"You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. And you show your patriotism by being true to your values and ideals. And that's what we have to lead with, our values and ideals." - Barack Obama

Too long the flag has been used as a weapon to divide those that supported the war in Iraq and those that opposed the war in Iraq. It was implied that if you didn't support the war in Iraq or have a flag lapel pin or a support the troops ribbon magnet on your car that you were not a patriot. The flag became so political that those of us that are true patriots, but did not support the war in Iraq were afraid to fly a flag, wear a flag lapel pin or have support the troop magnets on our car because we didn't want to be seen as supporting the war. We didn't want to support the notion that you had to be for the war in Iraq to be a patriot.

And to be honest, the way our country was going under the Bush Administration, I wasn't too eager to fly a flag. How could I be proud of a country in which over half of the population voted Bush back to office to promote assaults on civil liberties and torture, to further entrench us in war in Iraq and by the sounds of it, Iran and continue to alienate the world and blacken the reputation of America. Not to mention what the Bush Administration has done to their own citizens by staffing key government agencies with cronies who fail to adequately respond to national emergencies, promote big oil businesses making record profits while gas prices continue to squeeze the lower and middle class budget, all the while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest of Americans who don't seem to be trickling down the benefits of such breaks to the lower and middle class that are being stretched financially.

People who continue the fear-mongering and negative politics do so to ensure their own selfish goals at the expense of the good of the people of this country. Those who continue to seek to divide and orchestrate the votes of the ignorant jumped to condemn Michelle Obama and paint her as unpatriotic and un-American for her comment "Hope is making a comeback and, let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but I think people are hungry for change...I have seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues and it has made me proud."

Unfortunately for them, I think that feeling is shared by a great many in this country. But hope...To see a campaign that does not jump to the negative at the sign of trailing polls, that focuses on what the candidate believes and his solutions to this countries problems instead of tearing down the other candidate is refreshing. Refreshing isn't the right word, its amazing. A campaign like this puts common decency back on the table.

Barack's campaign believes that while negative attacks may work on some people, it's more important to run a true campaign full of content and integrity. To trust that deep down Americans want to steer away from the ugly partisanship we've seen in the past. Compromised solutions instead of mounting issues from stalemate. Postivity over negativity. Hope over fear.

The Obama campaign believes enough people care more to hear about Barack's good points, his thoughts and plans for the future of the country rather than the long list of negatives he could point to with McCain. In fact, as a personal observation, McCain seems to be throwing all the darts at Barack that could conceivably be thrown at him instead...let me give you a couple examples...Elitest? Give me a break. Barack came into money only in the last 3 years when his book, Audacity of Hope was released. McCain on the other hand receives a credit card bill for one month that was more than the Obamas combined made in 2000 (and way more than I make). Flip-flopper? Yes, there are a number of issues Obama has changed on, but what about McCain? I remember McCain in 2000 and he had a whole different set of opinions. In fact, in the last couple years he's made some major flip flops, yet he doesn't mind using the "flip flop" term. Pot...kettle?

So, the point here is that I am proud of Barack Obama. I am proud of his campaign. I am proud of the excitement, energy and interest in the political system and our country's issues that he's be able to generate.

I am so proud that I'm going to start flying the flag on my house.

I am so proud that I'm starting a movement to take the flag back. To de-weaponize the flag so it can't be used by the cynics and opponents as a way to tell us who's patriotic and who's not based on how we stand on certain issues. Because if you're going to call me unpatriotic, you better have something more than a flag to point to as your justification.

As one of our own Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt once said, "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

And Barack Obama, in his speech in Colorado Springs on July 2, 2008, which I heard first hand said this:

"Because time and again, Americans have been willing to serve on stages both great and small; to draw on the same spirit that launched America's improbable journey to meet the challenges of each defining moment in our history.

One of those moments came on September 11, 2001. Whether you lived in Manhattan or thousands of miles away in Colorado, you felt the pain and loss of that day not just as an individual, but as an American. You also felt pride - pride in the firefighters who rushed up the stairs while workers rushed down; pride in the police who provided comfort, and the neighbors who lent a hand; pride in your citizenship, and the tattered flag that flew at Ground Zero. That's why Americans lined up to give blood. That's why we held vigils and flew flags. That's why we rallied behind our President. We were ready to step into the strong current of history, and to answer a new call for our country. But the call never came.

Instead of a call to service, we were asked to go shopping. Instead of a call for shared sacrifice, we gave tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans in a time of war for the very first time in our history. Instead of leadership that called us to come together, we got patriotism defined as the property of one party, and used as a political wedge to take us into a war that should have never been authorized and never been waged." For full text of speech: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/Jul/02/text-obamas-speech/

Because "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" (Howard Zinn), I'm starting a movement to TAKE THE FLAG BACK.

I call all Americans to hang a flag on your house by election day to show your pride in this country, to show that we believe the good in Americans, that we will turn their head away from divisive politics and negative attacks. That we believe in compromise and understanding, even when there's disagreement. And most of all, that we have Hope. To get involved, follow this link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpgp3j

In closing, I can't help but think of Dr. Seuss's story about The Sneeches...if you haven't read that story in awhile, pull it out. The lesson is as applicable to parents as it is to our children.

"We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America." - Barack Obama