When protesters stood in front of the White House carrying flags that displayed a snake with the caption, "Don't Tread On Me," they were paying homage to one part of the American dream — they were honoring our individualism, our courage, the responsibility of each to care for himself or herself.

That flag was the first to symbolize our rebellion against the tyranny of King George. But individually, the colonists couldn't be free. The flag that rallied them to a common cause was the snake cut into 13 pieces, symbolizing the 13 colonies. It bore the warning, "Divided We Fall."

Without the passions that both flags represent, America could never have been born, and it will not survive now. Of course we need each person to "be all you can be," but not just for individual glory. Young people join the military to serve an idea bigger than themselves, to be part of a team. "An Army of One" says it in a nutshell: individuals are stronger when they band together to enlist their separate talents in a cause greater than themselves. It is each person's personal responsibility to make the common dream succeed.

Capitalism is similarly organized through division of labor: None of us could build a whole car, but by each building the part we know best, we're all better off. America is a team, a family, a platoon. What makes us strong is the ethos that we'll leave no one behind; what divides us weakens us.

Sick people can't learn, they can't produce. If we truly believe in America, we can't leave them behind. We owe it to ourselves to bring them along.

Scott W. Beckett
Jacksonville