it, hands over our hearts, as we recited the pledge of allegiance everyday. At fair and rodeo time, while watching the parade, we always stood and saluted whenever the flag passed by. There was a fear of great retribution if we did not; our young minds had no trouble in coming up with imagined apocalyptic consequences for anyone who dared to be so oafish and disrespectful.

When the sixties and early seventies came around, we found our voices of early adulthood; learned to question authority; and, some even dared to burn the flag. The flag became a renewed symbol of our freedom to dissent - the freedom our country was founded on. That it still rose proud and tall was a testament to our right to free speech.

We had committed the unthinkable through protests, peaceful and violent; yet, the flag remained our talisman of liberty, even as it burned.

Sadly, the feeling of pride has diminished. Our country has reached the stage of life where it is no longer novel as an infant, trying as a teen, nor mighty righteousness of young maturity. With age has come a jaded disillusionment; a loss of ideals; a lack of faith and respect in our leaders and government, even in each other.

With this miasma of reality has come the lack of education of our children. This year while at the parade, I still stood as the flag went by. My hand automatically crossed my heart in the old familiar gesture of reverence. Yet, I felt only shock and dismay as I observed the young toddlers, preschool children and other youths who neither stood nor saluted our flag. Where were the so-called patriotic parents, teachers, role models of these children?

Why did these young Americans not know or were not taught the expected response as the flag was marched down the avenue?

It is ironic the winner of this year's parade was a float that consisted of a Christian cross wrapped in the red, white and blue of our flag. Not only did this float blur beyond recognition the separation church and state; it made a non-vocal declaration that ours is a Christian-only country.

Will these people who would have us all blindly follow their religious tenets, all be hauled into jail and court for desecration of the flag through their irreverent use of it as a cross-draper? What of the parade watchers who wore the flag as shirts or the beach goer who sports a micro-bikinii of Old Glory?

While our Republican Congress works at a feverish pace to undo most of the good which has been accomplished in our country over the past 40 years, one of the worst things they could do is to establish an amendment which prohibits flag-burning/free speech.

Until a child is taught the basic steps of dance, they cannot master the choreography of life. Without early instruction in the meaning of our flag and how to show proper respect, how can we expect anyone to grow up understanding what a powerful symbol of dissent burning the flag is? How can they understand the depth of feeling, the utter despair, the hopelessness one must feet to commit such an irrevocable expression of discontent?

Of course, without proper guidance when young, our children could become a willing and apathetic constituency; a pliable following for those who would end our right to free speech; in agreement without thought with whatever the political agenda may be.

Until children understand the great symbology of a piece of cloth and the colors which run through it, they will never understand why it is so important to preserve our right to burn the flag in protest.

Instead of desecrating the flag by wrapping themselves in the perceived patriotic folds of a constitutional amendment, our Congresspeople should be ashamed of their wholesale assault on our freedoms. Through rhetorical posturing, their seeming patriotism is a sickening display of rampant carnage; a trampling on and rendering asunder of our Constitution.

Saluting the flag, standing as it goes by - these are the basic steps any American child should learn. To burn the flag is an intricate dance of many years; a passionate display of extreme patriotism which even our forefathers/mothers would understand.

© kl 1995