In a recent letter, Erik Nystul argues that liberal-minded Americans should make more use of the American flag, including at protests and demonstrations.
As he notes, the American flag is meant to symbolize equality and freedom for everyone. Those liberal ideals are engraved in the Declaration of Independence itself.
Indeed, since the issuing of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, those same ideals — spelled out in great detail — have become widely shared throughout the world.
Sadly, in the past few years the United States has abandoned those ideals and taken an ugly turn toward white nationalism. In response, many of our peer nations have rightly turned their backs on us.
That being the case, waving the Stars and Stripes is no longer an unambiguous expression of national pride. If anything, the flag should be displayed upside-down, to symbolize a nation in distress.
Tom Huckin, Salt Lake City
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