As we approached the November 3rd election, I bought a new American flag to fly from our home. I felt optimism that the promise of a new Administration would bring an end to the violent language and policies employed by this president. That we could return to building a better union that strives towards fairness and justice for all. A nation that strives to protect our planet and welcomes immigrants. That works towards more accessible healthcare, affordable education and racial justice.
When Biden/Harris won the election, I proudly flew our new flag for a few days. But then it became evident that the 4 years of chaos under Trump were not over. He refused to concede and since the day Biden was declared the victor, we’ve been subjected to endless litigation and gaslighting. I removed my flag in distress and hoped to re-mount it on January 20th when our new president was sworn in.
I awoke today on January 6th with such joy and optimism due to the wonderful wins in Georgia and the triumph of democracy thanks to Stacey Abrams herculean voter registration efforts. I was looking forward to the votes for Biden being certified in a joint session of Congress today. So I proudly put my flag back up to celebrate the changing fortunes of our country. However within a couple of hours, I watched in horror as President Trump enflamed his supporters gathered in DC with more lies about how they were robbed of their rights and the election was stolen from them. After an hour or so of stirring a toxic stew of lies, Trump threw the match on the toxic pile and instructed the mob to march to the Capitol.
The rest of the day will live on for centuries in our history books. The day and evening was filled with violence, desecration and a mixture of Trump flags, Don’t Tread On Me flags, Confederate flags and American flags. So once again, the American flag has been hijacked by people who have no business calling themselves patriots. I am saddened to now feel shame at displaying my new flag. I am afraid that people walking or driving by my home might think I’m “one of them”. I love my country, I challenge it to do better. The stars and stripes are MY flag and I hate having it co-opted by such a violent, hateful president and political party. This is a terrible day for our great country.