Wednesday, February 22, 2012

OLD GLORY

A new delegate - the first from Vermont - sent along some thoughts on the American flag as a comment to the blog entitle THE CHAIR. Because I want to keep THE CHAIR open for convention business, I deleted Tim Price's comment.

Still, it's worth the reading, so I am publishing it here as a separate blog:

The Citizenship of the United States of America requires the adherence to a code of conduct. It is a self-imposed ethical behavior essential to the protection of a free society. To intentionally defile this code of behavior is a violation of the premise upon which the Constitution rests.

The First Amendment, protecting freedom of Speech, does not allow for intentional deception. Essential to a democratic system among free people is collective trust among all, as was required to be represented in the Flag of the United States of America, with the ratification of the Constitution, its new Bill of Rights, and the flag.


Our Flag
Created in 1789
After the Constitutional Convention of 1787 had produced the Constitution for ratification by the thirteen colonies, two years went by without enough states ratifying it to make it law. They had to add the first 10 amendments and also adopt a code of conduct which would be a voluntary oath for all citizens to uphold.
It was their belief that for a nation to be free, it had to have trust, and to have trust, people had to uphold honor.
Without honor there is no freedom. To the degree that there is honor, there is untrammeled freedom. Honorable behavior created the atmosphere in which freedom can thrive.
If any individual acts dishonorably, they are traitors to the dream of a free society and cannot be tolerated.

Colors:
White: The background banner representing purity and innocence, lack of guile.
Red: The stripes applied to the white banner: Cheer, Hardiness and Valor (worthiness)
Blue: Honor, Vigilance, Perseverance, & Justice
13 Stripes: 13 colonies
(7 red, 6 white)
A blue field with one white star for each state.
As in the Declaration of Independence: "We pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor".

Old Glory
by
Timothy K. Price

Let me tell you a story,
About our flag, old glory,
The stars and stripes of red, white, and blue;
And of its creation,
This symbol for our nation,
And what it mean to folks like me and you.

They took the purity of white,
The brightly shining light
All the colors in the spirit of our souls
For our banner of trust,
Our pledge of good intention,
For all who live beneath her to uphold.

They emblazoned her with red,
Stripes which clearly said
With a boisterous, cheering humor, “Have no fear”.
We are hardy souls of valor,
Worthy our intent,
To do good is the reason we are here.

We are many joined as one,
Honest folk, and fair,
For honor is the air that we breathe;
So to represent our nation,
Took a patch of blue sky
And placed on it a starry constellation.

With a star for every state
Each joining in its fate,
A union which no one will leave,
Finding happiness in freedom,
This flag is our dream
That none who live among us shall deceive.

Our flag is made from scraps,
For frugal is our way.
Simple living lets others simply live.
We will shame you for your riches,
Scorn your vanity,
If greed should get the better of your soul.

There’s salvation in compassion,
Poverty in greed,
So what we have we share with loving care.
We understand hard work,
Have no tolerance for cheats,
Politician in their office should beware.

When we pledge our allegiance,
We pledge a way of life,
To be true to the meaning of our flag.
We pledge a life of honor,
To be truthful and fair,
This is our way... here in the USA.

So this is my story,
About our flag, old glory,
The stars and strips of red, white, and blue.
And of its creation,
This symbol of our nation,
and what it means to folks like me and you

I believe that this issue must be raised to the highest level of awareness. It should be taught in schools, and upheld in the courts when deciding specific cases.
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