Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected]
Regarding the June 3 BDN letter “Save the Maine pine tree flag for Christmas”:
I have sympathy for concerns about the 1901 Maine flag, but our current flag is no “perfectly designed” state flag. What percentage of our state can tell from a distance that it is our flag atop a pole, and not that of our neighbors New Hampshire, Vermont, or New York, with their seals/coats of arms on blue background? How many of our children can draw the Maine flag alongside their U.S. flag drawings in school? Ours was modeled after other state flags flown in the Civil War, and its lack of distinction from 25 other states is telling.
My desire is for a flag that represents our history and identity with a design that is unique from our neighbors, and does so with simple, memorable iconography, just like the star-spangled banner.
The 1901 flag solves these issues. The buff-colored background circumvents modern color design, looking historical while remaining distinctive. Besides being apt for the Pine Tree State, its simplified pine draws directly from the history of our merchant and marine flag (a unique thing in its own right), and its northern star connects to numerous Maine symbols, while tying back to the nation’s own flag. Yes, the simplified pine isn’t perfectly “correct,” but neither are the pre-cooked lobsters we use everywhere.
There’s a reason why the 1901 flag has reappeared so strongly, and is proudly emblazoned on more apparel and flown at more homes than its replacement; it’s more “Maine” than our current flag ever has been.
Kylan Bowden
Standish
