I Cry Inside (my patriotic thoughts)

I cry when I see the flag at half-mast. I know someone who loved America has died.

I cry when I see tapes of young John Junior, saluting the flag at his father's funeral.

I cry every time the bag pipes play and the 21 gun salute is performed, and especially when the flag is ceremonially folded and presented to the grieving spouse or loved one at the funeral of a veteran.

I cry when I see rebel rousers goofing off during the National Anthem at ball games. They applaud when they hear "and the home of the brave" not because of what the words stand for, but because they know they can order their next beer or get on with the start of the game.

But lately, I cry when I see someone on television burning MY flag. How dare they! They want freedom of speech? Let them go to a country that allows them to burn our flag. They want freedom of speech? They need to think about the Americans who represented the flag to fight for the freedoms this country enjoys. They don't like something about our country? Then they have every right to start a petition, run for a government office, write a letter to the editor, appear before their state or federal government, but leave our flag alone!