Flag-Waving Phony

Riding my bike through Brentwood, I observed the driver of a luxury sedan open his door and toss out a dirty towel. I caught up with him at the next intersection and asked him about it. He replied that he didn’t want it anymore. I suggested that it was a disrespectful act and that he should go pick it up. He responded with the most common of expletives, told me to go pick it up and roared away.

He had an American flag attached to his window. The last time I checked, patriotism was defined by love, support and defense of one’s country. Is it possible that this “gentleman’s” simple, degrading act is a troubling indicator of our national psyche? Have we become so belligerent that we don’t even respect our own homeland, not to mention other nations? If this is the case, we are probably due for many rude awakenings.

Randolph Paik

Brentwood