As we march toward the Fourth of July, flags are appearing everywhere; Stacy Boulevard in Gloucester is beautifully adorned, and in town squares and greens throughout the North Shore, fields of Old Glory seem to be sprouting up like daffodils in spring. My wife and I have never been in the practice of flying a flag in front of our house, even though she is a Navy veteran; we do, however, have great respect for our country’s flag, deepened by the folded flag that rests next to the photos of my father (Navy) and her father (Army), both of whom served in World War II.
A flag is a symbol, and as a minister, I have come to appreciate how symbols represent concepts that transcend the tangible objects that point to them. Religions use symbols and words in an attempt to “eff” the ineffable, and countries use flags to represent values important to them, for better or worse.
So as the first crop of flags began to blossom just before Memorial Day, it was disturbing to see what should have been the ole’ Stars and Stripes flying up high and proud on a flagpole near a beach in Rockport, but instead this flag had bananas in place of the stars. I scratched my head searching for the symbolism of bananas on a US flag. I thought about contacting Mrs. Alito to ask, but then thought better of it. Like her flags, this one was on private property, and I could only assume this was some kind of political statement suggesting that the United States is a “Banana Republic.” This pejorative and somewhat dated term has often been used to describe a country, usually in Central or South America (hence the bananas), that is a dictatorship with limited freedom and a corrupt government.
Aside from the jingoistic and racial implications, it is ironic that anyone would think the US is such a country. In a real dictatorship a former president and political rival of the current president would not be afforded a fair trial with an impartial jury; the person would be imprisoned or executed, a la Putin. In a true authoritarian regime, would a sitting president stand for any court putting his son on trial, and finding him guilty? Ironically, in a truly corrupt country, the government would never allow a “Banana Republic” flag to fly free anywhere without serious consequences for the person responsible for raising the flag, even if he blamed his wife.
But beyond irony, what is truly disturbing is the disrespect to those who we remember and honor when we raise the flag on these special days. Shortly after Memorial Day, surviving veterans of D-Day gathered in France for the 80th anniversary on June 6. The dedication, the bravery, the belief of the soldiers who stormed those beaches through a hail of machine gun fire, barbed wire and bombs defies comprehension, and contributes to the mystery and majesty of all that our flag does symbolize. Giving one’s life for the freedom and safety of others transcends the boundary between patriotism and religion. It was Jesus who said that there is no greater love than to give one’s life for another (Jn 15:13).
It is unconscionable when pseudo-patriots fly our flag upside down or a flag like the “Appeal to Heaven Flag” on Jan. 6 or on Justice Alito’s lawn. It is not only disrespectful to all that our flag represents, but it is also an affront to all faiths. There is no mention of God in the Constitution, and that was intentional. and though our founders mention God in the Declaration of Independence, it is a generic reference and not specifically Christian; the founders were for the most part deists, not Christians, and they had a keen awareness of how kings claimed divine appointment. They were committed to ensuring that no king, no tyrant claiming the authority of God could ever rule our country. The soldiers who crawled on their knees across those beaches 80 years ago were men of all faiths and no faith; they did, however, share a vision of freedom that was represented in the flag they followed through a hell we can only imagine. Whether it is a “Banana flag,” a “Appeal to Heaven flag” or an upside-down flag on the lawn of a Supreme Court Justice, please, let’s respect the flag they served and died under.
Shortly after I saw that “Banana flag,” I saw another flag on the back window of a pickup truck; I began to shake my head in derision, expecting the worst, until I got close enough to read the words underneath: “Those who disrespect the flag have never been handed a folded flag.”
Of those veterans in the two photos next to our folded flag, one was a Democrat, the other a Republican; one was a Catholic, the other Protestant, but both my father and my wife’s father would agree.
The Rev. Michael Duda is a retired United Church of Christ minister living in Rockport. He formerly served as the senior pastor of the First Church in Wenham.{/em} {em}Midweek Musings rotates among Cape Ann clergy.