EDITORIAL: Get ready to fly Old Glory on Flag Day
Jun. 13—Tomorrow being Flag Day, it might be good to revisit a few of the campaigns Old Glory has seen in her many years.
The flag has been at the center of many of its own battles over the years, going back to 1907, when, in Halter v. Nebraska, the Supreme Court upheld a state law that prohibited two businessmen from selling beer that had flag labels on the bottles, according to the National Constitution Center,
Not that it can't legally desecrated; doing so was later ruled protected speech by the U.S. Supreme Court in a controversial decision.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority: "Though symbols often are what we ourselves make of them, the flag is constant in expressing beliefs Americans share, beliefs in law and peace and that freedom which sustains the human spirit. The case here today forces recognition of the costs to which those beliefs commit us. It is poignant but fundamental that the flag protects those who hold it in contempt."
William Rehnquist dissented: "The American flag, then, throughout more than 200 years of our history, has come to be the visible symbol embodying our Nation. It does not represent the views of any particular political party, and it does not represent any particular political philosophy. The flag is not simply another 'idea' or 'point of view' competing for recognition in the marketplace of ideas. Millions and millions of Americans regard it with an almost mystical reverence regardless of what sort of social, political or philosophical beliefs they may have. I cannot agree that the First Amendment invalidates the Act of Congress, and the laws of 48 of the 50 States, which make criminal the public burning of the flag."
Arguments will continue to divide us as they divided the justices, but on Wednesday, we set aside our divisions to honor the flag and be reminded of many of the other battles it has known.
War of 1812
Most famously, the sight of the flag flying over Maryland's Fort McHenry on the morning on Sept. 14, 1814, after a British attack, inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner."
Civil War
In November 1864, a group of men, "ragged and cadaverous," stumbled into the lines of the Union Army during Gen. William Tecumseh's Sherman's march through Georgia. The men were Union soldiers who for more than 100 miles had evaded rebel patrols and bloodhounds after escaping from the Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, Georgia.
With "wild animal" stares, the escapees were moved to tears by two things: The sight of food and the American flag.
The story is told in "Sherman's March" by Burke Davis.
Just a few months later, a U.S. flag accompanied the funeral locomotive that brought Abraham Lincoln from Washington, D.C., back home to Springfield, Illinois.
World War II
In 1945, it inspired another generation when U.S. Marines raised it on Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima.
The flag has been a rallying point throughout American history — the moon landing and the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001 being just a couple of examples.
Lastly, we remember what the flag meant for our community in the days and weeks after the 2011 tornado. It was an inspiration and symbol of hope for our community, too.
The surest way to honor Old Glory is to fly it properly, especially on Flag Day.
