Letter: Support for one flag policy, embrace the Civil Flag of Peace
– Today I read Kenney Enney’s Opinion – “It’s time for a ‘One Flag Policy’ at Paso Robles schools,” and I wholeheartedly support his position! Kenney was keen to point out his time in the military and I thank him for his service. In his opinion piece, he used the note that many of our best, who paid the ultimate price to support our war missions, did not have any identities related to the strife we currently have in our society. These heroes were simply identified as Americans with the American flag as a reminder of where they came from. I fully support, respect, and am eternally grateful to our active military and veterans. We are the land of the free, because of the brave men and women in our armed forces, many of whom sacrificed all.
In my opinion, I think the one flag that should be flying above our schools is not the Stars and Stripes flag, “Old Glory” which is so well known. I have seen a number of these flags being flown upside down and the flag in this position is a distress call by Americans who fear for the nation. We have all of Kenney’s noted problems with the division of one group to another group, and the continuous media-driven fight amongst divergent political parties, ideologies, ethnic and racial disagreements, and worse. It seems we are always fighting with someone, or against something. When does that change? I submit it changes first with a visual symbol of change as Mr. Enney has aptly identified.
Here is what I hope to get across, first the knowledge, then the solution to the problem.
We have two different National flags. The one that is currently flying above our schools and in just about every government building, business, and home that visibly supports (or is required to fly the flag of) the United States of America. Old Glory
This flag is known as the Military or War Flag of the United States of America. Why are we flying a war flag at schools, over city buildings, businesses, or homes? In this city, are we at war? With who?
Do we want our kids growing up and learning war or peace? To understand his story, you always learn from the victors of war, because they control the narrative. Old Glory became the default flag because we have been at war nearly continuously ever since the civil war. One other side point… did you know that if you are flying the Military or War Flag, the military can enter and use your house as a post or barracks legally, without your permission?
If you expect to see change you must change from a war propagator to a peace propagator.
Moving forward our children should learn how peace works and that can begin using a symbol like the American Civil Flag of Peace, the only other National Flag of the United States of America.
The Civil Flag of Peace was created in 1799 and first flown in 1800 and was a symbol of the Constitutional Republic. It represented constitutional common law, and peace. It was flown by merchants, civil government authorities, and citizens who lived in our constitutional republic.
Did you know, in the 248 years of freedom since the 1776 Declaration of Independence there were only 3 years when the United States of America was considered at peace and we had a different flag flying over government buildings? If you are flying the Civil Flag of Peace, you have the choice to allow the military to enter your house, they must ask to enter. How often do we need to allow this to happen? How much war is being waged on our soil? If it comes to it, I would want the choice to accept it or not.
This is the flag we should use for the One Flag Policy. It promotes change in thinking. This would be an action that recognizes peace, prosperity, and represents a Constitutional Republic at Peace.
Speaking of the schools…. if you do the research on this in the schools, especially the middle and high schools it would make for amazing projects in his story classes.
Cheers!
-Coy Barnes, Paso Robles
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