Posted on 06/14/2011 7:06:05 AM PDT by Red Badger
Debbie’s Daily Dose of Food for Thought
The stars and stripes of our flag are known round the world. Here is the first stanza of a poem to ponder and a few things to know about our flag and Flag Day.
“There’s a flag hangs over my threshold, whose folds are more dear to me
Than the blood that thrills in my bosom its earnest of liberty;
And dear are the stars it harbors in its sunny field of blue
As the hope of a further heaven that lights all our dim lives through.”
-- Julie Ward Howe (American Poet, 1819 – 1910)
History
According to timeanddate.com, the Continental Congress replaced the Grand Union flag with the first American flag on June 14, 1777. The new flag featured, “13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes – one for each state.” It is not certain who made the first flag, but it might have been Betsy Ross. She was a Philadelphia seamstress who was an official flag maker for the Pennsylvania Navy.
Symbols on the Flag
The design on our flag, also know as “Old Glory” and the “Star-Spangled Banner,” has changed over the years. It now features “13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars.” Each star represents one of the 50 states and the 13 stripes stand for the first states in the Union, the original 13 colonies.
When Did Flag Day Become Official?
President Harry Truman proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day in August 1949. In 1966, Congress requested the week of June 14 become National Flag Week.
How to Observe Flag Day
Our flag represents our country and freedom. Many people display the American Flag at their home, office, or public building in honor of Flag Day. Read our story about proper American Flag etiquette and click here for more information about Flag Day and The National Flag Day Foundation. How will you be celebrating Flag Day today?
Ours is flying in the sun with a nice breeze.
B R A V O ! ! !............
B R A V O ! ! ! ! !.............
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
He sings it better than any of those so=called rock stars do, adding their extra riffs and notes to a perfectly fine anthem. Thank you for posting and thanks to the Marine.
http://www.theholidayzone.com/flag/poems.htm
“Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country’s flag,” she said.
The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program as he related the story of his teacher,
Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day.Now, more than ever, listen to the meaning of these words:
"I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though
it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?"I: Me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge: Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.
Allegiance: My love and my devotion.
To the flag: Our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there's respect
because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job!United: That means that we have all come together.
States: Individual communities that have united into 48 great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity
and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country.
And to the Republic: A state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern.
And government is the people and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.For which it stands, one nation: One nation, meaning "so blessed by God"
Indivisible: Incapable of being divided.
With liberty: Which is freedom -- the right of power to live one's own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice: The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
For all: For all. Which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added to the pledge of Allegiance:
UNDER GOD Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too?
God Bless America!
BTT
Can’t believe this thread doesn’t have several hundred comments.
IT’S FLAG DAY, PEOPLE!
I thought the same thing, but was gonna wait until late in the day to say anything...................sad.........8^(
Could we get this put in breaking news?...........Some people might not realize this..............
If this was a Weiner thread it would have 500 comments by now....................
BTT with Breaking News added
Flag proudly flying here!
B R A V O ! ! !...........
I remember the day, but the rest of the thread is good for the soul. :)
I hope it gets lots of traffic today.
(And I'm proud to say that our neighborhood has LOTS of flags flying!)
Flag flying here.
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