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opinion:
our view
July
4th should mean more than flying a flag
Independence Day is upon us, and traditionally consists of
barbecues, drinking and sun worshipping. So why not do something
different and exercise an independent thought or two? Suddenly,
patriotism has become hip, and sporting the red, white and
blue in any form is fashionable as well as politically correct.
Flag happy Americans have found ways to adorn their cars,
homes and businesses with flags of every size, and there is
no doubt in our minds flying flags will increase ten-fold
tomorrow.
But is anyone really thinking about why they are flying these
flags? Since Sept. 11, Americans are supposedly doing it as
a sign of unity, a unified front against the war on terrorism.
If flying flags means supporting this war, we are against
it. By no means do we support terrorism, but who are we really
fighting?
We seem to be searching for the elusive Osama bin Laden, and
it’s anyone’s guess if he is still alive. While on the bin
Laden manhunt, we are needlessly killing innocent civilians.
Some Americans believe this is justice, as thousands of lives
were lost on Sept. 11. We wonder how we can continue to fight
this war when we don’t even know who we’re fighting?
Others may fly flags because they’re proud to be American.
Were they not proud prior to Sept. 11? We do not think it
should take a tragedy to have a sense of nationalism. We have
many liberties and freedoms we take for granted each and every
day. While Americans drive SUV’s decorated with so called
“American Pride,” they are also polluting the already deteriorating
O-zone layer.
We eat three meals a day, have designer clothes on our backs,
and live in the richest economy in the world. And we rub it
in the faces of others that don’t.
It is possible to be proud to be a citizen of your country,
whether you are a first-generation citizen or fourth. We feel
lucky to live in a country where we have so much opportunity
to move forward. And we don’t need to plaster our bodies,
homes and cars to show these feelings.
White House officials are urging all Americans to celebrate
this day of our nation’s independence, but to also exercise
caution, as terrorist threats remain high. We will be celebrating
as well, with or without flags. We just urge Americans to
take a moment to think about why they are jumping on the flag
bandwagon.
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