Some years ago my grandparents had a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting Ireland, where some of the ancestors come from. They had a wonderful time, and brought back gifts and enthusiasm, but also this comment: “There’s just nothing like the good old USA.” Rightly so. Three-quarters* of my grandparents are buried in national cemeteries; they took this freedom business seriously.
Father’s Day I had the privilege of attending the interment of a beloved father and husband, departed way too soon (it’s always too soon, I think). He was Navy. After “Taps” (Wikipedia has a nice article on that here), the color guard presented his widow with the folded flag. You serve your country, and then when you die, your family trades in your body for a flag. Which is the point: Because you served your country, the flag is still there.
It was a good way to kick off the Fortnight for Freedom.
The United States has done a variable job of living up to her ideals, but we have the ideals, and they are worth trying to protect. So pray, yes?
Worthwhile Links:
- See the freedom of assembly being put to good use here in SC, over that question of flags. Warthen’s Twitter feed is one of the better uses of the medium out there.
- Fr. Robert Barron on what it means to live in a pluralistic society, and why you need to use your brain to make it work.
- The USCCB Fact Sheets on the current threats to civil rights in the United States.
Image By Dbenbenn, Zscout370, Jacobolus, Indolences, Technion. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. For a fascinating collection of American flags, including a look at the current official use of Don’t Tread on Me, check the Wikimedia Flags of the United States.
*The remaining quarter is pitching a good-natured fit about having to move out of her apartment and into assisted living — she’s not quite ready for the pine box yet, and Lord willing won’t be for a while.
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