Protesting Injustice is Patriotic

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I got some good news yesterday, news about a project I've been working on continuously for almost six years. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to feel whole again, what with feeling like my values and ideals have been whirled in a Vitamix since November 2016. It's tempting to take the day off to savor my moment. Independence Day. Barbecues. Lawn chairs. TV fireworks, since even the Chamber of Commerce concedes that setting off bombs in bone dry forests can be too costly.

On my morning walk I noticed that most of my neighbors are flying American flags in their yards. What sentiments lie behind these displays? National pride? Respect for the Constitution, the Commander-in-Chief, or the military? Do all these Stars and Stripes convey Love it or Leave it patriotism? How strongly do my countrymen fear what the Joneses will think if the national colors don't fly in their yard on a day meant to celebrate the love of liberty? For some the flags are probably just garden decor, a variation on the inflatable pumpkins, ghouls, and lighted reindeer now packed away, awaiting their season.

Maybe it was the heat but at a certain point I began to feel as if the flags and banners were parading past me while I was standing still, a mute bystander. The injustices, recklessness, corruption, and small-minded cruelties I've been resisting through peaceful protest, grassroots activism, and self-education about the critical issues facing our roiled nation--are they on pause for the holiday? Do I want to take a day off fighting for a judicious, compassionate, and inclusive democracy that no longer seems inevitable?

The answer is No. I don't think I've ever felt the need to fly a flag in my yard for the 4th of July before today. Times have changed. Every day matters. With our republic in a state of moral crisis and willful ignorance, my front yard says one thing, whether my neighbors agree with the demand on my sign or not: Protesting injustice is patriotic.

That's something I can celebrate all day every day, flag or no flag.

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