Sep 28, 2017 3 min read

When I’m at an event and the national anthem is played, I do what most folks do – I stand, remove my hat and place my hand over my heart. Usually there are some who don’t and I’m OK with that. I choose what I do and they choose what they do. It’s called freedom of expression.

When I hear the national anthem, I often think of the young men from the area who returned home from Iraq in coffins. Sometimes I think of my uncle Bob, who hit the beach at Normandy when he was 18. Sometimes my thoughts turn to the first responders who gave their lives during the tragedy of 9/11, or those who continue to respond to local emergencies. But there are also instances when I just reflect on those people who have made my daily routine pleasurable. Whether they are heroes or not, alive or not, friends or not. they are all part of the fabric of my perspective on this country.

My wife has relatives who have visited here, and when they have come to America, they have been amazed at all the flags flying everywhere. In Britain, you seldom see flags, unless you’re near a government building or buying souvenirs. But when you go into homes, there are pictures of Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family. Their flag is simply a stand-in for the sovereign. The allegiance is to the crown. In this country, since we have no royal sovereign, our allegiance is to the flag.

Sometimes you see people wearing a shirt, shorts, hat or socks that look like an American flag. Anyone who dressed like that 50 years ago would have been denounced for being disrespectful to the flag.

What does irk me about the NFL controversy is this continuing march toward an all-or-nothing mindset. Since 9/11, it has become the vogue to out-patriot your neighbor. If one has a flag displayed, then I need a larger one, or even two. If I see a motorcycle with two flying from it, then my truck must have four. Some entertainers have built careers out of waving the flag and chastizing those of us who don’t hold it high enough, or wave it with sufficient enthusiasm.

Saluting the flag is a privilege, much like voting. If you just wave the flag but don’t vote, it means little in the grand scheme of things. A vote is the ultimate flag salute.

Jake Kribel

Amity