HISTORY: Appeal To Heaven Flag. Sign of Freedom or Insurrection? Next Wave of Attacks Against SCOTUS.
Senator Dick Durbin has used this lousy excuse of a controversy to call for Samuel Alito’s recusal from January 6th and 2020 election cases.
Recently, Democrats, and some Republicans, have made a deal of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for flying the “Appeal to Heaven” flag above his vacation home.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote on X, “This incident is yet another example of apparent ethical misconduct by a sitting justice, and it adds to the Court’s ongoing ethical crisis. Justice Alito must recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.” Senator Durbin Continued, “And we remain focused on ensuring the Supreme Court adopts an enforceable code of conduct, which we can do by passing the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act.”
Samuel Alito, one of the most Conservative justices on the Supreme Court is under fire for flying a flag that is being linked to insurrectionists and traitors. Dick Durbin is right, the flag is a flag flown by insurrectionists and traitors. But not in the way he thinks.
The Appeal to Heaven Flag: A Symbol of Rebellion, Faith, and Liberty
The Appeal to Heaven flag, characterized by a pine tree on a white field with the inscription "Appeal to Heaven," holds a distinctive place in American history. This flag, imbued with deep symbolic meaning, has represented various causes from the Revolutionary War to modern movements. Its journey through history is a testament to its enduring legacy as a symbol of defiance, faith, and the pursuit of order, justice, and liberty.
One could suppose, that when Democrats refer to the flag as a symbol of rebellion and insurrection they’re correct, but in reference to the Revolutionary War, not January 6th.
Origins in the Revolutionary War
The Appeal to Heaven flag traces its origins back to the American Revolutionary War. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress authorized the creation of a navy to defend the colonies against British forces. General George Washington commissioned a squadron of six schooners to intercept British supply ships. These vessels sailed under the banner of the Appeal to Heaven flag, designed by Colonel Joseph Reed, Washington's secretary. The flag featured a green pine tree, a symbol of New England, accompanied by the phrase "Appeal to Heaven."
The slogan "Appeal to Heaven" was derived from the writings of British philosopher John Locke. In his "Second Treatise of Government," Locke argued that when all other forms of redress are exhausted, people have the right to appeal to a higher power. For the American colonists, this meant seeking divine intervention in their struggle for independence. The flag thus embodied the colonists' belief that their cause was just and that they had a right to seek God's aid in their fight for freedom.
To claim, like Bill Kristol does, that the flag is hostile to the founding of this country and the constitution reveals his hand. Bill Kristol’s interpretation of the constitution and of the founding of our nation is more in line with the worldview of a historian like Howard Zinn, than it is with the actual events of history.
The modern Liberal rejects the history of this nation, and embraces the dogma of the chaotic post New Deal, post World War Two consensus, which laid to waste our view of our governments purpose and importance in society.
Symbol of Rebellion and Resistance
Throughout the Revolutionary War, the Appeal to Heaven flag became a symbol of rebellion and resistance. It was flown on ships and displayed in various contexts to represent the colonists' unwavering resolve. The pine tree, a common symbol in colonial New England, signified resilience and endurance. By combining this imagery with Locke's philosophical assertion, the flag communicated a powerful message: the colonists were prepared to fight for their rights, invoking divine justice as their ultimate recourse.
Locke, a Christian, English philosopher often most cited as the intellectual father of the American Revolution is not hostile to the constitution in thought, and certainly not in deed, as he died nearly 80 years before the declaration of independence.
Decline and Resurgence
After the American Revolution, the Appeal to Heaven flag gradually faded from prominence. The newly formed United States adopted the Stars and Stripes as its national flag, and the pine tree banner receded into historical memory. However, it never entirely disappeared. In the centuries that followed, the flag experienced periodic resurgences, often invoked by groups seeking to express their dissent or to symbolize a higher moral cause.
Modern Revivals
In recent years, the Appeal to Heaven flag has seen a revival among various groups in the United States. It has been adopted by some libertarian and conservative movements, as well as by those advocating for states' rights and limited government. These groups view the flag as a powerful emblem of individual liberty and resistance to perceived government overreach.
The flag has also been seen at rallies and protests, where it serves as a reminder of the nation's founding principles and the belief that citizens have the right to challenge injustice. For some, it represents a call to return to the foundational values of the United States, invoking the same spirit of defiance and reliance on divine providence that motivated the Revolutionary War patriots.
The Democrats On-Going Campaign Against the Supreme Court of the United States.
Following the Trump presidency, and the addition of conservative justices by President Trump, (Making the supreme court the most conservative its been in nearly a century) Democrat groups have began a media and policy campaign against the institution.
First with the attacks on Clearance Thomas, conservative legal insiders have speculated that there is an ongoing financial campaign against the Supreme Court as an institution with the expressed intent of creating a media whirlwind surrounding Conservative justices.
Senator Dick Durbin has used this lousy excuse of a controversy to call for Samuel Alito’s recusal from January 6th and 2020 election cases. He has also used this non-troversy as an excuse to push his radical reforms of America’s court which will have a delegitimizing effect on the court and weaken the Conservative voices on the court.
Create Controversy Through Fake Media Hits on Conservative SCOTUS Justices ——> use that fake media to weaken the legitimacy of the court ——> call for a bill to “relegitimize” the court which will only weaken the court and allow radical democrats to take control of it.
It’s an old playbook, and conservatives could learn a thing or two from it.
If Dick Durbin knew ANYTHING about the history of our great country he would be ashamed of his comments. One cannot get much more patriotic than this flag, with the possible exception of the "Don't Tread on Me" flag. It references rebellion against KING GEORGE III of England, not against our own country. Commissioned by our first president, George Washington, it was designed to show we were a group of colonies that were thumbing their collective nose at the King of England.