In celebration of Flag Day, an eloquent and inspirational statement of values and principles, from the leader of the Democratic Women of Santa Barbara club.
I think one of the important contributions of this piece is the reminder that the original pledge did not include the phrase "under God," which was added during the Cold War to create distance between the US and the Communist Soviet Union. At our contemporary historical moment, in which the Trump regime is trying to re-write and distort our nation's history to embrace "Christian nationalism," we are reminded here of one of the keystones of our Constitutional order, the separation of church and state, alongside the importance of a civic polity that embraces all Americans, not just the ones that the current regime views favorably.
The article calls for us to be “indivisible,” yet immediately divides people into ideological camps.
Most Americans aren’t waking up thinking about left versus right. They’re thinking about whether they can afford groceries, whether their kids are getting a quality education, whether they can ever buy a home, and whether they’ll have to leave the community they’ve lived in for decades.
If we truly want unity, let’s stop assuming people with different political views are extremists and start judging policies by their results. California families are struggling with affordability, housing, education, and energy costs. The results here speak for themselves. Those are problems worth solving together.
And yes, everyone has the right to express a different opinion. I spent 26 years in uniform defending that right. I simply believe we’ll make more progress when we spend less time labeling each other and more time working on the issues that affect working families every day.
The U.S. partisan political divide is not about utilities, infrastructure, or tax policy: the fundamental difference is that the Republicans have become an authoritarian party, full stop, while Democrats still are committed to the rule of law, individual rights, and free and fair elections. It would nice to think, Bob, that the kinds of issues you cite have bearing on what is happening in national politics, but also extremely naive.
Dishonest and disingenuous ... and no surprise that "Bob" is a regular at Santa Barbara Current. His feed is chock full of divisive garbage from right wingers.
Patriots are those who understand and fulfill their civic duty to responsibly participate in our Republic, a representative democracy. Patriots do not require party or any group affiliation. (I’m an involved registered NPP.) of possible interest, my Flag Day article.
"Today, I know Greatpa East would be as sickened as I am to know that Eastside Santa Barbara elected DSA endorsed Council Rep Wendy Santamaria purposely shows up late to every City Council meeting in rejection of the American Flag and all it represents.
Why do her constituents hate America as represented by our flag? Why do some not respect and honor our American flag?"
Jerry, don't we have freedom of Speech in America? Why are you hiding my response...I see it has been hidden. Are you part of a group that tries to silence any alternative opinions to your story? If you are telling people the truth, you shouldn't have to hide other ideas.
My response 3rd time...
The Pledge of Allegiance was conceived by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister, for a national public school celebration of Columbus Day on October 12,
1892. She was a socialist, and was promoting socialism. "WE" don't want to live under socialism and that is why the true Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the American Flag and been defined over time, by true patriots, and true servants of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Socialist are undercover elitists and "WE THE PEOPLE" have stood up to that tyranny for centuries. This is not the "WE" that you speak of, WE ARE NOT PART OF YOUR TYRANNICAL "WE".
Santa Barbara has been dedicated back to God, set forth by the President of the United States, and Santa Barbara will honor our leadership and serve God and Man, instead of self, In Jesus Mighty Name.
Yes Jerry, you're side has to play games cause when truth is spoken, you don't have to defend it, it will defend itself. See email I sent you with a screen shot of my posts you have hidden.
Jerry, don't we have freedom of Speech in America? Why are you hiding my response...I see it has been hidden. Are you part of a group that tries to silence any alternative opinions to your story? If you are telling people the truth, you shouldn't have to hide other ideas.
My response again...
The Pledge of Allegiance was conceived by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister, for a national public school celebration of Columbus Day on October 12,
1892. She was a socialist, and was promoting socialism. "WE" don't want to live under socialism and that is why the true Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the American Flag and been defined over time, by true patriots, and true servants of the people, by the people and for the people.
Socialist are undercover elitists and "WE THE PEOPLE" have stood up to that tyranny for centuries. This is not the "WE" that you speak of, WE ARE NOT PART OF YOUR TYRANNICAL "WE".
Santa Barbara has been dedicated back to God, set forth by the President of the United States E , and Santa Barbara will honor our leadership and serve God and Man, instead of self, In Jesus Mighty Name
The Pledge of Allegiance was conceived by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister, for a national public school celebration of Columbus Day on October 12, 1892. She was a socialist, and was promoting socialism. “WE” don’t want to live under socialism and that is why the true Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the American Flag and been defined over time, by true patriots, and true servants of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Socialist are undercover elitists and “WE THE PEOPLE” have stood up to that tyranny for centuries. This is not the “WE” that you speak of, WE ARE NOT PART OF YOUR TYRANNICAL “WE”.
Santa Barbara has been dedicated back to God, set forth by the President of the United States 🇺🇸, and Santa Barbara will honor our leadership and serve God and Man, instead of self, In Jesus Mighty Name.
“So on this Flag Day, let us say it plainly: WE ARE THE TRUE PATRIOTS!” Isn’t it divisive to claim that one partisan political party or group “are the true patriots” while in the same article stating the Flag belongs to all [Americans]? It seems a contradiction.
I think one of the important contributions of this piece is the reminder that the original pledge did not include the phrase "under God," which was added during the Cold War to create distance between the US and the Communist Soviet Union. At our contemporary historical moment, in which the Trump regime is trying to re-write and distort our nation's history to embrace "Christian nationalism," we are reminded here of one of the keystones of our Constitutional order, the separation of church and state, alongside the importance of a civic polity that embraces all Americans, not just the ones that the current regime views favorably.
The article calls for us to be “indivisible,” yet immediately divides people into ideological camps.
Most Americans aren’t waking up thinking about left versus right. They’re thinking about whether they can afford groceries, whether their kids are getting a quality education, whether they can ever buy a home, and whether they’ll have to leave the community they’ve lived in for decades.
If we truly want unity, let’s stop assuming people with different political views are extremists and start judging policies by their results. California families are struggling with affordability, housing, education, and energy costs. The results here speak for themselves. Those are problems worth solving together.
And yes, everyone has the right to express a different opinion. I spent 26 years in uniform defending that right. I simply believe we’ll make more progress when we spend less time labeling each other and more time working on the issues that affect working families every day.
The U.S. partisan political divide is not about utilities, infrastructure, or tax policy: the fundamental difference is that the Republicans have become an authoritarian party, full stop, while Democrats still are committed to the rule of law, individual rights, and free and fair elections. It would nice to think, Bob, that the kinds of issues you cite have bearing on what is happening in national politics, but also extremely naive.
Dishonest and disingenuous ... and no surprise that "Bob" is a regular at Santa Barbara Current. His feed is chock full of divisive garbage from right wingers.
(Here's one of many disgusting examples: https://substack.com/home/post/p-184264984)
Patriots are those who understand and fulfill their civic duty to responsibly participate in our Republic, a representative democracy. Patriots do not require party or any group affiliation. (I’m an involved registered NPP.) of possible interest, my Flag Day article.
https://thesantabarbaracurrent.substack.com/p/in-celebration-of-flag-day-june-14?r=2v0ld1&utm_medium=ios
Oh, so this is you?
"Today, I know Greatpa East would be as sickened as I am to know that Eastside Santa Barbara elected DSA endorsed Council Rep Wendy Santamaria purposely shows up late to every City Council meeting in rejection of the American Flag and all it represents.
Why do her constituents hate America as represented by our flag? Why do some not respect and honor our American flag?"
Jerry, don't we have freedom of Speech in America? Why are you hiding my response...I see it has been hidden. Are you part of a group that tries to silence any alternative opinions to your story? If you are telling people the truth, you shouldn't have to hide other ideas.
My response 3rd time...
The Pledge of Allegiance was conceived by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister, for a national public school celebration of Columbus Day on October 12,
1892. She was a socialist, and was promoting socialism. "WE" don't want to live under socialism and that is why the true Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the American Flag and been defined over time, by true patriots, and true servants of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Socialist are undercover elitists and "WE THE PEOPLE" have stood up to that tyranny for centuries. This is not the "WE" that you speak of, WE ARE NOT PART OF YOUR TYRANNICAL "WE".
Santa Barbara has been dedicated back to God, set forth by the President of the United States, and Santa Barbara will honor our leadership and serve God and Man, instead of self, In Jesus Mighty Name.
huh?
Yes Jerry, you're side has to play games cause when truth is spoken, you don't have to defend it, it will defend itself. See email I sent you with a screen shot of my posts you have hidden.
Hidden? I'm reading your garbage right now.
Jerry, don't we have freedom of Speech in America? Why are you hiding my response...I see it has been hidden. Are you part of a group that tries to silence any alternative opinions to your story? If you are telling people the truth, you shouldn't have to hide other ideas.
My response again...
The Pledge of Allegiance was conceived by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister, for a national public school celebration of Columbus Day on October 12,
1892. She was a socialist, and was promoting socialism. "WE" don't want to live under socialism and that is why the true Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the American Flag and been defined over time, by true patriots, and true servants of the people, by the people and for the people.
Socialist are undercover elitists and "WE THE PEOPLE" have stood up to that tyranny for centuries. This is not the "WE" that you speak of, WE ARE NOT PART OF YOUR TYRANNICAL "WE".
Santa Barbara has been dedicated back to God, set forth by the President of the United States E , and Santa Barbara will honor our leadership and serve God and Man, instead of self, In Jesus Mighty Name
The Pledge of Allegiance was conceived by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister, for a national public school celebration of Columbus Day on October 12, 1892. She was a socialist, and was promoting socialism. “WE” don’t want to live under socialism and that is why the true Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning of the American Flag and been defined over time, by true patriots, and true servants of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Socialist are undercover elitists and “WE THE PEOPLE” have stood up to that tyranny for centuries. This is not the “WE” that you speak of, WE ARE NOT PART OF YOUR TYRANNICAL “WE”.
Santa Barbara has been dedicated back to God, set forth by the President of the United States 🇺🇸, and Santa Barbara will honor our leadership and serve God and Man, instead of self, In Jesus Mighty Name.
“So on this Flag Day, let us say it plainly: WE ARE THE TRUE PATRIOTS!” Isn’t it divisive to claim that one partisan political party or group “are the true patriots” while in the same article stating the Flag belongs to all [Americans]? It seems a contradiction.
What "partisan political party"? The author laid out criteria:
The real test is whether we are willing to expand that “all”—and defend it in law.
We are the ones protecting the right to vote.
We are the ones defending bodily autonomy.
We are the ones standing with immigrants and working families.
We are the ones demanding dignity, safety, equality, and healthcare for every person in this country.
And we are the ones who will not stop until that equality is written plainly into the Constitution.
So if you're doing that then you're a patriot.
BTW, it's interesting that the only thing in your feed is a "like" of some vile garbage that Bob Smith posted to Santa Barbara Current.