I’ve ordered an American flag by Steven Lance

The flag is cotton. It’s 4’ x 6’. It was made in the United States. I haven’t decided if I’m going to hang it in my window, on my living room wall, or on a flagpole mounted on my porch. But I will display it proudly. And if someone looks at it and says, “OMG, are you a Trump supporter?” I’ll laugh and say, “Hell, no. But I am an American — and I have as much right to display our flag as any right-wing, neo-fascist, gun-toting MAGA supporter.” (Or words to that effect.)

During the anti-everything protests of the 1960s, the left defiled, defaced, destroyed, and delegitimized the United States flag. We burned it. We spit on it. We made clothing out of it. And we allowed the right to seize it as a symbol of their pride in being an American.

By conceding our patriotic symbols to the right, the left becomes vulnerable to accusations and epithets like “Unpatriotic.” “Communist.” “Socialist.” And a hundred other pejorative adjectives.

Silence is no longer an option

Whether you voted for Donald Trump or not, whether you like his policies or not, whether you think he’s a “good” president or a “bad” one, he was duly elected by a plurality of voters on November 5, 2024.

But on January 20^th of this year, my president swore an oath to me, to you, and to all Americans. He raised his right hand and said: “I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.”

He broke that promise to all of us. His detractors and his followers. And he has put the very structure and foundation of our democracy at risk.

He broke that promise when he started attacking, investigating, harassing, and arresting constitutionally elected and appointed judges.

He broke that promise when he ignored (and continues to ignore) the injunctions issued by the third branch of our tricameral government: The judiciary.

It was a promise that our Founding Fathers made to all of us — Left and Right. A promise to secure “the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”

I am proud to be a United States citizen. I cannot think of or name any other country on earth that has a constitution as effective as ours has been at protecting my right to live in peace.

But we forgot the words of Commodore Steven Decatur (1816), amended by U.S. Senator Carl Shurz (1871):

“My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; if wrong, to be set right.”

We’re in a period where many (most?) U.S. citizens believe our country needs to be set right. And one place to start is by taking back our American flag. Let MAGA supporters have their guns, their Confederate flags, and their Don’t Tread on Me snakes. I want a red, white, and blue flag. I want an American eagle. I want the beautiful words, “We the People.”

I bought a dozen hand-held flags to give away at the No Kings demonstration in my town. I was a little concerned that I would be mistaken for a MAGA agitator. But I was hugely relieved when I approached the bridge and saw HUNDREDS of flag-waving protestors. My dozen flags? They were snatched up within two minutes of arriving.

Let’s hang American flags outside our doors. Let’s hang an American flag on our local abortion clinics. Let’s hang an American flag outside an immigration attorney’s office. Let’s run a huge flag up the flagpoles at the headquarters of the ACLU, the NAACP, the NRDC, and every other “Leftist” organization.

This message is not about politics or policies; it is about the very foundation and structure of our democracy. Our president wants to deport people? That’s his business. How he does it is OUR business. Our president wants to ignore the rule of law and the order(s) of judges? That’s our business too. 

Let’s take back our flag.

Let’s take back our constitution.

Let’s take back the rule of law.