America is only our little nook in the world, but outside of America, outside of our society and culture, outside our line of thought, the rest of this richly diverse world -- including humanity, including the animals and insects, including the trees and grass and rocks and rivers -- is hard at work, trying to survive. I think America has a tendency to get in the way of that, or make it more difficult, so I can understand the symbolism in the burning the flag- wanting to destroy something that many have grown to love, respect, and depend on, even though America itself takes part in the destruction of something that I and many, many others have grow to love, respect, and depend on.

What the flag stands for is a matter of opinion. You can be as proud as you want to serve under the flag, I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is the nation that has adopted a way of thinking that that even put mother nature in service to this country. You can be a compassionate American and love nature, there are many people like that, no doubt... But I don't think any number of reforms will save the world. It takes much more than that, in fact you could say it takes a revolution.