Celebrating Flag Day 2020

Flag Day 2020 marks our 56th Wedding Anniversary. Vi and I were married on June 14th 1964, so each Flag Day celebration has special meaning for us.

The serious part of this posting is in three parts: 1) Three current crises, 2) Three patriotic songs, and 3) Three positive hopeful predictions.

But first, before we get to the serious part, let's have a look at:

MY FLAG DAY NEEDLEPOINT




44 years ago, in 1976, I designed and made a needlepoint replica of the then-current United States 13c postage stamp (see the graphic below).

My intent was to honor the American Revolution Bicentennial, marking the 200th year of the American Republic, our great experiment in Representative Democracy.

My replica is true to the postage stamp and the original 13-star flag, except for the arrangement of the stars. Instead of a circle of 13 stars, I substituted 13 stars in a "Star of David" arrangement. This is like the 13 stars in the Great Seal of the United States that you have seen on the back of  the US dollar bill.

On the postage stamp shown above, Independence Hall is depicted in front of the flag, That also has meaning to Vi and me because we drove from Brooklyn to Philadelphia on the day I presented our engagement ring to her.

I wish Vi and I were as young and healthy today as we were on the Flag Day in 1964 when we were married (see photo).

That was 56 years ago! We're doing OK as residents at Freedom Pointe Independent Living in The Villages, FL, but we are certainly showing our ages!

The first Flag Day was, of course, in 1776, when representatives of the 13 Colonies met at Independence Hall and declared their independence from British rule.

The first Centennial, celebrating 100 years of Independence, was Flag Day 1876.

The second, called the Bi-Centennial, was 100 years later, in 1976, 44 years ago, which is when I made my needlepoint.

The third, called the Tri-Centennial, is scheduled to be celebrated in 2076, 100 years from the second, and 56 years from today, which is our 56th Wedding Anniversary. (Do the math: 44 + 56 = 100).

By 2076, Vi and I, and our daughters and sons-in-law, are certain to be in our graves. However, I hope and expect our grandchildren, who will be in their 70's by then, will still be alive and enjoying the 300th year of the American Republic, our great experiment in Representative Democracy. And, I hope and expect there will be some great-grandchildren and great-great-grands to bring joy to their lives, as they have to ours!

Please read on for the serious part of this posting.


THREE SERIOUS CRISES 

We are currently in the midst of three serious crises that seem to be tearing at the substance of our Beloved Country. The United States appears to be coming apart at the seams and turning into the Dis-United States :-(

1) The novel corona virus pandemic that apparently started in Wuhan China late last year and has since spread worldwide, killing hundreds of thousands. Until we get a vaccine that is safe and effective and available in necessary quantity, this crisis will continue killing people and disrupting our lives. 

2) The financial crisis triggered by the lockdowns necessitated by the pandemic. Travel and employment have been disrupted and business and industry slowed to a crawl. We, in the US, began 2020 with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at a record high of 29,551 and unemployment at a record low of 3.5% overall, with very welcome record lows for women and minorities. The necessary response to the pandemic made the Dow dip to 20,189 and unemployment rise to 14.7%, with even higher rates for women and minorities. Financial statistics have improved a bit, but we still have a way to go. 

3) The racist police brutality crisis, highlighted by the video of the murder of a black man by a white police officer in Minneapolis.  Although everyone, on both sides of the political aisle, has condemned this murder, and the former officer is clearly on his way to decades in jail, unrest seems to be spreading to other cities. Peaceful protest is a guaranteed Constitutional right, but it has been disrupted and discredited by riots, looting, and the setting of fires. The First Amendment to the US Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” [Emphases added] There is no right to loot and burn!

THREE GREAT PATRIOTIC SONGS

The Star-Spangled Banner ("Oh Say Can You See ..."). Lyrics were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. A congressional resolution made it our National Anthem in 1931. Isaac Asimov, the famed science fiction writer, explains the lyrics of all four stanzas, and Bravely sings them in this YouTube recording!

America ("My Country, Tis of Thee, ..."). Lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 when he was a student at Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, MA. I'm familiar with the building where this song was written. It is now called "America House" and is a Boy's Dorm at Phillips Academy. My son-in-law, Jerry Hagler, PhD, is a Biology Professor at that Academy, and, for several years, lived there with our daughter and our grandchildren.

America the Beautiful ("Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies ..."). Lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates in 1895. She was an English Professor at Wellesley College. Her inspiration was a trip to Pike's Peak in Colorado.

THREE POSITIVE HOPEFUL PREDICTIONS

1) A safe and effective vaccine for the novel corona virus will be developed and available in sufficient quantity by next year (2021), possibly even sooner, by December of this year. As we continue to open up our economy even as we continue "social distancing", wearing of face coverings, temperature checks, and contact tracing, we will see breakouts of "hot spots". I hope and we'll extinguish these breakouts without seriously impeding economic recovery.

2) There will be an economic recovery. However, we will probably not see the Dow Jones Industrials rise to the 29,000 level this year, nor will we see unemployment fall as low as 3.5%,. However, I hope we'll see continued improvement throughout the end of this year. I'd love to see a very strong recovery by some time in 2021.

3) The Presidential election contest will be resolved peaceably. Later this month, President Trump will hold the first of a planned series of large Republican rallies. Former VP Joe Biden will complete the Democratic primary process, become their officially designated Presidential candidate and pick a female running mate. This will be a very divisive election, with expected and unexpected charges and counter-charges, election shenanigans, and so on. However, when the dust settles on the days following November 3rd, I expect both sides to agree on which is the winning ticket, and for them to assume office peaceably on my 82nd birthday, January 20, 2021.

Ira Glickstein