"Why do so many of you fly your flag everywhere, and all the time?"

The Flag Says "You're Free" 

A friend from another country asked, "Why do so many of you fly your flag everywhere and all the time? You guys are oddly patriotic." I put quotes around that, I suppose the friend didn't use exactly those words, but close. I said that unless you are a people who have been constitutionally charged with governing your own country, and given the freedom to stand with each other as leaders of a United States of America, you will have difficulty understanding. I added that citizens of the United States are charged to express and protect citizen rule by teaching and inspiring each other to remain involved as free people, and a free system...Americans by that definition are logically and necessarily (italics) patriotic. Furthermore, freedom inspires hope; Hope for each individual, hope for each tribe, town, city, county, state, and nation. Freedom inspires activity and action, that we are not only righted by, but charged with.

Any one in any system that is not established as free and uniquely citizen ruled must only celebrate with rituals inspired to celebrate a country, or a royalty, or some other meaning-making effort. Americans are charged with the right to celebrate each other, to respect the others' unified rule, and to trumpet freedom as high and low as one can...without it freedom dies.

Freedom will not die by my hand. Yes, we fly our flag, and we are lifted to stand before the first note of our anthem sounds. We raise our flag, and settle it at half-mast because the constitution mandates, we show respect for heroes and each other, and because a free person has no shackles by which to justify him or her to remain seated.

We raise our flag, daily and by the might of those rattled by death, and overtaken by terrorism. When terror happens we are reminded by we together can take up our arms and defend ourselves. I will not hesitate to defend you, my free people with whom we rule. What reason has a man to stand than by freedom's call? No other has borne such a mandate. You and I cannot fail to raise her. You and I cannot fail to stand by the names of the fallen, and by all affected...which means you and I as well. We are all affected by the dawn of new terror, and instead of giving ourselves and our liberties away, we must take them up and stand, and stand hard. Only then do we honor the fallen.

Those who seat themselves in high power honor no one. By defying the oath and creed of a free citizen, you tarry the sword against the repressed, not for them. Only by standing can you take up the call of a free man and honor the repressed, and continue your effort for them. Because freedom is light, responsibility, expectation, and hope. Anything less is merely living. Because freedom means something. I carry my flag proudly because I am a ruler with you. Those we've chosen to represent us have learned the temptation of power wielded by one, rather than power restrained by the many free. You must not allow them such prowess. They have forgotten the joy of ruling amongst the free. Remind them on a day such as today.

A few days ago my daughter Alyssa poignantly wrote, "15 years ago Americans discovered a deeper level of freedom and patriotism. Let's not forget what happened that day. Honor those who have died, survived and continue to fight for liberty and justice for all." "Liberty," she said. You're going to hear words bandied about like "democracy," and "unity," to sway you. These words without Liberty firmly attached to them can mean many things that are not free...and often do. Take heart, and firm your grip on freedom, because you are and will be summarily dismantled from the inside out if you don't.

Understand that your freedom only happens when you take your place as a giant cooperative of citizens who govern, and who are supported by a self-limiting government. That is how to be American, and that is how to honor whom we honor today...the citizens who were viciously and maliciously wiped from this earth on their own turf, and those citizens who rent their lives for their sake on that day, and on days and years after. I am not tepid by my call to unity in freedom, no. I club that bell with all my might, and give you my all. For I am a free man. I am an American.

Why do we fly our flag? The flag says, "You're free."

American? Act like it.