Let your freak flag fly because independence and freedom are pretty freaky sometimes

 Hey …. It’s flag day…. Now there are a lot of flags we pay attention to these days.  We have the “red flag” for warnings, the black flag for for bug spray/death…. The Jolly Roger (how jolly can you be if you have become a skull and cross bones?  In racing the white flag means screw it…. It’s time to mash the pedal and in other instances waving the white flag means other things.   

However this is not the day for any of those flags… it’s the day we here in the U S of A celebrate our stars and stripes.  

So here’s some facts…why do we celebrate today?  The flag was adopted  in it’s original form  on this day in 1777 so tht’s 245 years—wow

The flag has taken 27 different forms as the stripes have remained 13, however the stars have been added.  Our current  flag adopted in 1957 in prep for adding the “in continental” states in the late fifties….  Was designed by a high school student.   It’s a good thing we just took to adding stars and 50 stripes would mean one heck of a big flag or a small stripe.  

Now here are some other things people need to know.   

If your flag hits the ground you don’t have to burn it…. There’s no law…and as long as you get it cleaned you can run it up the pole again.   You can have your flag up at night as long as it is illuminated by some means.  

It is not illegal to burn the flag in protest in most instances except when doing so creates a fire hazard and quite frankly if you are protesting you are probably creating a hazard by burning the flag unless you are protesting all alone in your backyard.  And if you want to protest somewhere where most people aren’t paying attention twitter will work just fine for that.  

Now what does “flag Day” have to do with seeking peace and joy?

Well… displaying a flag is a way to show you stand for something.  When you show you stand for something  you tell others you stand for something. And it may be something someone you care about stands for too.   You may find out you are walking this path we call life with people you can help and can help you.  part of seeking peace and joy is becoming comfortable with saying to yourself and to others “here is who I am”. I can change (just like our flag has done 27 times) and when I change I can still stand for important things.  

So find a flag to salute today… find something  in yourself and others to salute  Finally here’s a little  flag rhyme…. 

Spirits soar but sometime sag

Sometimes we lead sometimes we lag

Sometimes Our leaders’ tongues just wag

At us complex issues nag 

Toward Liberties we zig and zag

Yet that cloth out there is not just some rag

It stands for freedoms worth a brag

Be proud Stand Tall Salut