A difference of representation

My personal previous post, Today I am Sad, contained an assertion that the meaning intrisic to the United States flag included not just the good that has been done by this country but also the bad.
My Fathers response, Equal Time, included this statement:
"I do not agree at all with your analysis of what the flag stands for. It has never stood for bank robbery although government representatives have gone to jail for this crime. It does not stand for divorce or atheism though these things have been worse in our government than in the population for much of our history. I want to keep listing these things because they are a rebuke to all who have tolerated them and who love what that for which flag does stand. Wewere taught from kindergarten on that the flag stands for the Declaration ofIndependence and the Constitution. Every year for 13 years of public school inCA we were taught more and more of these truths. Every day of the school year in8th grade we studied the preamble, body, and bill of rights of our constitutionalong with the historical reasons behind them. We were taught that these were what the flag stands for."
I both agree and disagree with this statement and it occurs to me that if anyone is reading this dialogue, my stance might require clarification.
The flag certainly does NOT stand for bank robbery even if done by a government official. However, actions carried out by the government itself under legal auspices are part of what the flag represents. Anytime this country uses armed force, the actions carried out, for good or ill, cast their weight upon the flag.
Any official act is included in what constitutes the corporate body, for lack of a better technical word, of the United States. When the government under FDR instituted welfare and other portions of the New Deal, those became part of what the flag represents. When the government entered into treaties with the pirates of the Barbary Coast, with France, England, Germany, Indian tribes, Mexico, Canada, and other national entities, the honor of the nation went with those signatures.
It is not possible or right in my opinion to separate government and government sanctioned actions from the honor or lack thereof that attaches to the flag.
It is doubful that the government explicitly ordered the actions that took place at My Lai. What is certain is the government took part in an attempt at a cover-up. Both things are part of the implicit symbolism of the flag.
First off, training, careful supervision, and control of people carrying lethal weapons are the responsibility of a government that engages in war, whether that war is declared or called some other name such as a "police action" or terrorist hunt or something else. Responsible governments have the responsibility to properly train and prepare their soldiers. Officers are expected to direct the lethality of these killers, because that is what soldiers are, albeit under sanction of combat, towards solely the enemy.
Sometimes soldiers get out of control. That is a sad fact of life. When they do, that attaches to the honor of the country from which they come. How the government reacts to these actions then becomes the important factor.
At Wounded Knee the murder of close to 300 Indians of which exactly one was armed when the shooting started was amply dealt with by the government. 19 Medals of Honor were granted to soldiers for this.
Today few if any people question that it was a massacre rather than a battle. Why then were awards for high valor and bravery granted? Not only the initial slaughter but the governmental action attach to that.
Certainly the actions of individuals in private life are a separate issue from what the flag represents. The actions done under the guise and authority of the flag, however, are part of what the flag stands for.
I believe this with every fiber of my being. But I believe something else. It is not enough to simply be aware of things the government does or has done and agree or disagree with those actions.
If I am to truly honor the flag and what it stands for then I have to do my part in whatever small way I can to make sure the flag stands for honor and right. If I simply observe without acting then I am expressing implicit agreement with those actions. Something to think about.