THE MOST BELOVED FLAG OF ALL

My Flag Day article as it appears in Deseret News Online.

FLAG DAY HISTORY AND CONTEST

On June 14th, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag with these words:

Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.

Betsy Ross, pictured above, was long attributed with the task of sewing that first national banner. Historians have recently stepped away from tying her to the creation of that banner, saying only that she was a flag maker, and that she may have known General Washington. But the importance of the adoption of the flag remains the focus of national Flag Day ceremonies.

The holiday status of the day is attributed to two school teachers who designed celebrations for their students around the adoption of the Stars and Stripes. In 1885, BJ Cigrand, planned a program for the students of the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6 to mark this patriotic date as "Flag Birthday." Cigrand maintained his observance of the "Flag Day" during the next few years.

Four years later, kindergarten teacher George Baulch also planned a program for students his New York City school. The New York School system adopted the commemoration. Flag Day observances began occurring at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia and various patriotic groups began holding their own commemorative events.

Though Flag Day was established through an official Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916, the date wasn't set aside as a national holiday until August 3, 1949 when President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th as National Flag Day.

Local areas will be hosting a variety of commemorative events. Baltimore's Fort McHenry, and her Flag House museum, each of which are connected to the beloved Star-Spangled Banner, make spectacular places to enjoy this celebration of the Stars and Stripes. But everyone can participate in the "National Pause for the Pledge." Wherever you are at 7:00 p.m., stop for a moment, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

In honor of Flag Day, I'm giving away a 3x5 foot American flag and a copy of David McCullough's "1776."

Here's how you enter:

1. You must be or become a follower of this blog.

2. Share a personal, patriotic moment in the comment box below.

Thanks! The winner will be drawn June 15th at midnight.

MY CLOSET CLEANIN' CONTEST

My closet is bursting with books--sooooo many books. I've selected a few I've read, enjoyed and reviewed, and I'm giving them away in a bundle.

So yes, they're previously read--a bit tattered at the edges, and they cover a multitude of LDS genres--a gripping, historical fiction; an eerie YA fantasy; a sweet historical romance; an inspiring biography; and a darling suspense.

Yes, that's five, used, loved books in all! Interested in getting them?

Let's do something fun for an entry. I'm pretty stressed-out as we finish up Free men and Dreamers, so I could use some easy warm-weather recipes that comfort and come together quickly. Send me a recipe, and I'll enter you in the drawing.

Enter as many times as you want,but you must already be, or become a follower of my blog. That's it. Ready, set, enter! We'll pull the winner on Saturday, June 12.

THE HOLLYWOOD AGENDA

The line about "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," no longer applies to Hollywood, at least not since author Ben Shapiro's candidly revealing book, Primetime Propaganda," and the videoed interviews with Hollywood execs upon which it is based hit the shelves and net.

Media's liberal influence on American culture through its programing and writing is no secret to most, but the arrogance with which some execs confess to Hollywood's manipulation of the national socio-political conscience shocked this writer.

Ben Shapiro pulled off the media equivalent of a Coup d-Etat when he secured permission from 39 Hollywood's members of Hollywood's elite club of producers and writers, willing to do an taped interview.

“Most of them didn’t Google me. If they had, they would have realized where I am politically,” he said. “I played on their stereotypes. When I showed up for the interviews, I wore my Harvard Law baseball cap — my name is Ben Shapiro and I attended Harvard, so there’s a 98.7 percent chance I’m a liberal. Except I happen not to be.”

The interviews are slowly being released onto the Internet. A few are already up. Some are too shocking to post without warnings, as these self-proclaimed open minds assail conservatives as "idiots" and "medieval thinkers," chuckling as they discuss how they snookered America. They openly admit only one train of thought is allowed to pull into the Hollywood station, and anyone whose ticket isn't punched "liberal" or "progressive" can't play or ride with the big boys and girls.

And don't think it's just the obvious envelope-pushers like MTV or the occasionally racy family shows like American Idol's Lady Gaga spectacle, that are setting the political and social agenda. No, no, no, my friend. It's in all of them to varying degrees, like seasoning changing the national flavor, one comment at a time.

Here are a few examples. I've ordered the book. Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven't already, you may want to walk away from your TV.

FATHER'S DAY BOOK BUNDLE

Are you looking for a great gift idea for

FATHER'S DAY?

Father's Day is fast approaching,

and in lieu of a signing, we're bundling a

FREE MEN AND DREAMERS

Father's Day package dads will love!

Seagull and Deseret are selling volume two,

"Twilight's Last Gleaming"

at a special discount, so. . .

Buy volumes 1 and 2. . .

"Dark Sky at Dawn" and "Twilight's Last Gleaming,"

And I'll personally add volume 3,

"Dawn's Early Light"

to that bundle for $8 for your special dad.

That's less than half-price!

I'll also send along personalized book plates and bookmarks.

Purchase your copies at your local store, or online.
Just scan and email a copy of your receipt to
lclewis2007@gmail.com
by June 11th,
along with the name of the recipient,
and I'll sign the bookplates, and send your book and free gifts along in time for Father's Day!

* * *
Volume four, "Oh Say Can You See"
is on store shelves now,
and volume five, "In God Is Our Trust,"
will be available in late summer 2011

HISTORY MORE COMPELLING THAN FICTION

I recently posted on Facebook that I had found a misplaced piece of critical electronic research which brought me great relief and no small amount joy. It was critical because it was the most comprehensive report on an event I'm using in "In God Is Our Trust," an event many people will think is too over-the-top to be true. I needed proof.

It's often the case in historical research, that the truth is far more compelling than any fiction we could write, creating two dilemmas--the above-mentioned need for corroboration, and the difficulty in writing believable fiction that matches that level of real tension or conflict.

I can't tell you what I found without giving away a major plot line in the book, but I can tell you it occurred in Philadelphia, and that it changes the lives of one of our most beloved characters. You'll hate what happens, but you'll turn pages furiously to a satisfying resolution. And it's all based on real events.

I spoke with my publishers a few days ago, and explained that this manuscript is becoming more complex than I imagined, so we're pushing the release back to late summer. I apologize for that, but I need this book to answer everything, to resolve every plot line, and to satisfy you and me. And it will, just a bit later than we planned.

In other news, I never got around to mailing the set of books to Glenn Beck yet. I can't explain why, but now I'm ready. We're boxing them up in this amazing White House humidor, and sending them off this week. We'll see what happens next.

My web site is locked up, so we need to redo that as well. Lots going on. Crazy days right now, but a good kind of crazy.

Thanks so much!
laurie

LET'S CELEBRATE THE EMBLEM OF THE LAND I LOVE!

Flag Day is fast approaching on June 14, and in a day when some people treat saying the Pledge of the Allegiance to the flag as a grave controversy, I’d like to raise a voice of celebration for the red, white and blue, and for the day set aside to honor it.

Next year, America will mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812, culminating in 2014with the bicentennial of our National Anthem and the flag that inspired it. Sadly, unless you live in a War of 1812 historic zone, you may have heard little hoopla over this anniversary, a sobering thing considering that most historians agree that this is the moment America became united—the United States of America.

I live in Maryland, surrounded by War of 1812 history—-the Chesapeake Campaign and Commodore Joshua Barney’s audacious Chesapeake Flotilla; the dark days surrounding burning of Washington; the critical Battle of Baltimore; its star-shaped guardian--Fort McHenry; and the most famous and beloved of all flags, the Star Spangled Banner. The Smithsonian has gone to extensive efforts to preserve and study this American icon. The exhibit is beautiful and a must-see for anyone coming to Washington D.C.

There are fables and myths that abound over America’s banner. Though Flag Day celebrants visiting Philadelphia will still see Betsy Ross’s house front and center that day, most historians shy away from her fabled place as the sewer of the first American flag. Two highly respected historians each told me to avoid her story with a ten-foot pole while researching material for FREE MEN and DREAMERS, attributing her story to a grandson who took a few threads of truth and aggrandized his grandmother’s place in history to get the needed funds to pay the mortgage on the family home. Search the Internet and you’ll still see tributes to Betsy Ross as Washington’s go-to seamstress, but this article most closely illustrates the reasons why Betsy Ross’s involvement is becoming more fable than fact.

The Flag House Museum in Baltimore celebrates the Pickersgill women who sewed the famed and beloved, Star-Spangled Banner. The Flag House will be hosting its observance of the holiday beginning on Saturday, June 11, but a trip here is a spectacular treat anytime. Learn about how the flag was sewn at night on the floor of the malthouse, (brewery), the only floor large enough to lay it out.

Visitors to the Baltimore area should place Fort McHenry on their must-see list as well. This is the famed star-shaped fort that survived the British assault September 13-14, 1814, and was memorialized in Key’s National Anthem. Here’s a link to the fort’s summer newsletter of activities.

So whether you visit the Smithsonian, Baltimore's plethora of flag sites, or others in your own community, there are lots of patriotic things for families to enjoy while teaching critical American history and instilling the crucial values of honor, gratitude, and patriotism.

Whatever you do, try to include this national observance of the day--at 7:00 p.m. Americans a on June 14, Americans are asked to pause and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance wherever they are.