I felt uneasy reading Reece Epstein and Robert Martin's column, "Stars and stripes in every classroom" (Nov. 12). The flag is a symbol for American freedom, but nothing more. All too often, people confuse symbols for the things they represent. Take for example, the debate on flag-burning. To echo semanticist and former senator S. I. Hayakawa, flags are just pieces of cloth! No one fights wars for their flag, they fight for their country. It is folly to place undue emphasis on symbols at the expense of the causes they represent.
Do Epstein and Martin fear that students might forget their nationality in the 50 minutes they spend in the classroom? If so, a colorful flag won't help them, although a copy of the Bill of Rights might. The distinction? One is a symbol of our freedoms, whereas the other is our freedoms.
The Carey Baker Freedom Flag Act and editorials like this one are distractions from real policy issues. If the University wants to increase student appreciation for the American way of life, it should require all students to take a course on political theory, civics and constitutional law. If Epstein and Martin want to do a service to their country, they should go work in a soup kitchen, do a tour of duty in Iraq or speak out against the current administration's stances on torture. The flag is just a piece of cloth.
Trevor Dobson
CLAS IV
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