🇺🇸 No Flags Today

May 25, 2026

Steven B. Zwickel

Today is Memorial Day, a holiday set aside to remember those who died fighting for the USA. I have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years. It was developed in the early 1950s and many of the first homeowners were WWII vets. The houses are almost entirely one-family homes, most of them remodeled ranch-style houses.

       When we first moved in, almost every house had a flag-staff holder mounted next to the front porch and you would see American flags flying in front of many houses. Today, when I took my dog for a walk, I didn't see a single flag flying anywhere. 

       I know why we decided not to put our flag out. We talked about it and both felt that, while we still love our country, we are ashamed and disheartened by the direction in which it is being led. Flying the Stars and Stripes was once a patriotic symbol that represented all of us. Now, it seems, the flag has been co-opted by people who seem to revel in the idea of a divided nation, of us (good, patriotic, conservative Americans) versus them (unpatriotic, people with liberal values).

       The term conservative comes from the idea of conserving, or saving. The original conservatives, disgusted by the excesses of the French Revolution (beheadings, seizure of estates, etc.) were those who argued in favor of conserving the political system. Wikipedia says "It entered the political lexicon in 1818 when French writer and politician François-René de Chateaubriand used the term to title his monarchist newspaper, Le Conservateur, which sought to roll back the policies of the French Revolution and restore the Bourbon monarchy." 

       The word liberal traces its roots to the Latin adjective līber, which means "free," "unrestricted," or "befitting a free man". The idea of a liberal education was supposed to enable lower- and working-class people to achieve a higher standard of living. Having a liberal political orientation came to mean someone was in favor of making changes and reforms that would make this possible. Wikipedia says, "With the rise of the Enlightenment, the word acquired decisively more positive undertones, defined as "free from narrow prejudice" in 1781 and "free from bigotry" in 1823."

       The idea of Left and Right, goes back to the French Revolution. An economic crisis led the French King to call a meeting of clergy, nobility, and commoners. The commoners left to start their own "National Assembly" (later known by other names) to decide what to do. Seats were not assigned, but delegates sat according to their political leanings: 

• Those who supported the King and wanted to keep the traditional system sat on the right. 

• Those who advocated getting rid of the monarchy and making changes sat on the left. The further a delegate sat to the left, the more radical his position. Supposedly, there was some competition to see who could sit farthest to the left without falling off the bench. 

       My father, a US Navy vet who served in WWII, spent 20 years in the Naval Reserves, and was a lifelong Republican, was the most patriotic man I ever met. He told me that, when politicians started wearing little US flag pins in their lapels, he was revolted. "If you really love your country, then you don't need to flaunt it with a flag pin," he said. He explained that you don't need to advertise your patriotism like wearing a t-shirt with a logo on it. Show your patriotism by working to make the American dream come true for everyone.

       That, of course, would require compromise and intelligent discussion of issues by those with the power to make things better. I keep hoping....

       Meanwhile, no flags.