The American flag is a symbol of the unity of the 50 states, its people, and the union for which it stands. The country now is facing a disunity it has not faced since the American Civil War.

In times of distress, the American flag is traditionally flown upside down, to indicate to outside observers that there are people who need help. Right now, there are many groups in the United States that are currently vulnerable, exposed to policies that the Republican Party under Donald Trump will hurt, through no fault of their own. These policies are deliberate, designed to hurt individuals who Donald Trump and the Republican government believe are Un-American.

There is no other action more Un-American than to attack and divide ourselves by inflaming our differences. Our differences are precisely what make us American. No other country has a greater celebration of human variety than the United States, and Donald Trump is attempting to destroy this, aided by undemocratically and illegally appointed devotees.

Donald Trump is a convicted felon, who has routinely violated our tenants of our democracy, and now threatens the very constitutional values that structure American society. He is doing so by blatantly violating the law and by exceeding his legal authority to target his political enemies and even those he simply does not like. This is an unprecedented time, and an unprecedented crisis. Resistance must come from within and without, and world leaders must now make an unequivocal stand against Trump, and against the authoritarian tendencies that his presidency is attempting to cultivate.

Fly your flags upside down now to symbolize the danger, and to indicate that we are a country in duress, and that we must take action to resist these measures. The flag is symbolic, and action must also follow, but symbols have powerful meanings.