True colors about showing the colors

Re “Eek! A flag on my lawn!” Opinion, July 4

Joel Stein owes an apology to all people who display the American flag. He categorizes us as having an “unquestioning, tribal, us-versus-them, arrogant mentality.” I’d like to read the scientific study he conducted to arrive at these conclusions. I fly the flag daily to honor my great uncle who fought in World War I at 16, for my uncle who died at 19 in World War II during the Battle of the Bulge, and for my veteran parents of that war. How do my reasons for flying my flag stack up against Stein’s reason for trashing it?

KATIE RODGERS

Valley Glen

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Like Stein, I came home the other day to find my lawn patriotically planted by a local real estate firm. I have no objection to the flag. The fact that I prefer not to be wrapped up in it is not a reflection of any lack of patriotism on my part. It is, rather, that red, white and blue as attire does not flatter me.

May I suggest to our lawmakers in Washington that the next time they bring a bill to vote to outlaw something that nobody is doing -- like flag burning -- they instead pass legislation banning the use of the flag as a cheap sales gimmick, reducing the venerated symbol of our nation to a promotional sales banner. Now that’s desecration.

STEPHEN J. GERTZ

Los Angeles