The Idea...

When you look at the flags of the countries of the world you can see some hint of their values and their histories. The governments of most countries of the world were built on history. Unlike most others, the government of the United States of America was built on a philosophy. Our flag represents an Idea. That Idea is that all human beings have value.

In our ‘sacred writings’ we declare that all men are created with equal rights under the law. All people have God-given rights and among them are the right to life, to liberty and the right to pursue their own happiness. That’s a radical break from most governments in history! The divine right of kings in European history, for example, assumed their citizens were at the disposal of their monarchies. Most countries have treated their citizens like they existed for the sake of the country. Many countries still treat their citizens that way. The Idea of the United States is that the government exists for individuals. The purpose of our government is to ensure and protect the God-given rights of every human being…even from itself.

We Americans are often ridiculed around the world for our up-start ways. We have one of the youngest cultures on earth. We’re barely over two hundred years old…a mere youngster in the eyes of history! What many of our detractors fail to realize is that we also have one of the oldest governments on earth. That’s because most of us believe The Idea. We hold the truths of it so dearly that we want to share it with the rest of the world. We’re excited about that…and rightfully so!

We believe in The Idea that our flag represents so strongly that our people have shed their own blood in every country on earth to spread the message! Men and women in the service of arms for our country have laid down their lives for over two centuries to spread The Idea that all human beings have value. They gave their life’s blood for the freedom of their fellow human beings. They shed their own blood for The Idea! They are still doing so today…

We have detractors among us that have never worn the uniform of our military. They have never faced the possibility of death for The Idea. They are content to exercise the rights that other people have sacrificed their lives for. That’s OK. The men and women who died to give them those rights ensured that they, too, have the right to be heard. We don’t begrudge them that. The right of individuals to speak with dissenting voices keeps our republic strong and vital! That’s a part of The Idea.

Our citizens have come to these shores from every country on earth because of The Idea. Many of the countries, that are our loudest detractors, sent us the dregs of their societies. We took them in…happily. Together we have built the greatest country in the history of the world!

We built it on The Idea…