Editor,

I turned on the TV and a ballgame was about to begin.

It was the end of the national anthem and the camera floated through the audience in the stands, for a couple seconds it paused on a section of the crowd. A man in the group caught my eye. He was mid-fifties, in pretty good shape, almost handsome, but what stood out was the absolute perfection of his salute. He stood stock-still, focused on our hoisted flag fluttering out past center field. There was a devout seriousness to him. He was dedicated. He was committed. He could be trusted. It was the salute of a veteran. There was no doubt in my mind that if the time came for him to stand up for the principles for which he was saluting, he would not hesitate.

But my initial reaction to him had a twinge of fear in it — sometimes those who are staunchly devoted take things a bit too far. Perhaps his “principles” were somehow different than mine.

But then a little voice in my head asked: What if he’s saluting the absolute foundation of our country? What if he understands that the true strength of the USA is based on our right to vote and to have that vote counted no matter the outcome? What if he knew that the only thing that delivers freedom and justice in our country over the long haul is our ability to vote? What if he was saluting the fact that when things get a bit out of whack our ability to vote and the power behind those votes is what puts us on a better path? What if he was saluting because even if I may have voted opposite of him he’d risk his life to make sure our votes made it to the ballot box to be counted. What if he had done a little homework to find out that The Big Lie is just that and he was saluting the fact that the true winner of the last presidential election was residing in The White House?

For a few seconds I saw his steady hand and earnest gaze as the most beautiful thing in the world.

Jeff Bakeman

Freeland