Patriotic to a fault

Never let be said of me that I'm not patriotic. In fact, I may be patriotic to a fault.

I come from a long line of military Veterans, and I've always said that I bleed red, white and blue and every day that feeling gets stronger. I still cry every time I hear the national anthem, I was thanking Veterans for their service before it was the "thing" to do, and although I'm a photographer, you'll not find me taking photos during the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance.

Why do I tell you this? Well, when I say I'm patriotic to a fault, I mean I can get really irritated when I feel that someone is disrespecting our nation and our flag.

For instance, we have A LOT of American flags around here, and while I love to se Old Glory waving, I get so upset when she's ragged and flying. I just think that, if a business or homeowner wants to fly her, they should have enough pride to retire their flag when it gets torn and/or faded.

It also bugs me to see photographers using the flag as "prop". Don't get me wrong, if it's a little flag on a stick, I have no problem with that at all. It's when the flag is wrapped around someone like a blanket, or touching the ground, or (and this one REALLY pisses me off) tied around a child's neck like a cape and then "flying" behind the running child. To me, that's REALLY disrespectful.

That flag symbolizes, for me, a pride I can't always put into words, but I know when I see it that I'm home and that, no matter what I may feel at certain moments, I live in the greatest country I know!