POLL: SHOULD WE REPLACE THE "STARS AND STRIPES"?

POLL: SHOULD WE REPLACE THE "STARS AND STRIPES"?

    "I pledge allegiance to the Constitution, of the United States of America..."
Has a nice ring, doesn't it?

George Bush is infamously quoted as saying the Constitution is "just a goddam piece of paper". He may be right according to the agenda of the plutocracy he represents, but the rest of us would agree that he couldn't be more wrong. However, he could have said "The Stars and Stripes in just a goddam piece of cloth" without dispute from me.

The "Stars and Stripes" came into being because the patriots fighting to free themselves from the excesses of the crown needed a unifying symbol, something to inspire and point to and rally around--a symbol to lead us to victory. And it worked. British rule was thrown off. The hard-won fight led to the United States of America.

At that point, having done its job so well, the flag that Betsy Ross made could have been gracefully and gratefully retired, honored and respected for its role, and a new flag given its place--one that symbolized not the war, but what was born of the victory.

Our victory had given us something very new and unique to rally around, and honor and cherish-- the Constitution of the United States, created by men of inspired, selfless genius. A document which affirmed our inalienable rights and established the rules by which "We, the People" would govern our leaders. (I don't believe God had any reason to bless America--He created all humans equally--but had He ever, it would have been right there at the beginning, when we were given the opportunity to live with more rights and freedoms than any peoples had ever known.) Our future was put in our hands.

That wonderful document is the living, beating heart of our democracy. But was our Constitution ever made the proper focus of our attention? Sadly, it was not.

Our precious Constitution has been ignored and taken for granted-- rarely seen, even more rarely studied and understood-- while we instead are taught to honor a flag which has no current relevance. Why?-- because The Stars and Stripes was seen by some as a useful diversion--a distraction to hold our attention while a few powerful men worked furtively, unseen and unnoticed, to dismantle the  core document which bestowed on us the liberties we have enjoyed for 200 years. The result is that we, in a way that would make Pavlov proud, pay blind obeisance to a badly damaged country and a vague set of ideals far removed from reality.

What has happened over the years is, in effect, nothing less than the largest, most successful "false flag" operation in the history of mankind--our nation's own flag was used against us.

Through our ignorance, we have allowed our rights to be abridged-- our freedoms taken away one by one-- and which might never be regained. Free speech, privacy, equal justice (indeed, justice in any form), free elections--gone or going away. Because we always took them for granted.

Read the Constitution, find the justification for wars of conquest and plunder. It does not exist.Read it, and understand that our true strength lies in working for the common good, not for the benefit of a few. Read it, and you will then know that our democracy is based on equality, compassion, selflessness, mutual help, caring and sharing, and acceptance. Where have those ideals gone?

To save, or where necessary reclaim our freedoms we must understand them, where they came from, and the vigilance necessary to preserve them. There are two actions, that if done in tandem, will bring this about.These are actions which Congress can legislate.

1) Retire the "Stars and Stripes" and replace it with a flag depicting the Constitution. If you see it every day, fly it, wear it on your lapel, pledge to it, salute it and sing to it, you will learn to respect it and fight to protect it. We will never again permit any internal assault on our democracy, and our ideals may finally become our reality.

2) Mandate that teaching the Constitution of the United States will be required in the curriculum of every school in the U.S., public and private, so that future generations will understand that we as a nation are as nothing without it's tenets zealously enforced.

And strictly as an aside--remember "All men are created equal"? Hopefully, enactment of these proposals will lead to a future day when all national flags will be recognized as devices that serve to keep the whole of mankind from from uniting as one, working for our common interests and goals. But until that future arrives...

Do you see the value in this? Understanding the power of symbolism, and given the critical condition of our rights and liberties,don't you feel that it's high time we changed our national symbol into a meaningful vehicle for healing and recovery?

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