* A few comments on a post about some new state laws yesterday were a hoot, particularly this one…

I don’t believe that Illinois has any need to design or adopt a new/better/different/progressive state flag. Those pushing this agenda aim to abolish history, like Lori Lightfoot removing the Christopher Columbus statues in Chicago.

“The first of these was adopted on July 6, 1915, after a campaign by Ella Park Laurence, State Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution.” This is what the leftists don’t like, pesky reminders of the people that founded this state and nation.

Hilarious.

* To the synopsis…

Establishes the Illinois Flag Commission Act. Creates the Illinois Flag Commission for the purpose of developing new State flag designs and making recommendations to the General Assembly concerning whether the current State flag ought to be replaced with a redesigned State flag. Identifies the members to be appointed to the Commission. Describes the duties of the Commission. Requires the Chair of the Commission to convene the first Commission meeting by no later than September 1, 2023. Requires the Commission to report its recommendations to the General Assembly by no later than December 3, 2024. Provides for the repeal of the Act on January 1, 2026. Effective immediately.

One of the top proponents of Senate Bill 1818 (get it?) is former Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican and hardly a leftist progressive.

* And abolish history? Here’s the flag…

Let’s see, there’s “1818″, the year Illinois became a state. “1868″ is the year Illinois adopted a new state seal, which is hardly an historically significant fact except that it’s a self-referential nod to the flag’s design…

Illinois Secretary of State Sharon Tyndale spearheaded the drive to create a third state seal for Illinois. In 1867, he asked State Senator Allen C. Fuller to introduce legislation requiring a new seal, and suggested to Fuller that the words of the state motto be reversed, from “State Sovereignty, National Union”, to “National Union, State Sovereignty”. However, the bill passed by the legislature on March 7, 1867, kept the original wording. Despite declining his suggestion, the legislature nonetheless entrusted Tyndale with designing the new seal. And Tyndale managed to (literally) twist the legislature’s intent; he kept the words in the correct order on the banner, but the banner twists, so the word “Sovereignty” is upside down, arguably making it less readable.

So, the state seal, which is on the state flag, violates legislative intent.

Lovely.

* And the design was so non-Illinois that the state actually added the word “Illinois” to the flag in 1970…

In the 1960s, Chief Petty Officer Bruce McDaniel petitioned to have the name of the state added to the flag. He noted that many of the people with whom he served during the Vietnam War did not recognize the banner. Governor Richard B. Ogilvie signed the addition to the flag into law on September 17, 1969, and the new flag, designed by Sanford (Florence) Hutchinson, became official on July 1, 1970.

* And who the heck is reminded of the founders of our country by looking at the state flag? Ella Park Lawrence was designated “Honorary State Regent of Illinois for life” for her work to pass the flag bill. But, I gotta say it, the flag she helped choose is subpar.

If you still need more convincing, here’s another commenter from yesterday…

The main reason we need a new flag is that Indiana’s flag is much better than ours, and we cannot be upstaged by Indiana.

*** UPDATE *** Rep. Dan Didech recently received an email from George Lonngren with his suggestion for a “Union State” flag…

I like that. Lonngren’s explanation…

It’s “The Union State” flag because our state is really a microcosm and representation of our nation as a whole. We are in the core of the country, we have provided greatly to its defense and preservation. We are a major portion of its breadbasket. Culturally we have strong communities of all groups large and small from all over the nation, and world. We have large cities and small rural communities. If you removed the other 49 states and just had Illinois, the American Spirit would be little diminished in Illinois’ sole contribution to our nation.

Blue Field: Illinois massive contribution to the union army during the civil war to preserve our nation
Lincoln Silhouette: The president who saw us preserve our nation, also from our state
Yellow Silhouette: For Illinois Agriculture
Stars: One for each president with strong ties to Illinois (Reagan, Grant, Lincoln, Obama).

Point being, let’s see what people can come up with.