My flagpole and the flags I fly are not generally a political statement. I fly flags because it brings me joy to do so. Occasionally, when the events move me, I feel compelled to do so.
On Friday, June 24th, the Supreme court of the United States overturned, by a 5-4 vote, the case of Roe vs. Wade, in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion. The Roe decision overturned laws in many states restricting the right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy. The Court’s action in Roe, while not surprising, is a troubling sign of what may be to come.
I strongly believe that the United States is a nation that :
- Values freedom of speech and expression.
- Values the fact the people have different beliefs, religions, and creeds.
- Respects that people have different opinions than ours and do not demonize them for believing something different than we do.
- Acknowledges that all people have a right to, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
- Acknowledge that people of good faith can disagree.
Over the years, our nation has consistently broadened freedoms. it has not been a perfect or easy process, but it has been the trend over the two centuries our country has existed. Of late, there has been a concerted drive to restrict freedoms.
4 USC 8 is entitled, “Respect for Flag.” It states that Americans should not show disrespect to our nation’s flag and lists several actions which congress considers disrespectful. Subsection a of this section reads, “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
Today, the flag of the United States flies with the union down as a signal of the danger our democracy is facing and as a mark of respect for the bodily autonomy of women across our nation.
Cruesbreck Flags 