O D D I T I E S tj|tl|in|ca|st
O D D I T I E S
tj|tl|in|ca|st

P A T R I O T I C   V A N

Washington, D.C.

Monday, October 25, 2004

On my way to Washington, D.C. I pass by this rolling tribute to America. How appropriate, he's also heading into the Capitol as well. It's not very often you see a mural on the side of a van, unlike in the 70s, when such a sight seemed far less rare. He must have took it upon himself to paint the mural on his own, clearly this isn't professional grade. I think the mural is actually two in one. Underneath the flags and eagles, there's an olive drab and red splotch background, perhaps the original mural?

I wonder, is the owner a veteran? Does he have a flag pole in front of his house? Are his other vehicles painted with a purpose to inspire? Hunting around on the Internet I manage to find other patriotic vehicles, the best one is this old 57 Chevy. How refreshing, if everybody took it upon themselves to paint a mural on their vehicles, would the world be a more colorful, interesting place? What would you paint on your vehicle?

How does this van inspire me? Well, it inspires me to learn more about the history of my country's flag. I wonder, what are its hidden meanings. What do the stripes and the colors represent? Well, according to www.flags.com, the flags colors, red, white, and blue, each have a meaning. Red signifies hardiness and valor, white represents purity and innocence, and blue portrays vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

As for the 13 red and white stripes, they represent the 13 original colonies, of course. Originally, the flag had only 13 five-pointed stars (corralled in a circle), but, as time went by, with each new state that was admitted to the Union, a new star was added to the flag on the following July 4th. As for the design of the flag itself, across the country, small variations in the specifications were commonplace. It wasn't until 1912 that the government supplied hard and set standards as to Old Glory's design specification.


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