The Counterfeit Flag of America

I used to be really upset when I saw the old flag of the south. You know, the Stars and Bars, the big X across a field of red, symbolizing how much blood would be spilled for a cause. Of course, that wouldn’t be blood of the white supremists, just the blood of common folk who were dumb enough to fight for a cause that had nothing to do with them at all.

And, a hundred and fifty years later, we’re still seeing that flag. The same people who defend their right to fly that flag get bent out of shape over a rainbow flag or a Black Lives Matter sign, but hey, they claim a right to say what they want. And that’s why I used to get really, really upset.

Used to.

Then I figured something out; it’s not a flag of the Confederate States of America at all. It’s a flag of the Counterfeit States of America. It’s a counterfeit, a lot like Republicans saying they want to protect family values. Looks like the real thing, but it definitely isn’t.

So now, instead of getting upset and stewing about “How can these people fly that flag, that symbol of hate and inequality?”, I stop and smile, then laugh. I tell myself, “Oh, isn’t that cute? Another person who wants to pretend that flag means something. They have their little counterfeit flag out.” Then, I take a little secret pride in flying my own flag.

You see, there’s only one flag for this country, and it ain’t the stars and bars. It’s Old Glory, in all her glory. The south will not rise again, the white separatists won’t win, and America will endure. Not because we’re the best people in the world, but because the idea of freedom is much stronger than any old counterfeit flag.

Most of the people who fly that counterfeit flag have been sucked into the hate that a few keep spreading. The great lie that one group of people is better than another group by virtue of birth. The same lie that put kings on a throne and has kept poor people at each other’s throats for centuries. “There’s your enemy!” says the counterfeit flag. But it’s all just a lie.

So, burn that counterfeit flag and set yourself free. Stop being a slave to an idea that has always been, and will always be, a lie. There’s plenty of room under the real banner of America, where we are all the same people. We could accomplish so much if we all just stop trying to separate into our own little groups and started working together. But we can’t do that as long as that counterfeit flag continues to fly.

DeJante` Jones