Jose’, Can You See?
Anyone who’s ever been to a ball game knows its call to stand and give praise to
Old Glory:
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
195 years ago today, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem describing the U.S. flag still standing after a British bombardment. It was during the War of 1812, and Mr. Key had been watching the Battle of Fort McHenry from the British confinement he was being held in for one night. When the sun rose, he saw the flag had survived.
On any day, the same freedom that allows someone to burn a flag also necessitates their need to give thanks for that same flag.
In a nation that allows someone to speak to the eminent figure of U.S. government in slander (You Lie!) in front of 50-million people, what’s the essence of this freedom if not the emblem of this freedom?
The Star Spangled Banner is more than an anthem to commence an athletic event, it’s a testament to American liberty and the idea that, no matter how tough things get, that flag will still be there. Regardless of race, creed, religion, gender, politics, age, or income, the flag flies.
Jim Hendrix saw the Star Spangled Banner as a protest song. Makes sense, as the freedom it personifies requires active participation.
Watch Jimi protest his liberties and freedoms by letting his “freak flag fly” here:
