Armchair Ponderings Flag Day

The country celebrates several patriotic National Holidays, with more or less, pomp and circumstance. One the less recognized holidays by Congress is Flag Day.

Flag day celebrates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. Another celebration on that day is the birthday of the United States Army two years earlier, June 14, 1775. A proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson established Flag Day to be on June 14, in 1916. August 3, 1949 Congress through an act, established National Flag Day, not as an official federal holiday. States have the discretion to celebrate the day on their own; Pennsylvania was the first to do so on June 14, 1937. Various cities throughout the country celebrate the day with parades.

We could go into more details about Betsy Ross; about the Bear Flag in California as the California Republic was established in 1846. The bear flag was adopted as California’s state flag in 1850 when the state joined the Union.

Yesterday was one more day that will go down in history as a “Day of Infamy.” I watched as the immediate past president of what once was the greatest country in the world, was escorted to the Miami, Florida court house to be arrested, and arraigned as a felon; to be fingerprinted and to have DNA collected. At least he was not placed in handcuffs! Since cameras were not allowed in the courtroom, we have to rely on sometimes not very accurate reporting from members of the press. Many can say that all of this is of his personal undoing due to his enormous egotism. Maybe so! I have not been one of President Trump’s admirers, nonetheless for all of my years I have respected the office of the President, regardless of which party designate was sitting in it.

Months of theater will unfold, culminating in probably, nothing! Just think what will happen if the other party takes over next year. Will we see all this nightmare replayed with different characters? Probably.

Would it not be great if all the elected officials of both parties, would expendas much time and money working together to conduct business in the areas to which they were elected. Do what you need to do for your constituents and stop all the “gotcha!” Of course, the caliber and character of the elected officials might have something to do with the current problems.

Something closer to home. A week from today, my wife and I will celebrate sixty-seven years of wedded bliss. I call it that because that is what it has been. I’m not much on public declaration and will keep words of affection and appreciation for all of these years of togetherness form my partner in life, between us. I couldn’t let this week go by without some mention of this milestone.

So, what is a milestone? In France they were stones on the side of the road called Mille Borne. Every kilometer had a stone painted white, with a red dome and a distance printed on each.

I’m already working on next week’s submission.