Thursday, December 27, 2007

Can you believe this?

This picture is not of a McDonalds in Mexico or China or even Iran. No, I took this picture in Bethesda, MD, just miles from Washington, D.C..

I was on my way to the Air & Space museum with my wife and our three kids this morning. The kids and I had ran out to get something to eat and run an errand before getting on our way. When we pulled into this McDonalds, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The restaurant had a lot of US flags on the roof and I'd say about a quarter of them were erected upside down! When we entered this McDonalds, I mentioned this to the girl behind the counter. She didn't seem to be too shocked or disappointed and really didn't seem to care much. So, I asked to speek to the manager. I told her about it and asked her what was going on. She mumbled something in half broken English about getting it repaired but was not too sure when.

What really gets me, besides our flag being hung upside down, was the lack of a sense of urgency to get it corrected. The two folks at McDonalds that I spoke to knew that it was wrong but didn't seem too concerned about it.

Hey, McDonalds Corporation, when you and your franchisees hire someone to put up an American flag, make sure it is done right the first time! I mean come on. It doesn't take someone with much more than a 2nd grade education to hang our flag right-side up. The kids at my son's elementary school hang Old Glory each morning before school starts. They get it right every time.

I think part of the problem here in the U.S. is that there is too little patriotism and pride and respect for our country. We've let the feminists, the socialists, the drive-by media and other anti-American, anti Judeao-Christian groups tarnish our view of American and how great the country and it's people really are.

Just a few facts about Americans
  • Each day an American soldier is injured or killed while trying to help someone else who he doesn't even know.
  • Each day an American serves selflessly for a volunteer organization to help people he doesn't even know.
  • When a natural disaster strikes, thousands of Americans leap into action and help people they doesn't even know, donating time, money, sweat, tears, and blood.
  • When disease ravages a foreign nation, American scientists and volunteer doctors head over there, risking their own lives to help cure the disease, to lend a shoulder for the terminally ill to lean on, leave their own families behind to go across the world to help people they don't even know
  • Yep, no matter what the situation, if it involves compassion and helping other people, we Americans are out in the front of it all spending our hard earned money, devoting our precious time, spilling our patriotic blood, all for people that we don't even know.
Despite our flaws, America is still the greatest country in the world. I consider myself fortunate to live here.

1 comment:

RADillard said...

You have a terrific writing style -- bold, flamboyant, to-the-point, and dynamic.

I find it horrifying that McDonald's flies our flags upside down! May I suggest that you write to McDonald's Corporation to get this problem rectified?

Keep up the good work!