They do it all the time.

that needs to be repeated over and over. It's *our* flag.

I'll admit, with a lot of embarrassment, that I don't even question it. I'm glad this point was made.

by attacking those who point out the contradictions between what a nation claims to believe and the reality of life for people of color in America, you're not fooling anyone. You're expressing your racism, nothing more.

You're not being patriotic. You're not showing love for your country. You're not showing respect of any kind.

You're just being what you are - a racist.

a draft-dodging piece of scum

"We did not fight for the flag. The only flag that was important to us was our unit flag. We fought to protect and preserve the constitution and in particular to defend our fellow soldiers."

I think some of this flag business got started with the Ivo Jima. That picture is engraved in the brains of so many. But the oath my Dad, myself, my grandfathers and sons took is not about the flag.

Here's the oath I took for the U.S. Airforce. My family has served in all branches but the Coast Guard. I am pretty sure the oath is basically the same for all branches.

The Oath of Enlistment
“I [state your full name], Do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God (optional).”

Examining the Oath
I (name) do solemnly swear (or affirm): Signifies a public statement of commitment. You are accepting responsibility for your actions.

That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States: You are not swearing to support the President, the Country, the flag or a particular service, but rather the Constitution which symbolizes all of these things.

Against all enemies, foreign and domestic: We must always be prepared for current and future wartime operations.

That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same: An active decision on your part, delegated to no other, yours alone to make. Weighing the costs, in liberty you choose.

And that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States; and the orders of the officers appointed over me: I respect senior leaders and decision makers and will follow all legal orders.

According to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice: I will honor and uphold all military rules and regulations.

So help me God (optional): Signifies truth and commitment to what you have sworn to in the oath. It is a call to a higher being or divine agency to assist with ensuring your own integrity and honesty.

Okay, it doesn't "belong" to the military. However, in a bit of historical picayune...

The flag was requisitioned by General George Washington in his role as Commanding General of the Revolutionary Army.
The rules we all tend to follow were written by the military.
Flags, drums, bugles and bag pipes were all ways of communicating on the battlefield.
So it isn't "theirs" but they had an intimate relationship with it.

The real issue being missed here is that the protesters are VERY specific about their point. It is that the COUNTRY is not addressing the SOCIAL issues of racial justice. And the protesters want everyone to remember that while they're waiting to cheer at the "rockets red glare". And more than one service member has fought so they could do exactly that.

which is very telling. Some people think racism makes America great

they do this nonsense for anti-war protests and most everything else. They claimed suffragists hate America and were disrespecting our troops during "the world war". Same with the civil rights movement. Some RW lunatics have even claimed that Chelsea Manning is proof that being LGBT leads down a slippery spiteful slope to treason.

And also kudos for using the word "suffragist" instead of "suffragette"!

The flag, the National Anthem, neither belong to the military or any one group. It belongs to all of us.

In my view, they are calling attention to the words of the anthem, which claim that we live in the "land of the free".

If a segment of society cannot walk freely in their neighborhoods and cities without fear of being shot, then the words of the anthem are hollow.