Where I Stand: A special day for Old Glory

Friday, June 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

TODAY IS FLAG DAY, when many Americans will be flying Old Glory and an even larger number won't give much thought to the day. This isn't a highly recognized day, compared to the treatment given the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. This could be because it doesn't rate a day off from work. Nevertheless, our flag has been a subject of heated debate during recent years.

Some of us believe Old Glory should be treated with respect and not be used as a door mat or burned in anger during demonstrations. The American Legion has called for an amendment to the Constitution to protect it. Others believe that to deny people the opportunity to desecrate the flag is an infringement upon the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment. Our U.S. Supreme Court has come down on the side of the flag-burners.

I'm more than a little insulted by the inane argument that such a constitutional change would be an infringement on our right of free speech. That argument, made by many who oppose an amendment to protect the flag, has little or nothing to do with damaging the First Amendment. A person can write and talk all day long and into the night about the shortcomings of our city, state and nation. That same person, if angry enough, can renounce his or her citizenship without being worried about being jailed.

The lack of judicial will to protect the flag has resulted in displays now being presented by the Phoenix Art Museum. These displays, under the name of contemporary art, include an 8-foot-tall wooden jail housing a U.S. flag in a toilet, a flag made from human skin and hair and a flag placed on the floor for people to stand on. They call these displays "Old Glory: The American Flag in Contemporary Art." That's right, they call it art!

This disrespect for Old Glory is carried over to several athletic events where the flag is raised and/or presented and a singer or the audience sings "The Star Spangled Banner." Watching the crowd at Runnin' Rebel basketball games is enough reason for some loyal fans to question why our national anthem is even sung. Probably because it is a holdover from World War II when most great athletes were away in the military service, but sports continued to be played. That was a time of true patriotism, and everybody present sang along as organ music, a band or record played the national anthem.

Christopher Caldwell, writing in The Weekly Standard magazine, sees the abuse of our nation's song as also being exploitative. In large arenas, it has become a plum for singers, "to be traded for political influence or sold off as a commercial spot."

Caldwell tells us: "The two strains -- the anti-American and the exploitative -- came together when Roseanne Barr grunted the national anthem, grabbing at her crotch and spitting, on Working Woman's Night at Jack Murphy Stadium in 1990."

Old Glory and "The Star Spangled Banner" still have a special place in the hearts of millions of Americans. Some of them have bled for this nation and others have lost loved ones defending the country. Today would be a good time for them to tell younger Americans why our flag deserves better treatment than that given it by flag burners, some contemporary artists and sports crowds and singers. If they don't tell youngsters why the flag deserves respect, they may be assured that even worse treatment and less respect will be the end result.