By now perhaps you’re tired of hearing about professional athletes “disrespecting” the flag.
The flag is more than a tricolored piece of cloth – it’s a symbol and a very powerful one at that. It’s powerful because of the sacrifices that have been made in order to serve the ideals for which it stands.
Those ideals are well-stated in the Pledge of Allegiance. The original pledge went as follows:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
Those are some pretty lofty ideals. They set a high bar for what we, as Americans, aspire to. The athletes exercising their rights of free expression are asking us all to examine our current state of affairs.
Are we really “one nation indivisible?” Seems to many that we’re deeply divided.
Do all citizens enjoy the same standard for liberty and justice? Again, many believe that contrary to the statue of a blindfolded woman balancing the scales of justice that she is not blind to color.
Athletes are not objects for our entertainment; they are citizens of a country that aspires to always ask more of itself.
Let’s keep our attention focused on how we can better live up to the ideals we aspire to.
Jim Dougan
Cortez
