Because of my father's death in WW2 I get all the anthem stuff. I always stand with my hat off and my hand on my heart. But I do it out of tradition not from any sense of "allegiance". Standing for the anthem is in reality an empty gesture. What is truly supportive and more than just a gesture is to go to the polls and vote for an increase in taxes to pay for medical and psychological services to those in the military who come home with horrific and permanent injuries. And then to work on behalf of those who have served and are now impaired beyond belief. That is support. Standing up is simply too easy if that is all one does. Moreover, the protests that we see in the NFL have absolutely nothing at all to do with the military but are a response to perceived injustice to a certain segment of our society. Finally, there is disrespect for the flag all around that never a word is said. I see people in trucks driving around with these enormous flags, I see worn out and tattered flags that stay up all day and all night until their worn out. After my dad's death the Navy Dept sent my mother a folded flag with a list of instructions on how to "respect" the flag. it was to be hoisted at dawn every day and taken down in the evening, folded and place in a manner that protected it. I see people in my neighborhood who belittle the NFL players but who treat their flags as if it were nothing more than an outside ornament. To me that is disrespect. Probably-just out of ignorance. In reality the players are paying total respect for the anthem and the flag by doing exactly what the anthem and flag stand for.
BTW: I still have that flag that was sent to my mom. It is neatly folded and in a protective box. I take it out at appropriate times and proudly display it. It looks no different than it did in 1945.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2017 07:39PM by waterfield.
