This Chinese/American Flag

--This evening I write with a heavy heart. Some may see the issue at hand as trivial or silly, but an event stopped me in my tracks and made me shake my head in sadness today.

--Local snowfall lead to a day off from landscaping and counseling at the YMCA, so I was free to take care of some other business. One thing on the agenda was adding some decor to the Muffin Matters office space. After a mid-afternoon workout, I stopped by Roses to look for an American flag. I didn't have to look any farther than the registers at the front of the store. They had racks set up with flags, flag stands, and other flag accessories to help one properly display their American pride. For a brief moment I thought that $1.50 was just low for an American flag that was 60 inches long and about 34 inches wide, but I quickly brushed the notion aside. The transition was quick and painless, and I quickly made it back to the office to hang up my bargain-priced wall decor.

--As I removed the flag from its package I was paralyzed by what I read on the back. "MADE IN CHINA" Slowly, I came out of my state of shock and continued doing what I intended all along. I hung the flag above my office desk and took a seat to get to work.

--But no work could be done. I was and still am confused. This Chinese/American flag makes me sad; it makes me mad; it makes me hurt. This evening, I'm not here to discuss all the social, political, and economic happenings that have led to moments like this occurring. All I know is that it's not right. You're not suppose burn American flags. You're not suppose to let the Flag hit the ground. You're not suppose to hang the Flag upside down, even for a moment. But why do we allow China to produce OUR flag?

--A Muffin Matters employee caught me at my desk actually wondering about these very things. At this very moment, I'm at that same desk, with that same posture, trying to figure things out. Am I wrong for buying this flag that was produced in China? Should I have checked the label before purchase. And if I would have, should I have put it back and gone somewhere else to find an American/American flag? This American/American flag would have undoubtedly been more expensive. That creates more questions. With money tighter than ever, should one suck up the extra cost to buy American? Is this even feasible? If not, isn't the Flag maybe one thing you should stick to your morals on? I almost took the Flag off my wall, but it's still there. It has 50 stars. It has 13 stripes. 7 stripes are red. 6 stripes are white. It's absolutely an American flag. But. It's absolutely Chinese.

--It's been a sad day in the Muffin Matters office. Moral is low. Of all things "MADE IN CHINA" this one just isn't easy to come to terms with.