On June 14 we honor simultaneously the symbol of our freedoms and the guardian of those freedoms – Old Glory and the United States Army now 238 years old. I believe that the state of these two icons reflects much about the state of the Union.
In 1989, in response to a flag burning by an avowed communist, the Supreme Court by one vote declared that burning the American flag was constitutionally protected speech. They did this despite overwhelming constitutional evidence to the contrary, an outcry from three-fourths of the people and the legislatures of all 50 states – not to mention James Madison the author of the Constitution and his friend Thomas Jefferson who denounced flag burning as a crime.
Burning our flag is not speech; it is a form of expression some say is protected by our Constitution. "Freedom of Expression" is right up there with "Wall of Separation" as constitutional frauds. The Constitution protects three forms of expression: the spoken word, the written word and peaceful assembly. Flag burning is none of these. In response to the insanity of the court, the American Legion formed a coalition to pass an amendment to the Constitution that would return to the people the right to protect their flag, a right enjoyed since our birth as a nation.
The word "symbol" is from the Greek word meaning half token, which when united with the other half represents something above and beyond itself. The other half token of the flag is the Constitution; the flag embodies the values embedded in our sacred Constitution. The legalized desecration of the symbol of the Constitution symbolizes the ongoing desecration of our Constitution. The examples are legion – judges who believe that the Constitution is what they say it is. I can think of only a few societal disasters that are not the result of judicial insanity; think of the assault on prayer, religion, the Decalogue, pornography, Obamacare, coddling of criminals, etc. ad infinitum.
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Flag burners are not the problem; the problem is those who say flag burning is speech. These people are burning our Constitution. Tragically, key members of American leadership today support legalized flag burning. Although a large majority of the Congress repeatedly voted for the flag amendment, (it lost by one vote in the Senate), both then-Sen. Obama and the ranking Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, disregarded the will of the people, the Constitution, and voted against the right of the people to protect their flag. So did Hilary Clinton.
As an aside, I spoke to Sen. Obama on the constitutional issues of legalized flag burning. I had with me the law professor who taught Mr. Obama constitutional law at Harvard. We hoped to get Obama on our side, although he had spoken against the right of the people to protect their flag. There were no teleprompters present, and he had absolutely nothing to offer in defense of his position. In fact, the only thing I remember him saying was to request a picture and compliment us on our arguments. He then voted against the flag amendment. After this meeting, I wondered how this man could have become the celebrity he was.
America's Army is our blue-collar service, the guts of our security. It has been peopled by traditional moralists dedicated to a Spartan lifestyle governed by rules, laws and traditions, in some cases different from those of the America they protect – differences that are vital to that protection.
Our Army has been housed in communities of like-minded patriots separate and independent from the communities of America. The functions of those communities – schools, commissaries PXs, churches, theaters and clubs – all reflect our unique military discipline and values.
Enter Mr. Obama, a progressive moralist, who introduced homosexual conduct into barracks, military communities and foxholes, and transformed our military from heterosexual to quad-sexual (homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender). As if that weren't enough, he is now putting females in foxholes much to the delight of our future battlefield enemies. With these changes will come a change in standards: physical for women and moral for Christians.
We are already seeing attacks on Christians and conservatives in the military. How can a military chaplain, Christian or Muslim, not teach the truths of the Bible on sodomy? Mr. Obama and his military sycophants must silence them. And it has begun. The Boy Scouts have been a kind of mini-military, and they face the same moral dilemma. How can they be morally straight when their leadership (essentially to protect their salaries) introduces fornication, by definition, into their ranks?
Unless America wakes up and stops this insanity, we will be celebrating the Army's 239th birthday on Army posts, camps and stations peopled by same-sex couples in gay, lesbian and bisexual clubs where fraternization and adultery are indefinable – as is discipline. Homosexual health, deployment and blood issues will enter battle planning. Soldiers will see their chain of command dancing and romancing other men – or women, or both. I wonder if Mr. Obama believes that the sight of him dancing with other men at state functions would be inconsequential. The military will become a sexual and moral morass with readiness in shambles.
Additionally, the commander in chief is also responsible for unprecedented rates of suicide and PTSD. He has taken victory as well as terrorism out of military dialogue. He is dedicated to appeasement and unilateral disarmament. He sells weapons to our enemies. He has set rules of engagement that endanger our troops. I could go on. Obama is weakening us and emboldening our enemies, which means someday we will require a strong military, but we will not have one.
Our flag is the inspiration and shroud of our warriors, the tissue for the tears of their loved ones, the vault for our values. It is the greatest training aid. We have to instill patriotism in our children, the patriotism vital to the survival of our way of life. Yet we have a president who once said it was unpatriotic to wear a flag pin. Old Glory represents the core of what we have been; legalized flag burning, supported by our president, represents what we are becoming. The flag amendment does not protect the flag; it simply allows the people, should they so choose, to protect it. It should be passed.
Over the years, I have done my share of recruiting. My military service to America was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. All my children served. I would not serve in a quad-sexual military, nor would I encourage any young person to enlist in today's military. I would give my life for the country and military I served. I would not give one drop of blood for the country and military we are becoming. Hopefully, on this birthday of our Army and our flag, Americans will pray that the disasters of this presidency will be reversed.