To the editor:

After reading a recent letter in the Barrington Times I went to the dictionary to make sure that I understood what the term political system meant. This is what I found. A political system defines the process for making official government decisions. Our flag does not define the process for making official government decisions. Unless I am mistaken, it does not consist of even a single word, much less define a process. The American flag does not represent a political system.

I continued to investigate. A political system is a coordinated set of principles, laws, ideas, and procedures relating to a particular form of government, or the form of government itself. Thirteen red and white stripes and 50 white stars on a background of blue don't do that either. By that definition, a flag is not and does not represent a political system either.

So what is the American flag then? From usa.gov, which is the official web portal of the United States federal government, the facts I did find about the American flag are that it has 13 alternating red and white stripes that represent the 13 original colonies. It has 50 white stars on a blue field representing the 50 states. The red represents valor and bravery. The white represents purity and innocence and the blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.

The flag of the United States of America is a symbol, not a representation of a political system. It is a symbol of freedom and liberty, ideals held so dear that throughout history men and women have been willing to die to protect them. Freedom, liberty and justice don't belong to one political party or another. They are inherently the most inclusive ideas of mankind. They belong to everyone and while the flag is a symbol of ideals we have not been perfect in achieving, we aspire to them nonetheless. The flag reminds us that that struggle continues every day until we do.

That must be celebrated, not denigrated because we may have stumbled along the way in pursuit of those ideals. The flag is a reminder that freedom, liberty and justice unite us in a way that nothing else can. The American flag has earned the right to proudly fly alone and the veterans in our community, who were willing to put their lives on the line so that we could continue to try to achieve these ideals for all, have clearly earned the right to be listened to in this matter rather than criticized as they have been.

It is time to put this discussion to rest. I urge the Town of Barrington to honor both our flag and our veterans, who have fought and died for all races, genders and creeds. Fly the American flag alone.

Mary Teixeira

Barrington