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We appreciate the efforts of the volunteers who brought the Anthony DiSalvo Flags Across America program back for yet another year.
The importance of our flag and the principles it symbolizes could perhaps be seen on our front page Monday -- not only in our coverage of Flags Across America, but in our coverage of other events, both nationally and locally.
In Washington, D.C., Americans celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army with a parade.
Our editorials frequently observe our gratitude for the role the Army and all branches of the United States military play in preserving the liberties symbolized by our flag. As we have previously said, it is important that as a society we embrace every opportunity to express that gratitude and celebrate the bravery and valor of the men and women serving in our armed forces.
That was no different this past weekend. It won't be any different through this year as other occasions to express our appreciation arrive on the calendar and it won't be any different in the years to come.
Here in Williamsport and in other cities around our nation, other people took to the streets to protest -- to advocate for changes in public policy and changes in the direction in which our society is on.
While we remain confident that our editorial board disagrees about many of the specific details of public policy for which protestors are advocating, their initiative is itself the practice of some of America's most cherished liberties -- the liberties symbolized for nearly 250 years by that flag -- the right to assemble and to speak without fear of government recrimination or coercion.
While we, again, may disagree with some of the messages that day, we are disappointed that our coverage on social media of the events and similar events over the past few weeks was, thankfully briefly, marred by un-American threats of violence. We are further appalled by the absurd suggestion that the cherished principle of freedom of speech means we are obligated to provide our own platforms for others to spread such calls for violence -- a toxic erosion of our own most American rights to our property and to freely decide how our own time and resources best serve our communities.
Such unquestioning subservience to the demands of others are not the principles of freedom which make our country great, nor what the flags waving at Flags Across America represent.