There is nothing more disturbing and infuriating than the events that have taken place during this past week that disrespected our country. There were two incidents that sought to discredit the importance of the Pledge of Allegiance. One was the original decision by the city council of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, to stop reciting the Pledge at the beginning of each meeting. The skewed reasoning behind that decision was because it might offend newcomers to the community. But that logic is what my mother would have described as “Meshuga iz nit ken krank (Being meshuga is not a malady – it is just plain nuts). Those who come to this country (and we see how many are coming to the southern border) understand the virtues of what the US represents. The thought that anyone who has come here for a better life and/or freedom would be offended by the Pledge is ludicrous. If that be the case, they shouldn’t be here in the first place.
Over 100 people came to the city council to object to this obscene gesture, and the city council was compelled to overturn it. This shows how important it is for patriotic Americans to not let these un-American acts go unchallenged.
Another example in this vein just occurred at the Mullis Community Senior Center on San Juan Island in Washington State. The center decided to revise its lunchtime program, eliminating the Pledge of Allegiance and putting the American flag in a locked closet. The rationale for this, according to its executive director, was: “We discovered that many of the incoming seniors were uncomfortable with it.” When some seniors started to recite the Pledge anyway, the center threatened to call the sheriff to escort them off the premises which was actually done. But the seniors did not cave in. They produced a petition with 200 signatures, requesting that the program be restored. In response to the outrage of the community, the center said that they would return the flag and are working on a plan to reinstate the Pledge.
What I cannot fathom is why weren’t the “powers that be” determined to create a welcoming environment for those Americans who love the Pledge, our flag, and our country – and not vice versa? What on earth do these diverse individuals object to? Could it be they don’t approve of the whole idea of being loyal to America and our flag, or do they not want to associate with the concept of “One nation under G-d, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”? I remember how proud my parents were when they became citizens. The judge thought it would be cute if I, a five-year-old preschooler, would lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a glorious moment.
Our flag continues to come under attack by the left. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley condemned prominent Democrats for not responding after protesters demonstrated outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Aurora, Colorado, last week and pulled down the American flag and flew a flag of Mexico in its place. The protesters also removed a “Blue Lives Matter” flag honoring law enforcement, spray painting it with the words “abolish ICE.” Haley wrote, “There are no words for why Democrats are staying silent on this… This is disgusting. Love your country, and if you don’t like what is happening, then tell the Members of Congress to get to work and fix it.”
Also recently, Nike removed its Betsy Ross flag design sneaker because Colin Kaepernick objected to it. You must remember that Kaepernick, a poor excuse of a human being, sat with one knee during the singing of the National Anthem at the beginning of the football games in which he participated. This led to other ingrates to do the same, forgetting that the millions of dollars that they earned could only happen in America. Megan Rapinoe, captain of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team, was known for taking a knee in solidarity with the disgraced Kaepernick and insulted us by refusing to sing the anthem and or put her hand over her heart as it played, as a gesture of respect.
Kaepernick, the “world renowned historian and scholar,” claimed that the colonial flag represented slavery. Adding to this narrative, Beto O’Rourke, another genius, told a group of immigrants that the “United States is rooted in racism.” He went on to stupidly explain: “I know this from my home state, Texas, places that formed the Confederacy, that this country was founded on white supremacy. And every single institution and structure that we have in this country still reflects the legacy of slavery and segregation and Jim Crow and suppression in our democracy.” And this space cadet wants to be our president! Sadly, this kind of political garbage is starting to gain traction.
There seems to be an agenda to eradicate what it means to be American and trying to take away our identity. Laura Ingraham on Fox News explained that “the easiest path today is one where you take cheap swipes at American symbols and traditions. These attacks on what it means to be American are part of a “power grab” by those on the left. There is a price for surrendering your sovereignty and your identity, and we are going to pay for it if we don’t defend our history and our traditions.”
I would be remiss if I ended this article without mentioning the four members of the House of Representatives, known as the Squad, who continue to hold America and Israel in contempt. Particularly egregious are the comments of Rep. Ilhan Omar. In a recent interview with Vogue Arabia, she had the audacity to say how easy it was to live in a refugee camp in Kenya when she was 12. She has been blessed with an unbelievable life in America, and this is how she feels about her country. Tucker Carlson of Fox News said, “Ilhan Omar has an awful lot to be grateful for; but she isn’t grateful. Not at all. After everything America has done for Omar and her family, she hates this country more than ever. Ilhan Omar is living proof that the way we practice immigration has become dangerous to this country – a system designed to strengthen America is instead undermining it.”
This frightening trend to devalue the ideals and traditions of America must be rooted out. It is a privilege to live in America, and we cannot have these malcontents ruin it for the rest of us. G-d bless America!
Cynthia Zalisky is a community activist who resides in Kew Gardens Hills.
