The flag, like a computer icon, is a powerful symbol that can generate a lot of action but it is not an idol that demands religious reverence. The flag deserves respect for what it represents, not for its construction; for its essence, not its being. As the U.S. observes the annual Flag Day, June 14, I think it is appropriate to share the thoughts of Edward L. Ericson, a leader of the Ethical Culture Society. In his book, The American Dream Renewed, Ericson wrote: "In recent months the American public has been agitated by a few isolated incidents of flag burning. What needs to be understood is that an American who deprecates or despises another American by reason of race, or who deprives another of opportunity or dignity on grounds of color or ethnicity, sets the torch of social conflagration to the flesh of our liberties. The racist violates our flag and all that it represents more than if he had soaked a thousand banners in gasoline and set them ablaze."

As humanists observe Flag Day we honor the ideals of the Enlightenment: the equality and dignity of every human being, freedom from the dictates of religious and secular authoritarianism, and the human rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

--Flo Wineriter