'Splain It To Me, Please

 I recently retired (yea!) from my last career as a sales associate in the hardware department of Smith and Edwards Co. in West Jordan. Let me say from the start, I have a lot of respect and love for this company, and for my fellow employees at the store. Nothing I am going to share with you now is meant in any manner to cast disrespect upon that company.

The hardware department sold flags of various types, including all branches of the military as well as American Flags, along with flagpoles, mounting brackets, etc. We did not sell Confederate Battle flags, flags of foreign nations, or political flags/banners.

My fellow associates and I noticed a somewhat disturbing pattern in our sale of American Flags. As you are aware, it has become very common for individuals to fly American Flags (and some others)  mounted to staffs on the back of pickup trucks. Two or three times a week, we would have customers ask for American Flags, of which we had two brands. One was made in America, one in China. The Chinese variant was less expensive that the "Made in the USA" flag. Sad to say, most of the younger customers in their MAGA hats would take the Chinese flag because of the cost difference. Older customers tended to prefer American Flags "Made in the USA," those wearing veteran's caps would gladly share their stories of being in the service and under fire for America's flag. Yes, some of the older customers were wearing MAGA hats, but they were buying American made flags.

So, I guess I don't get it. MAGA-Make America Great Again- by purchasing Chinese made American flags. America First-unless it is cheaper to purchase an imported item.  

Talk is cheap, and slogans are plentiful. Putting your money where your mouth is, well, that is a different story. 

Thoughts, anyone? 

Thanks for reading; your comments are encouraged and welcome. Just click the word "comment" in the white box below. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Woke

 It does not require a Master's degree in American History, nor demand an extraordinary amount of time, to learn about slavery in the United States of America from 1619 until 1863; that is to say, there were slaveowners in America during those years, and the treatment of the slaves was certainly less than honorable. It is a period of time that does not shine brightly upon the American consciousness; the redeeming value of this painful episode of American history is our national repudiation of slavery, albeit at an horrific cost.

The imagined superiority of one race of human beings over another has proven time and again to be costly in lives, productivity and morality. Countless numbers of wars have been fought and lost, legislation born of ignorance has been enacted and eventually overturned, all to "prove" racial superiority; these efforts and countless others have failed because there is no superior race. In this bigotry and discrimination, America is not a virgin, and while she is trying to become better, she still has much work to do. Discrimination, subtle and overt, has been and still is a part and parcel of American life. Great strides have been made in reducing discrimination, but there is still much work to be done, both by individuals and governments. I say individuals as each person must come to grips with his/her own position on discrimination, and work to positively change themselves and society from the inside; I say government as we require just laws to correct unjust behavior and immoral circumstances.

Whitewashing history, as former President Donald Trump and Gov Ron DeSantis of Florida, both Republicans, (and other loud, obnoxious, ignorant politicians) seems want to do, does not erase history, nor does it change reality or facts. Declaring your love of freedom, democracy, the Constitution, and the American way of life while demonizing a subset of the population because you won't learn about them does not make you a better person, it shows you to be a bigot and a hypocrite. Calling someone "woke" simply means they are aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issue; and by lowering yourself to kindergarten name-calling behavior, you are admitting you are not as aware as you should be and have no desire to change.

When citizens of The United States of America support, defend, and embolden politicians of this ilk, they are denying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag they memorized in school, and in my opinion should be ashamed of themselves.

Thank you for reading, your thoughts and opinions are always welcome; just click the word "Comments" in the white box below.

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

Of Flags and Patriots

I have noticed, over the past several years, an increase in the number of people displaying an American Flag, be it on their vehicle, house, or even clothing. Certainly, this is not a bad thing at all; we do live in the greatest country on earth, and there is nothing wrong with being proud of one’s country.

When I watched the insurrection on January 6^th, I noted several American Flags. This caused me to thing about the flag, and its meaning and position in events such as this.

The act of waving a flag does not make you a patriot, nor does it make your cause just. When you commit a crime, waving a flag does not make it any less of a crime, nor does it protect you from responsibility for your actions. When you physically assault someone with a pole, having a flag attached to it does not make it legal.

If you are displaying the flag as a symbol of your loyalty “. . . to the Republic for which it stands . . .”, then you should also be mindful of the duty of America’s citizens to be obedient to her Laws and Regulations.

We, as citizens of the United States of America, enjoy certain freedoms which are the envy of the world. We have freedom of the press, and we have the right of peaceful assembly. The right of peaceful assembly does not, by any stretch of the imagination, include the right to violently storm the Capitol whilst shouting “Hang Mike Pence,” regardless of the oration you just heard.

It is exceedingly difficult, nay, impossible for me to understand the word “patriot” being commandeered by people who want to invalidate the very action which defines our democracy-voting.

Using force to attempt to alter the outcome of a free and fair election is not patriotism. Rather, I see it as a sign of cowardice, a desperate act undertaken by individuals who will not accept this single, basic concept-the majority of Americans who voted did not want President Trump to have a second term.    

Calling yourself a patriot and carrying an American Flag while participating in armed insurrection does not change the facts: you are not a patriot saving America, you are a criminal and should be treated as such.

 

Thank you for reading; your comments are appreciated.

 

R. M. “Bob” Hartman