Jun 20 2006
Flag Burning and Baseball History UPDATED
Jerhad.com and Sister Toldjah have the story about one of the greatest moments in ML Baseball, when Rick Monday of the Chicago Cubs made this play:
Best Play in Baseball History: Rick Monday Saves the Flag
(Just added- Youtube link to a short clip of the above video)
The story continues today.
Itinerary for the Florida Special Mission: Rick Monday Flag Ride
** The Patriot Express **
On April 25, 2006 there was a flag flown by the 101st Airborne Medvac unit in Iraq, to pay honor to Rick Monday, a Marine Corps veteran, who committed an unselfish act of Patriotism in 1976 on a ball field as protesters were about to burn our American flag. The flag that was flown in Iraq was sent to Mrs. Monday in hopes that she would forward it to her husband as a token of his support for his beloved country. To pick up this very flag in Florida and take it to Los Angeles, California to Dodger stadium to present it to Rick in a post-game ceremony on 4th of July, preceding the 4th celebration.
Yes, I understand all the arguments about flag burning, and freedom of speech and all that. In the present discussions of the good and bad of patriotism, I am sure many people are disdainful of such blind patriotism, such reverence to the flag.
To them it must seem like a pointless excercise, the worship of a scrap of colored cloth.
My view is that all of my life, at school, at church (yes at church), and in the military, I have learned to show respect and reverence to the flag of the United States and in my home, we show respect to the flag, not for any intrinsic holy elements in the flag itself. It is a flag, not the Shroud of Turin. It is what the flag represents, the values and ideals of America, that which makes our country great that I respect.
And as this clip shows, this is not a new thing, this has been the prevailing attitude for generations.
Just food for thought. Natalie Maines was only 2 years old when this happened. I wonder if she would have applauded?
