Respecting the flag

In his letter “GU team dishonors flag” (Nov. 12), Mr. Schuerman condemns certain members of Gonzaga’s women’s basketball team for dishonoring and disrespecting the American flag by kneeling during the national anthem. I find his disapproval of the way they have chosen to express their own First Amendment rights to be both self-serving and hypocritical.

I could show you hundreds of photos of people wearing the American flag as a shirt, a pair of pants or even as bikinis and fanny cushions at recent rallies and protests. Entertainers of a certain political persuasion can be seen giving a concert wearing a big furry American flag onesie. For a quick buck, cheap merchandise featuring the American flag is hawked relentlessly. Have our military men and women sacrificed everything for an American flag coffee mug? How does this disregard honor the American flag?

We’ve also seen in our recent history the American flag standard being used as a weapon against police officers as they desperately tried to protect our capital against an invading mob. Please tell me how repeatedly striking a policeman with the pole of an American flag when he’s clearly helpless on the ground is an act of honor to flag and country?

Mr. Schuerman does not get to impose his own definition of moral behavior on others. It is not his place to judge. We honor the American flag by respecting the Constitution and all that for which it stands … with liberty and justice for all.

Darlene Brice

Spokane