I flew the American flag at our home on Friday. It was, after all, the Fourth of July, and traditional. Our family had been putting out the flag every year since the 1980s. But this time felt different. I didn’t feel as proud, or as patriotic, or as sure of what it actually meant to me or others.
Did folks in the area think I was a gun-rights conservative who supported the president, like those who drive around town in their pickups with flags flying in the breeze? Or did they think I was a greenie continuing to believe in the United States as a force for good in the world and at home? Or maybe they curled their lips in disgust at the show of support for a country that many think has lost its way?
It’s a strange and unsettling feeling to be uncertain what it means to fly the American flag.
Mark Adams, Camano Island
