American flag is symbol of hope
Thousands of people attended Saturday’s “No Kings” rally in Lake Mary. I stood on the corner, waving an American flag while cars honked in approval. A lump rose in my throat. I didn’t realize how much I loved my country until I was forced to remind everyone, including myself, that our flag still means something. I thought, “Long may it wave,” while realizing it may not.
I pledged allegiance to the flag every day as a public-school teacher, such a routine that I never thought about it other than as a mechanical gesture of sovereignty. But Saturday, it came home to me how fragile our symbols of freedom have become. I realized that the meaning of our flag could be forever perverted under the present government and become instead a symbol of shame instead of hope and pride.
So, I held up America’s flag for two hours on a street corner, wondering if it was the last time I’d be allowed to do it. Every time the breeze caught its folds, I waited for something to break inside of me: the anguish over how immigrants are treated, the fear for my gay friends, my grave doubts about the solvency of our economy.
Instead, as I watched more and more people arrive to a part of town where all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds converged, I felt something else. I never realized the American flag, in addition to representing the greatest nation on Earth, was my own personal symbol of my last hope for it.
Elizabeth Randall Lake Mary
Don’t promote divisive protest
I thought some of the Sentinel’s coverage of the “No Kings” protest was gleeful, like it was some kind of celebration. In my view, “No Kings” day is actually July 4, when America celebrated the end of King George lll of Britain’s tyranny. If we were living in tyranny, would all the America haters be allowed to freely come out to protest? We have some serious problems in this country but promoting a divisive nationwide protest is not the answer.
Art Hudson Orlando
Real people suffer in shutdown
It’s an interesting time we live in now. As we enter the third week of another unnecessary government shutdown, real people are beginning the suffer the effects of this president’s ego. Many federal workers aren’t getting paid. Our military isn’t being paid. The Capitol Police who protect members of Congress aren’t being paid. Government agencies are being shuttered and employees furloughed or fired. You know who is getting paid? The president and the members of Congress who caused this mess in the first place. Oh, and ICE agents — you know, the ones with masks and no visible forms of identification terrorizing cities and neighborhoods supposedly to round up the worst of the worst criminals — they’re getting paid too.
Spin doctors are doing their best to blame the other party for this problem. There is certainly enough blame to go around but remember this: President Trump said during an interview, “if we don’t get everything we want, we have to shut it down; we have to.” Remember that when they blame the Democrats.
Meanwhile, this past weekend millions of protesters demonstrated at “No Kings” rallies across America. Senior citizens, veterans who served proudly and honorably in multiple wars and conflicts, young people — and yes, inflatable unicorns, frogs, dinosaurs and many others — all concerned about our eroding freedoms and our fragile democracy. You know, ones the Republican party has labeled as domestic terrorists, antifa, and people who just hate America.
Richard Wolken Longwood
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