"unlike some other countries we do not force people to honor our flag, so we need to bee the examples like you and your DH"
I would stand anywhere for the National Anthem, and I always sing along, and I know the whole song and several of the full verses. I don't stand for anything else. We do not and should not ever make it a forced condition to stand for any of it. We need to show our children what it means and we stand in respect for our songs, not in fear of force. You acted as an example and should always, if it is in your heart to do so. You shouldnt feel bad about those who don't, they might not have an understanding or closeness to the flag you do, but you had the chance to show people a better way and took it. That is commendable
When I was a kid, esp in grade school, we had tons of things we did for INDIVIDUAL presidents birthdays. There was none of this - lets all roll them together, oh, and lets put them all on Monday. Do they even have a Flag Day lesson in schools anymore?? How many people dont even own flags or hang them out, or worse, just leave them out night and day (dont put them up at night!) until they tatter. As a kid NY, we used to have a huge thing for Memorial Day, a parade, tons of flags everywhere, all the graves decorated. Each cemetary in town had a special ceremony, a vets day at the clubs (VFW, LOOM, etc) in town. The VFW had a chicken BBQ, and the members all showed up in their respective dress uniforms for it. Memorial Day (in memory day) was started by wives, sisters, daughters of the Civil War dead - now its in rememberence for all those who die in battles for America.
Everyone should know the history of our country. I watch Leno and he somethings does this skit where he goes out and asks people on the street to sing the National Anthem - no one know it!! Of all the things an American should learn in schools - tops should be all the verses to our Anthem! You don't have to sing it, but you sure should know it! (I actually even know Oh Canada! because our Buffalo TV station signed off at night with the National Anthem first, followed by Oh, Canada, lol! Another station signed off with the Marines Hymn and the Navy Hymn )
I dont stand for songs and such because my GM used to tell me of her brothers who were rounded up by the nazis and killed for not denouncing the Pope. (she had come to America before WWI). The Germans all stood and shouted and sung at that nazi flag, because it was blindly expected and if you didn't you were suspected of treason. A country where you are told how to feel about your flag is not where any American would live.
Once upon a time there was a class called "civics" in our schools, we learned how gov't works from town to federal levels. We learned our songs, we learned what it meant to be a part of a great nation, That Americans work for a common good..
Now, that is all gone and all it seems our kids are learning are ways in which we are all different, and goals are ME and not WE, and bad language and lies work better than civility and truth. No one learns even the simplest songs and no one learns the Anthem. No one has respect for gov't on any level. Just standing is not good enough because we can turn into a bunch of nazi style robots if we dont know the history and meaning of our symbols. sharet