This was after she had had MS a while and right after 9/11 when everyone and their grandma was acting all "patriotic" all of a sudden. My aunt, by that time, could not walk any more without a walker. She would be out there hobbling around picking up those flags. Finally, I told her, just pull over and I'll get out and get them up when we see them.
I never had all that respect she had for the flag. They wouldn't let me in either the Army or the Navy when I wanted, because I was born with spina bifida. I got an attitude about it. Surely, they could let me push some paper or something. Nope. I got really pissed off about anything to do with that stuff for years after that.
My aunt did get me to read the small US Flag Code book she had. I always thought it was just a piece of cloth, or napkin, or doo rag, or wash rag or whatever people used it as.
She said it is the dream of all people being treated equal and getting equal justice that America aspires to be that is important and that was what she respected. Even if we haven't achieved that goal yet, that America aspires to try to do that, at least in theory, was what she respected.
Eventually, I came around at least enough to understand why she felt the way she did even if it doesn't seem that way to me. I don't know if America ever really stood for that or if it will "get there." I tend to be a pessimist and a cynic. Despite my misgivings about that, I know there are a lot of people who do still believe it is possible. So, I try to treat it by all the rules I read and remember what she taught me. I might not remember them all perfectly, but I get it. A lot of people don't. Those wear them as clothes, especially the ones wearing them as underwear are disgusting to me now. Don't put your ass on the dream of equality and justice for all. It's disgusting to do that.
That Confederate Flag DOES represent enemies to America. Too bad Trump invited people who believe otherwise into his campaign and administration and we are having to face this nightmare right now. The "history" taught where I live is that mean Yankees came and burned all these poor farmers' farms down and that is why they believe the U.S. Civil War happened. They have an alternate history that they believe.
I am still a pessimist, because where I live, things will never be like what she dreamed of. That dream will never happen. The area where I live is full of right wingers who hate half the people in this country and hate me too, just for being gay. I still try to remember what my aunt taught me about the US flag though. I still have her flag. It's still folded from when the VA put it over her body when she passed last October. The funeral home folded it and I got it. They flew their flags at half staff. It made me cry even more. She would have loved that.
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