Old Glory Proudly Flown or Not

American patriotism and flying the flag is quite common in many parts of the U.S. So says an article attributed to Agency France Press:

"Old Glory” as the US flag is affectionately called, can be seen in abundance through the year in the American heartland and the South, and to a lesser extent in cities like New York and Los Angeles.

Abundance is certainly not what I would characteristically describe in Los Angeles. I’m sad to say that my conservative community of Simi Valley, adjacent to LA, runs hot and cold on the subject. I was generally disappointed this Fourth of July with the lack of residential display in the city. But, the Los Angeles area, as liberal as it is, is miles ahead of San Francisco, Berkeley and Santa Cruz. In those locales, patriotism is anathema to their way of life.

South of Santa Cruz, a small group of lost souls gathered to burn the American flag, and in Berkeley a planned event failed to materialize at People’s Park.

About 25 revelers celebrated their freedom of speech and welcomed the Fourth of July on Monday night with the "2nd Annual Old Time American Flag Burn."
Around a burn barrel at Seabright State Beach…

There are rural areas between San Francisco and Santa Cruz which are traditionally truly patriotic. Half Moon Bay comes to mind. But, even that town is subject to gentrification and the artistic influence, which inevitably leads to a more un-patriotic crowd.

I will soon be making an annual pilgrimage to San Francisco, and I will be flying my American flag off the rear of my Harley Davidson motorcycle. I am proud to do so even though there will not be many others like me. There are many good and conservative people in the area and I will be there for a good charity cause, but I will be deep in the belly of the political enemy. It is an enemy that does not care much for America. Ungrateful and self-absorbed explains a lot. I won’t disparage because the excesses of the area are not representative of the country. The AFP article concludes with:

"Global public opinion surveys regularly put Americans at the top of the patriotism index," Galston told AFP. "The US flag is the visible symbol of that strong entiment... Even our national anthem is about the flag."