The American flag is a flag; its a symbol of the United States. So is our money, and the image of our US Capitol building. The famous statue of blind justice and our Supreme Court building are also symbols of this great democracy.
I heard a politician say that thousands have fought and died for our flag. The current Republican majority in the US Senate is distressed, as is our President, that the recent measure that would have brought the issue of a constitutional amendment to the US Constitution outlawing desecration of the flag to the voters failed by one vote.
The flag is a symbol; that's it. I can't speak for the thousands of people who have died fighting for our country, but I'm pretty sure they fought and died for the democracy and freedom we hold so dear in this country. How petty to sum up this democracy in a flag. How ridiculous to imagine that we can trounce on one freedom (the freedom to express ourselves) to preserve a symbol. I'd rather we work to preserve our freedoms, our democratic values, and our economic stability as a trust for our children. I'd like to pass on to my children a strong faith in our American ideals, formed by the framers of our Constitution and in our Declaration of Independence, achieved 240 years ago next week.
We are the oldest democracy in the world. Our core democratic ideals have withstood the test of time.
This administration, from the President to his closest advisors, has been described as the most secretive administration in history. He has also engaged in the most intrusive activities on US soil, in the name of national security.
Now, in the name of US pride, he suggests that the flag IS our democracy. He's wrong. Let's hope we, the people, don't let the erosion move into the absurd.

On September 11, 2005, the Israeli military removed its last soldier from the Gaza strip. On that same day, rioters moved in to the vacated cities and looted and destroyed pretty much everything. The greenhouses that had brought economic prosperity to the settlers were severely damaged. The Palestinian Authority (PA) had none on those first days. The reports received during the first few weeks were of chaos; although the PA assured the world that they were governing; that Gaza, now free of the Israeli occupiers, would be the beginning of a new Palestine.
As we know, Hamas now rules the Palestinian Authority. Hamas is the elected government in Gaza. Politics is never so easy; it is no different with the Palestinians. Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah, still holds the reigns of the Presidency, having been elected directly by the people. His organization is at odds with the new government. Abbas continues to hold onto the belief that negotiations will bring about a two-state solution. Hamas is a terrorist organization and has renounced all peace plans except the one that ends with Palestine on all of Palestinian land, usually defined as 'from the river to the sea', referring to the Jordan River on the east and the Mediterranean on the west.
Now we come to the latest incident in the Gaza experiment. It has been almost a year since Israel removed Israelis from Gaza. In that time, Palestinians began to jockey for position, usually against each other. The gang leaders took the choice sea-front land. The refugee camps still exist, squalid as ever. Palestinian politicians espouse the claim that they are in control, yet there are street fights between Fatah and Hamas, military style commandos roam the streets, and the terrorists continue to rule. Rockets are fired into Israel daily, the Palestinian Authority does nothing to stop it. Terrorists funded and supported by the duly elected Palestinian government rain rockets onto civilians living in Israel.
Last week, a horrible incident. An explosion on a Gaza beach killed many civilians, many from the same family. Several were so badly injured, the Palestinian hospital sent them to Israel to be cared for in an Israeli hospital.
Israel immediately expressed regret for the loss of life (something never heard from a Palestinian official when innocent Israelis die at the hands of Palestinian terrorists) and suggested a joint investigation. The Palestinians refused. As a matter of fact, para-military Palestinians shoed up at the beach minutes after the explosion and gathered "evidence" according to independent reports. The injured victims who showed up in Israeli hospitals had no shrapnel. It was removed prior to moving them to Israel.
The world media immediately pounced upon the "regret" statements and the "investigation" reports and blamed Israel.
Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman of the Hamas government, said "They (Israel) killed innocent civilians who were enjoying their time on the beach and have nothing to do with military affairs," he said in a telephone interview. "So I believe that we the Palestinians, including Hamas, have the right to respond and defend ourselves" (reported in Haartez on June 10, 2006).
Here's an interesting fact; the Israeli military can confirm that the last artillery shell fired in the direction of a firing range (about 400 yards from the beach group) used by terrorists to fire rockets into Israel was fired a full 15 minutes before the explosion on the beach.
How can we find a partner for peace when the government in power refuses to even acknowledge the existence of Israel and refuses to cooperate in investigations? If it was an Israeli shell, wouldn't Hamas revel in showing pictures and videos of the shrapnel, proving it was an Israeli shell, as they've done countless times before?
Of course, the world media is complicit in the immediate condemnation of Israel. Maybe fences, walls, and unilaterally established borders will be the start. Maybe not. But waiting around for Hamas to recognize Israel and discuss a peaceful future is folly.