China, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Judea & Samaria, and numerous other countries bombard their citizens with images of the tyrrannical leadership of their lands. Just in case they forget who's in charge, the image is there to remind. And intimidate.

We don't see Americans displaying posters of President George W. Bush, or Vice President Dick Cheney, or Secretary of State Colin Powell in the midst of our nation's great sorrow. What we do see, ubiquitously, are American flags.

Small flags, and large flags. Flags on cars and flags on buildings. Flags on shirts and flags on jackets and flags on pants. The American Legion reminds Americans about the proper way to display a flag on a vehicle (the right front fender) but I don't care, not now, anyway.

I am so proud to be an American citizen, now more than ever before. I have always held sacred the values of liberty and freedom and justice that our nation stands for, now more than ever before. Y'hi Ratson Milfanecha, Adonai Eloheinu V'elohei Avoteinu... May it be your will, Adonai, our God and God of our ancestors, that the citizens of our great land be blessed with health of body and spirit, and blessed with the strength to continue to raise American flags each day, and that the values that our flags represent help to uplift our spirits through these and future difficult times.