Today’s flag is unusual in that it isn’t the flag of a nation nor even the flag of a dependent or constituent territory of another nation. This flag is purely social and political in nature and it clearly expresses our displeasure and dismay with the current elected President of the United States.
We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood where, while probably not universally popular, the majority of people agree with the sentiment and we don’t have to fear a fire bomb.
We would NEVER have felt safe flying this flag at our former home in rural Georgia for example.
Our flying this flag is an excellent example of the freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. We think we all have good reason to fear that basic liberties such as those written into the Bill of Rights are under threat from an administration that shows no respect for basic institutions and we would hope that a full frontal assault on these values and liberties would rouse even the sleepiest and most complacent citizens, but recent history doesn’t give us reason for hope in that regard.
It seems adequately clear that, like the statistical majority of the nation whose wishes were overridden by the structure and methods of the Electoral College, we are no fan of President Trump. But there is a greater lesson here than just expressing a political opinion. In this blog, I always try to be at least somewhat educational about the countries and territories I feature as well as about popular culture flags as well. In this case there is room for a greater explanation of both vocabulary and United States Government parliamentary and legal procedure and process.
The word “impeach” itself can apply to most anyone or anything, not just a United States President. The word literally means, according to Merriam-Webster:
1 a : to bring an accusation against
b : to charge with a crime or misdemeanor; specifically : to charge (a public official) before a competent tribunal with misconduct in office
c : to remove from office especially for misconduct
2 : to cast doubt on; especially : to challenge the credibility or validity of impeach the testimony of a witness
Definitions 1a and 2 both show ways in which the word could apply outside of government and one will occasionally hear the word used this way. An example might be: “I impeach the claimed Bordeaux origin of this wine.” That would be a high brow way of saying, “Hey, I don’t think this wine is really from Bordeaux!”
However, while impeach can be used in more or less everyday speech, it is unusual to hear it used outside of a political context.
Impeachment, or to impeach a sitting leader or other holder of high office, is a process not limited to the United States. The process is explicated for at least twenty-four other nations and it has been invoked in several of them in modern times.