I believe, on Flag Day, that there are two distinct ways in which flags are viewed and waved. Some wave them in intolerance and feelings of superiority, out of hate for others and a misplaced belief that only one's own country is a worthy place.
The illustration I've chosen is the memorial at Utah Beach, where thousands of good men sacrificed during the D Day invasion so others could be free. These men did not die for hate or jingoism - news of their invasion sparked hope in millions. Anne Frank and her sister, upon hearing of the invasion while they were still in hiding, began plans to return to school that September as they sensed this was the beginning of the turning point of a war which threatened their very lives. The flags that fly at this memorial, like the flags the soldiers and sailors carried that fateful day, stand for all that is best in humankind. This is the flag I wave, with unabashed pride, on Flag Day.

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