Growing up, our home always had a flag flying. My father was a Korean War vet and felt it was only right that we have one. Our family was (for the most part) solidly Democratic. It should not have mattered how we leaned, having a flag flying showed that we loved our country.
Somewhere along the line it seems that conservatives, like they have with so many other parts of life and American culture, have appropriated the flying of a flag as their own. Whether it be on their homes, autos, and even off-road vehicles, flying an American flag means you are an uber-patriot, like them.
Don’t just take my word for it though. In 2018 USA Today featured this opinion piece:
The American flag is not the flag of a single party or point of view. Even if it festoons every Trump rally, the flag belongs to all of us. It is the symbol of “we, the people,” and people like me, who staunchly oppose the president’s policies and behavior, should display it as proudly as his staunchest supporters.
More recently, the Minneapolis Star Tribune offered these thoughts:
With the traditional flag losing favor among this sect of Americans, I propose my own radical idea: That the rest of us proudly reclaim the red, white and blue.
Liberals sometimes are wary around those who flaunt their patriotism. In recent years, other than on July 4th, seeing a stranger sport a flag design on their T-shirt or back of their truck can seem synonymous with MAGA hats, "Let's Go, Brandon" and full-throated support of the NRA. It has become shorthand for one party rather than the ideals that this nation was founded on.
But patriotism should not be equated with an unquestioning faith in country. It can mean criticism that comes from a place of love. It can mean acknowledging inherent flaws in our government while knowing darn well that an intact, functioning democracy is the best system we can have.
So on Independence Day, after getting my yard mowed and before I headed to work (the hazard of being in the food delivery business) I took a few minutes to mount a pole and flag on my home of the past three years. It now waves gently in the breeze on my quiet street in community that will most likely — again — give Trump 70% of the vote.
I refuse to cede to the Trumpistas and Christo-fascist's the symbol of this nation.
It does not belong to them and them alone.
It belongs to proud liberals like myself and my family.
Consider it highly probable I will put up next to that US flag another mounted pole which will also feature a flag. Maybe a Minnesota Twins flag, maybe a Pride flag during June, and maybe the new Minnesota flag that has righties in such a tizzy.
Either way the American flag is my flag also, and I won’t back down from that.