The other day I was astonished by the actions of fellow "Americans" as they decided to show their freedom of speech by walking on my American flag. They wiped their feet on my stripes, spit on my stars, and they broke my heart. You might wonder why they would do such a thing but in a short video clip from a Trump Rally protest their character was revealed. The irony of it all is that they claim to promote freedom without acknowledging the fact that what they are protesting is only another point of view promoting freedoms in a different way. I know some of you are getting the feeling that this is going to be just another article of someone banishing a political party, but you are wrong. The fact of the matter is that I don't really want one hundred people knowing where my vote lies. But to the people that stood on my flag to protest their rights: I am embarrassed for you.
To those people it is just cloth, but to me it represents everything this country is and will continue to be. It represents the men, women, brothers, sisters, and children lost in foreign and domestic lands. My flag serves as a daily reminder that nothing in this country is given but earned. It is yours as well and you better believe, I am not the only person that feels this way about our flag.
For years, my Dad would hang an American flag so large that it covered the front of my house. He would take small flags and outline our yard and on the morning of Independence Day you could find him reading the Declaration of Independence in the front yard. When I was little I thought he looked a little loony out there in the early hours of the morning reading toward the street, but now I understand. It is that strong patriotism that he has passed on to my sister and I. We believe in the American Dream that this country provides opportunities for all willing to take part in them.
I refuse to lose faith in this country, it is our divides that make us unique. I refuse to think that people died so that some ingrate can walk on the colors that protect them. This Fourth of July, I ask that you remember those people that took it upon themselves to disgrace our flag. Pray to God that they find peace within themselves and never be scared to ask: How they could do that to our flag?
