Gov. Kristi Noem Blasts Singer’s Call To Abandon U.S. Flag

 

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem led a slew of critics blasting singer Macy Gray for urging the U.S. to get rid of the current flag, claiming the design is “tattered, dated, divisive and incorrect.”

“A new flag?! No thanks. Old Glory still waves as a symbol of liberty and justice for all,” Noem wrote on Twitter.She later wrote to Gray: “[N]o, thank you. I like this flag.”Others joined in. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) tweeted: “If you don’t like the American flag, feel free to leave.”

And Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) tweeted: “There are 195 countries in the world. 194 of them don’t have the American flag. If @macygray or anyone else hates the American flag so badly, they should pick a flag they like & go live in the country that flies it!”

In honor of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery, Gray penned an op-ed piece for Market Watch. The piece reads:

The Confederate battle flag, which was crafted as a symbol of opposition to the abolishment of slavery, is just recently tired. We don’t see it much anymore. However, on the 6th, when the stormers rained on the nation’s most precious hut, waving Old Glory — the memo was received: the American flag is its replacement.

President Biden, Madame Harris and members of Congress: the American flag has been hijacked as code for a specific belief. God bless those believers, they can have it. Like the Confederate, it is tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect. It no longer represents democracy and freedom. It no longer represents ALL of us. It’s not fair to be forced to honor it. It’s time for a new flag.

Incorrect? Let’s look to the stars. There are 50, where there should be 52. D.C. and Puerto Rico have been lobbying for statehood for decades. Both have been denied, since statehood would allow each territory’s elected officials seats in the house.

Assuming D.C. reps would be African-American and Puerto Rican reps would be Hispanic, the ultimate assumption is that these elected officials would be Democratic. That alone is racist.

On to the stripes. The Smithsonian documents that the “white” stripes represent purity and innocence. America is great. It is beautiful. Pure, it ain’t. It is broken and in pieces.

What if the stripes were OFF-white? What if there were 52 stars to include D.C. and Puerto Rico? What if the stars were the colors of ALL of us — your skin tone and mine — like the melanin scale? The blue square represents vigilance and perseverance; and the red stripes stand for valor. America is all of those things. So, what if those elements on the flag remained? What if the flag looked like this?

Gray said a 17-year-old student designed such a flag in 1959 as part of a school project. “Sixty-two years later, in 2021, we have changed and it’s time for a reset, a transformation. One that represents all states and all of us.”


No comments:

Powered by Blogger.