Half-mast by Barry Rosenbaum

I’ve never considered myself overly patriotic. Sure, I would frequently attend or watch Fourth of July fireworks or shoot them off when legal and fly the American flag on major federal holidays or after 9/11, but generally I have not engaged in overtly patriotic acts.  Although I love this country deeply, I grew up during a period that patriotism and the American flag were associated with the America, Love It or Leave It  sloganeering.  We seem to be there again.  Since I have always believed that you can love this country and still strongly disagree with its policies or actions, I did not want my patriotism to be conflated with a political persuasion that I rejected.  Now, in what may be viewed as a veiled form of protesting the dismantling of democracy by the MAGA federal government, I have taken to flying the California flag.

California, despite its flaws, is a state that still believes in democracy and that government can strive to assist those in need and promote an environment in which we all are provided an opportunity to succeed. California sees its diversity as a strength, not a weakness. It understands that we are a land of immigrants and that we rely on that community for meeting our most basic needs. It has been a leader in addressing environmental crises for over seventy years. More fundamentally, it believes that the sins of the past (which it has committed its fair share of) should be acknowledged and efforts should be made to rectify them, even if delayed and incomplete. It still believes in the rule of law and in separation of powers. California is not alone in these efforts – there are a multitude of states that continue to pursue and advance the principles upon which this country was founded, as imperfect as they may also have been in pursuing these goals.

Those in power in Washington now and their wannabe suitors accuse California and other such states of being mired in wokeness. I didn’t at first understood this attack. What the hell is wokeness and why has it become such a bogeyman? After some research, I learned that in general terms, wokeness has historically simply signified the state of being aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality. Seems simple enough. Who can seriously argue that racism and inequality haven’t been present throughout our history?

However, the struggle for equality has never been easy, and progress has never advanced in a straight line or without serious and lengthy periods of regression. And as so often happens, those on the right, who have historically felt threatened by efforts to extend the opportunities of this country to all people and have done whatever they could to retain power, peacefully or not, have (mis)appropriated this term and twisted it to serve as an easily articulated and sanitized code word to denigrate all actions that seek to reduce the still dominant power of white America.

Although not universal in its interpretation, anti-woke for many means white supremacy. Certainly, this is the official policy of the MAGA White House. How else can you explain the Defense Intelligence Agency express directive in late January to no longer observe MLK’s Birthday, Black History Month, Juneteenth or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Similar treatment was given to AAPI, American Indian, and Hispanic heritage months.

It now is quite evident that the entire Republican party apparatus has picked up this mantle. As Heather Cox Richardson stated at the conclusion of her newsletter on January 14, 2025, “It’s as if the Confederates’ descendants have captured the government of the United States.”

Daunting as it may seem, we simply can’t stop illuminating our steadfast support for democracy. Whether that be raising your state flag if that feels appropriate, continuing to reach out to your federal representatives, attending rallies and marches on Presidents Day, honoring the many federal and state heroes as Robert Reich did so eloquently last Thursday or as Jennifer Rubin did on Friday. In her Substack yesterday, The Courts Aren’t the Cavalry, We Are, Joyce Vance shares suggestions on what you “can do to fight this coup” from Choose Democracy. It will be a long effort, but one in which we all need to play some role.