Flag Day and Hoodwinked

"Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep

down below the surface of the average conscience a still

small voice says to us something is out of tune."

Carl Jung

The American flag hangs half-mast in my heart.  It hasn't always been that way, but anymore there seems little reason to be prideful.  From kindergarten through eighth grade the Pledge of Allegiance was recited without fail or ever a slur of words.  Then Viet Nam brought terrible destruction to human beings who are still suffering.  Destruction upon unsuspecting humans with 9-11 leaving scars. The violent damage of war continues to impact the bodies, minds, and spirits of soldiers and separate those who once stood beneath the one flag.

As a citizen of the United States and the freedom it brings, I find myself to be continuously disillusioned by the responses of 'we the people'.  The altering symbolism of the Statue of Liberty;  the disrespectful response to immigrants established in our country; our disregard as a  respected nation or the inappropriate reflections of the government, impacts the sense of pride.

Where is the clarity between the government elected and the people they are meant to serve?  At least now everyone is trying to cleanse both the left hand and the right hand. Can we truly continue to point our fingers at others while ignoring the cries of our own children? Our flag needs to be respected and fly high, and  'we the people' can no longer allow ourselves to be hoodwinked!