REVISITED – – YES MICHELLE – – “All This for a D***** Flag.”

 I wrote this for Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, and I feel that I need to revisit it for those who “Hate America” and “Disrespect and are Unappreciative” of the sacrifices our fallen veterans made.  I believe it is still appropriate today! MEMORIAL DAY 2024!

I want to focus more on those who have served, are serving, and who paid the ultimate price for freedom than politics or political figures.  However, having viewed the video of Michelle Obama’s comments at a 9/11 celebration more than a dozen times and reviewing the comments of “lip-reading experts,” I have concluded that she said what is reported – “All this for a d***** flag.”  The facial expressions and body language of both Michelle and Barack Obama belie their attitude toward the celebration and the flag or the honoring of the flag and what it represents.

I submit the following as partial support for my view:

Obama and his wife were attending the 9/11 Memorial Ceremony and watched as the Color Guard folded the flag into a triangular shape, according to custom.

A video camera caught the two from the sidelines.

Obama’s wife leaned over and said to him, “All this for a d*** flag?”

Obama turned to her, smiled smugly, and nodded his head in agreement.

How do we know what was said?

The video was presented for translation to a lip-reading instructor at The River School, a Washington D.C. school for the deaf.

I deeply respect the American flag, not just because it is the flag of the United States but because of what it represents, has represented, and hopefully will represent into perpetuity.  I deeply respect the American Flag because of the many men and women who have served and paid a very high price to obtain and maintain freedom in this country and other parts of the world. 

For this Vietnam veteran, American citizen (naturally born), Christian, and Texan, the American Flag stirs my heart every time I see it. Any time the National Anthem is played, I immediately rise to my feet in respect and place my hand over my heart as I face the flag.  Why do I do that?   This flag is more than just a piece of cloth; it symbolizes Freedom and Liberty, which are precious to me.

This Flag was the ensign under which our forefathers fought in initially winning Freedom from the Tyrannical Rule of the British Crown.  I’m thankful that over the years, Britain has become one of our closest friends and allies in good times and bad, but at that time, they were seeking to oppress and enslave the colonists. 

Those new Americans had tasted freedom and believed that death would be better than the slavery and tyranny that was being pressed upon them, so they rallied around the flag, which represented a cause that embodied Freedom and Liberty as God-given rights.  They committed their property, time, energy, intellect, and persons to prosecute that war that would end in our establishment as a nation called “The United States of America.”

That Flag has been the ensign under which our men and women have fought against oppression and despotism over the last two centuries.  We stood in WWI, and most thought that was the war to end all wars; it was not long until we discovered that evil that had not been stamped out and adequately dealt with raised its ugly head, and we were plunged into WWII. In that war, the men and women in uniform, as well as the citizenry, rallied around the American Flag and stood against the tide of oppression and evil, securing Freedom for our homeland as well as many throughout the world.  It has a special place in the hearts of those who have served and are serving and I say thank you to each one.

There are those in political power in America today who do not see desecrating the flag as a problem, but any offense to Islam is, in their view, criminal.  That alone speaks volumes about the condition of our nation and the issues we face. 

This Flag, which Frances Scott Key wrote about as the British invaded Washington in 1814 and became our national anthem, is a treasure to most of us. With President James Madison’s aid, Mr. Key sought to free his friend from British imprisonment and was taken captive. 

The British feared he would reveal their plans, so they put him on the British Frigate Surprise.  The British commenced an intense bombardment of Fort McHenry, and when the smoke cleared, Mr. Key and the others saw the tattered American Flag still flying over the fort, which inspired him to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

On this Memorial Day, I pause to honor the memory of each one who has served in any capacity to gain, maintain, or reclaim our Freedom.  Words will never be sufficient expressions of our gratitude.  I conclude with some words from our Founding Fathers regarding Liberty:

“Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – – Benjamin Franklin

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” – – George Washington

“Posterity! You will never know how much it costs the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.”  –  – John Adams

Yes, Michelle and all who fail to appreciate what the FLAG stands for, “All this for a d**** flag,” the American Flag!  That flag is a symbol of Freedom for all to see!  May God help us NEVER FORGET and be thankful for what this flag represents and symbolizes. 

May God guard, guide, and protect you, and may God bless America!