While I was hoping to keep politics out of my blog and focus on being a vegetarian and my running, I saw something on my run yesterday that really irritated me, so I’m going to take some blogger’s liberty and tie it in.

Around mile 3 of my run, I saw a truck drive in front of me flying a Confederate Flag.  I am the first to tell you, the First Amendment gives you every right to do that.  What really irritated me though, is that it was the 4th of July.  We are suppose to be celebrating America’s independence, not traitors who stood in direct opposition of America!

Many oppose the Confederate Flag because it is a sign of racism and violence, I’m not going to try an argue a moral point, you can never win a moral argument if the other side isn’t rational.  The Confederate Flag symbolizes whatever meaning you give it, just as wedding ring symbolizes whatever meaning you give it.

The Confederate Flag was flown by those in opposition to the United States and the Constitution our country was founded on!  That opposition is legally known as treason because the opposition took up arms against the Union.

As a Veteran I fought for the United States of America, the promise that all were created equal, that all have the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  I wasn’t fighting for Maryland (my home state), or Georgia, or California or any individual state, I was fighting for all states, unified under the Constitution.  The Confederacy was part of our history, and we should remember that, but it has no place of honor during 4th of July celebrations.

I picked up my pace a bit that 3rd mile thinking about recent events in our nation and how ignorant people are when it comes to what the Confederate Flag actually stands for.  People can say it is southern heritage, they can say whatever they want, history and the facts show that flag to be a sign of treason.

Because I’m a Veteran, I don’t want to celebrate traitors.  I want to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the United States of America.  Not to be cliche, But we all know ‘Freedom isn’t Free’.  If the Confederacy had won, I don’t think we would have the same freedoms we have today, not all of us anyway.

To the politicians who are out on television and in the papers nationally and locally making statements about southern heritage and observing people’s rights; they are correct individuals can do whatever they want on their property, but on government owned property that flag should not be displayed or sold.  For those politicians who can’t strum up the capacity to understand this is a sign of treason, I say to them you don’t know your history and you probably don’t understand the Constitution.  I hope all Americans remember some of the statements politicians are making when it comes time to vote.  Exercise your right to vote, Veterans fought for you to be able to do that.

Veterans also fought for your First Amendment rights, so you can display that flag if you feel you need to.  As a Veteran I’d ask you to think about what that flag represents before you do it.

For what it is worth I also support flag burning, Veterans fought for you to be able to do that to.

Sorry to devote so much time to a political issue but since it affected me while I was out running I thought I would share my thoughts on the topic.

Let me know where you stand and why. 

-Veggie Fueled Runner