I bought my home in `91 and one of the first things I did was put up a flag holder.
I bought the holder with an American flag. I put it on my porch and it has been there ever since.
I didn't want to take it down, but certain events have forced me to.

To me, the American flag represents the fundamental principles laid out in the Constitution.
It represents the fairness of our system. It represents the men and the women who died fighting
to keep us free. It represents the people who cared enough to protect our rights and liberties.
Lately it seems as cheap as a McDonald's Happy Meal toy.

Trent Lott and Tom Delay had a hand in helping me take my flag down when they told
Tom Daschle he couldn't question our "war" because it was unpatriotic.

And they helped me take it down when they perverted the First Amendment to make it sound
like bribing your congressman is part of your freedom of speech. (if they get caught having sex
with any more of their aides they'll probably call that freedom of assembly!!).

Ashcroft helped when he covered Lady Liberty. He helped by taking away
Californian's cancer patients medical marijuana and Washington's right to die.

Fleischer helped me take it down when he blamed the Middle East trouble on Clinton.
Bush is the one who broke off the peace process.

The Supreme Court began my thought process by finding a way to preserve Bush's rights
while trampling on Gore's and the voters.

Bush and Cheney did most of it though. When they wrapped themselves in the flag every time they
gave more money back to the rich, or favored the oil companies, or ignored treaties or made statements
like "dead or alive". They have managed to trample the fundamental principles that my flag represents.

All of this has happened while in the quest for shock value ratings, the radio airwaves have been
taken over by the likes of Limbaugh, Savage, etc..   Propaganda or paid political advertising?

I'm not happy about it, but I took down my flag today.

Cody