Posts from — February 2010

The Alamo Flag is fascinating to me.  The flag was created by replacing the Eagle in the center of the Mexican tricolor flag with the year “1824,” referencing the 1824 Constitution of Mexico, in support of which the state of Texas was supposedly fighting.

The Alamo Flag.

The Mexican flag or flag of Mexico (in Spanish: “Bandera de Mexico”) has a vertical tricolor (from left to right) of green, white and red with the national coat of arms placed in the center of the flag.  Like with some other flags out there, the meaning of the colors of the flag of Mexico have changed over time.

The three colors were initially adopted by Mexico following the independence from the Spain.  The current flag was adopted in 1968, but the general design of the flag has been in use since 1821.

The flag of Mexico.

Another interesting note, without the coat of arms on the center of the Mexican flag, the flag of Mexico looks very similar to the flag of Italy.

The flag of Italy.

The Alamo Flag was the very first flag approved for use by forces by a Texan legislative body.  In 1835, the Texan government authorized the use of the Alamo Flag for privateers preying on Mexican commerce.

Historic professionals have often said that the “1824 flag” was flown by Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo.  However, this was never declared until 1860, a few decades following the end of the battle.

Various modern writers have pointed out that the presence of the 1824 flag at the time and place of the battle is “highly unlikely.” A similar flag was flown at least briefly by the “Texan Tejano” forces, featuring two black, six pointed stars in place of the date.

The Lone Star And Stripes flag.

It is likely that the actual “Alamo flag” referred to by records of that time period, was the “Lone Star and Stripes,” which had been depicted in use at earlier battles such as “Goliad,” and was widely referred to as the “Texian flag.”

About one week ago an attack was launched on the Afghan town of Marjah.  Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines and Afghan troops swooped down on the Taliban-held town before dawn on Saturday, February 13, 2009, to re-establish government control and undermine support for the militants in their southern heartland.

On Wednesday, February 17, 2009, a Military commander raised the Afghan flag in the bullet-ridden main market of the Taliban’s southern stronghold of Marjah, signifying (to some) the end of the Taliban rule whilst elsewhere firefights continued to break out between holed-up militants and U.S. and Afghan troops.

Learn more here…

Soldier hoist an Afghan flag in Marjah, Afghanistan. Photo by Altaf Qadri.

Since April 30, 1789, this country has had a President.  Washington to Obama makes 44 individuals.  And then there was Grover Cleveland our 22nd & 24th President.  At the end of Cleveland’s first term in 1889, Mrs. Cleveland turned to the servants at the White House, as she was leaving and said “we will be back,” she was right.

Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States.

Their lives were hard in the early years of the Presidency as the seat of Government was moved from New York to Philadelphia to something that was to be called the District of Columbia.  A piece of ground between Virginia and Maryland, we now call Washington, D.C., the District or many other things when we get angry.  The District was named to honor Columbus, but re-named Washington City for George Washington after his death.

President’s for the first 150 years were plagued by office seekers and members of Congress seeking some favor for an individual or their states.  Not much has changed but access to get to the President has become nearly impossible.  People in the 19^th Century could walk right into the White House (The Executive Mansion as it was known before 1901) and ask to meet with the President.  Limits on their powers and flexibility on what they can do has also been limited by Congress in an effort to place some checks and balances in our system of government.

We use to honor President’s such as Washington and Lincoln on their birthday’s February 12^th & 22^nd but Congress felt we should honor all former President’s with one day in February.

George Washington, 1st President of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.

Four President’s have surrender their lives in performing their duties, all died by assassin’s bullets.  Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy.  Others have die in office like William H. Harrison who only served 31 days to Franklin D. Roosevelt who served longer than any other man.

Presidents have the burden of organizing a government after they are elected.  The former President takes all their papers and files with them, the new President come to an empty desk and always a large list of problems.  He only has ideas that he wishes to develop into policy and supporters who will help him achieve his goals.

Presidents George H. W. Bush, Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, and Carter in Oval Office.

It has been an honor to have worked for 5 President’s; I have enjoyed it, but still don’t understand why an individual would want such a job with the problems and dangers that the job comes with.

Once a year we honor these men, showing them the respect they deserve, honor them, fly the Flag!