> netslackers <

-- Saturday, March 01, 2003 --

I read an article by Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post this morning. It concerned Toni Smith, a Division III women's college basketball player at Manhattanville College. Every game when the National Anthem is sung, she turns away from the flag and bows her head in protest over the now inevitable war in Iraq and the Bush administration. According to the article, she's heckled by fans everywhere she plays and was once even accosted by a Vietnam War vet.

I have to say I really admire her courage. She's standing up for what she believes in and making people sit up and take notice. I personally get up and say the pledge every morning because my interpretation of the flag is different from hers. I'm not pledging allegiance to the current government, I'm pledging allegiance to what this country stands for and all the good it has done in the past. There's no doubt that the US has done plenty of horrible things too, but I'm still proud to be an American citizen most of the time.

Smith views the flag as a symbol of support for everything the US is doing and has done. I certainly understand that perspective and that's why I like what Smith is doing. She's making her opinion heard and giving a voice to the rest of us out here who agree with her stance. As Jenkins pointed out, she's the very definintion of a patriot: she's using her First Amendment rights.

If there's something wrong with that, then I don't think I want to live here anymore.

> KC 3:41 PM [89966532]
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