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Honest George left this thought-provoking comment yesterday: “Every day of this 3 day weekend I flew the American Flag. After 55 years as a member of the VFW and 33 years in the military it was a natural thing to do - not an effort, not an ‘affected’ action - just a thing that always felt right to do because it causes me to focus on the hardships and sacrifice that I’ve seen my fellow Americans give…My wife and I traveled around Lewiston doing various weekend things and I was really taken aback in that I saw one other flag displayed…
What is it with us and the flag? Why is it important to display it at various times and to honor it in various ways? We each should answer that ourselves but it appears that much of our patriotism is a mile wide and an inch deep. I really don’t know if it DOES matter anymore to anyone else, except that I feel something important is slipping away.” Read full comment here: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2009/may/25/memorial-day-wild-card/#comments
With his comment in mind I counted flags on my carpool run this morning. I saw 6 flags displayed at homes, 4 at businesses and 1 at the school. Is Spokane more patriotic than Lewiston? Do you display the flag at your home or business? Why or why not?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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toadman on May 26 at 9:20 a.m.
We flew our flag yesterday. It’s an old tattered flag that should probably be retired…so old, that I had to double check that it indeed had fifty stars on it..it did.
piah on May 26 at 9:56 a.m.
I put the flag out yesterday - as I do on and off over summer, usually on the weekends.
Many of my neighbors were flying flags yesterday.
The time I saw the most flags flying was right after September 11. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that many flags flying in my neighborhood before or since.
mike_s on May 26 at 11:39 a.m.
Best flag display I saw this weekend was a little hand flag attached to the back of a kid’s radio-controlled boat in the channel at Twin Lakes, The young operator of the remote was riding in a small paddle boat with his toy following close behind. For a nice display of patriotism, Twin Lakes has a Fourth of July regatta where folks from the lake community decorate their boats and cruise around the lakes. It’s a great way to start the day’s festivities.
Charlie on May 26 at 2:03 p.m.
If it isn’t stormy when I get the S/R in the morning, the flag goes up. The flag is a symbol of freedom for all.
Stickman on May 26 at 3:30 p.m.
I used to fly my numerous flags every day of the year. But now some are tattered and dirty so I usually just use the best one for special weekends and holidays. If I had another big cloth one I would fly it every day of the year. I found one 30 years ago on a beach, with just a tiny corner sticking out of the sand. It had to be a 8’x10’ beautiful cloth one. Must have been used for a sleeping bag and was discarded. I still have it, though it’s seen better days. I also flew one for a few years that was draped over a soldier’s coffin and then given to me. It has also seen better days. I have given many used ones to the scout organizations to dispose of, as there is a ceremony that is used and they burn them. I always consider it an honor to fly our country’s flag and what it stands for. I went to Arlington once on Memorial Day and every single gravestone had a flag in front, over 250,000. A whole battalion or so of soldiers goes through there a day or so before and completes the task. It’s an incredible sight to see. I saw many around town this weekend, and I felt good seeing every single one.