POLITICS
Reclaiming Our Stolen Valor
It’s time to restore the honor and pride that has been stolen by those who have appropriated the American flag as a symbol of hate and division
How did we come to find ourselves so far from America’s promise as nothing more than a land of opportunity? When did we allow ourselves to believe that we were ever great, rather than simply believing we could aspire to greatness? What happened to the humility that has often accompanied our great power? Where does our courage come from when our fear has become so strong?
We were never perfect. Hell, we weren’t even always that good. But we were never trying to “be best,” despite recent claims. We were trying to be better—better than we were before. The arc of history, slowly bending towards justice. We needed to be better, not great.
We call ourselves the United States of America. Fifty sovereign states, united under a single federal government, trying to become a more perfect union. No one person represents us as a people. No one party or organization has any birthright claim to inheriting the mantle of patriotic authority. Not even the President. The flag, the stars and stripes, was specifically designed to do just that.
