July 3, 2017

 I continually read articles, see Facebook posts, and hear negative comments about our nation’s flag. I want to weigh in here.

Since its inception in 1777, the flag of the United States was, and still is, the flag representing the states. There is a star for each of them, and from 1777-1795, that number was just thirteen. The number of states joining the union increased in number for years to come after that, and in 1959, the fiftieth star was added when Hawaii was officially made a state.

The flag we fly today represents our nation, and the union of fifty states that our nation is composed of. It does not, however; represent politicians, religion, political parties, or any one particular race. The flag represents the United States of America, and I argue that it should have been called the flag of the United States of the North Americas, because that would have made way more sense to me.

The flag does not represent the District of Columbia (called Washington, D.C.) whatsoever; that area is a federal district.

The flag does not represent Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Mariana Islands; they are territories (or territories with Commonwealth status).

When any of these places is granted statehood, the flag will have to be changed again.

If it is changed again, the stripes will have to be fewer in number, or represented as thinner in appearance. Stars added are the key ingredients to our flag being changed, because the flag's stars represent the states of the union.

So when people are seen burning the flag because they are mad at something the politicians created in Washington, D.C., or pissed off because religious institutions were granted some status, or that our federal government passed tougher gun laws...you’re smoking the wrong pipe. The flag doesn’t represent any of that.

May you have a merry and safe Independence Day celebration.

Jim Culp