Today, I did something that I have been waiting to do for eight long years.
I removed My Flag from it's mount and replaced it with my new one.
I have watched My Flag slowly decay since I first moved it to half mast (or an approximation on my small post) on December 12, 2000, the day the Supreme Court installed the Pretender to the Throne. I vowed that day to not move it to it's proper place at full mast until the United States had an Honest Occupant in the White House, elected by the People, not selected by Elites.
And, as I marched helplessly against the Iraq war, then the occupation, the Stars slowly faded, year after year. I wrote letters to my Senators, my congressman, to newspapers; I became more and more involved; I donated time and money to depose the Boy-King; I didn't do enough, as the stripes came undone, as My Government spied on Us and denied Some the Right of Habeas Corpus. My Flag became more tattered and torn, even as I found My Government tortured in My Name.
My Flag frayed, in its state of perpetual mourning, as my Rights were sold to the highest bidder, as my Honor was being sullied on the world stage. My Flag faded as New Orleans drowned and Baghdad burned.
My Flag diminished in the foul winds of weakness, fear and greed that those we chose to lead us chose to ride.
And then Something Happened.
Not something small, like my placing my Flag at half mast. Not a little thing, like the miniscule part I played in this history.
A Great Thing Happened.
My country, traumatized by the truancy of it's leaders, abused by an Imperial Ideology, turned it's back on fear.
My Nation chose to change, decided to turn to the future, to repair the past.
But, My Flag remained, weathering the storms of one last winter. It wasn't time yet.
And, so today, I did something I've waited eight long years to do. During the Invocation, I removed My Flag and replaced it with My Flag. As I stood back and looked at the bright, new colors, in the stillness of this crystal clear day, I thought "yeah, I like the looks of this".
I've folded my old flag and brought it inside. I don't know yet whether I will burn it with the respect it's due, or keep it as a reminder of the damage done and the work still to do.