Donald J. Devine

Poor Little Flag Day
June 14, 2003

Poor little Flag Day: it gets lost between giant Memorial Day, honoring the nation's heroic sacrifice, and colossal Fourth of July, glorifying its founding principles. How could simple patriotism contend with ultimate sacrifice and rousing ideals?

While National Flag Day may receive less attention, patriotism is a necessary component of citizenship. No nation can be successful without all three. Sacrifice without principle can lead to militaristic aggression as in Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. Principle without sacrifice leads to a nation that cannot defend itself, such as France in World War II. But neither principle nor sacrifice is possible without simple love, of pride in the nation, of patriotism. Without love of the nation's institutions, lands, peoples, communities and its symbols like the flag, there is no deep commitment so there is no sacrifice and the ideals become simply words on paper.

The words are essential--"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Yet, if happiness meant just fun, sacrifice would be impossible and the nation would not have endured longer than any other under a single constitution. So, in fact, happiness has meant rational moral happiness, under liberty, as this has been handed down from Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke and the Founders to us today. But if the ideals were merely rational, they could not be self-evident to all, even the unsophisticated, to every American. That is patriotism's contribution, to provide spontaneous popular allegiance.

Yes, patriotism can be abused and, again, the Nazis provide the prototypical example. Today, conservatives are overjoyed that patriotism has apparently surged in the United States since 9/11. They assume that this will result in political advantage for them. Yet, patriotism should be something beyond partisanship and can be manipulated by the left as well, as did Stalin in Russia after the Nazi invasion. Reportedly, New York City was chosen for the Republican National Convention to milk as much patriotism from the symbolism of the terrorist attack as possible. But true patriotism must be balanced with proper ideals and sacrifice, and these are too important to the survival of the nation for ruthless, partisan exploitation.

Two recent television commercials should make the case to doubting conservatives. The first opens: "When I commanded the U.S. Second Fleet, I worried about threats that would put my sailors in harm's way." The picture is of a man in uniform, stars on the collar, head bowed, leading stressed soldiers securing a beachhead. The harm is that U.S. automakers know how to save oil but selfishly refuse to do so and thus endanger the "lives of our Armed Forces" to guard oil shipped from abroad. The 60-second version includes a picture of the flag and sailors marching, making the case more explicit: business can "make SUVs and pickup trucks that go further on a gallon of gas. Tell the automakers that on the morning of September 11, politics as usual became unacceptable. Tell them you are willing to do your part by buying cars that save gas and the lives of America's Armed Forces." The sponsor of the flag-waving ad was the powerful, rich and left, Sierra Club.

Today, the Democrats get it. As E.J. Dionne Jr. bragged, Sen. John Kerry intends to use "patriotism and community-mindedness" as the major themes of his presidential campaign. He has proposed massive service programs for high schoolers, college students, and Older Americans to mobilize community spirit and love of country. Meanwhile, "for the first time in this nation's history," Kerry says, a president wants "the most privileged among us get enormous tax breaks during a time of war." Not only is Kerry the likely Democratic nominee, he is a highly decorated military veteran. While the president's service in the National Guard is honorable, it cannot compete with war hero status.

Patriotism is too important for partisanship anyway. For many years, Democrats claimed credit for Flag Day since it had supposedly been conceived by Woodrow Wilson to support World War I in 1916 and was made permanent by Harry Truman just after World War II. The date of celebration, June 14, however, betrays its true nonpartisan origin. On that date in 1777, the first flag day was established by the Continental Congress, based upon Francis Hopkins' 13 star and stripe pendant. This was the same Congress that had earlier adopted the Declaration of Independence and called for military sacrifice.

From the beginning, sacrifice, ideals and patriotism have been in harmony in the U.S. and that is the way it should always be. So wave a flag tomorrow, remember the sacrifice behind it and look forward to the glorious 4th, as Americans, one and all.