On July 3rd, The New York Times ran an interesting article titled, “A Fourth of July Symbol of Unity That May No Longer Unite,” wherein the symbol referred to was the American flag. The story attempted to make the case that Old Glory has become increasingly politicized and therefore politically divisive. To be fair, the article was relatively balanced, sharing views from Americans on both sides of the political aisle. But the fact that some Americans are divided over the flag is not exactly a testament to the “unity” Joe Biden promised to bring.

One of the most telling points the article notes is this: “While 66 percent of Republicans surveyed said they associated the flag with their own party, only 34 percent of Democrats said the same.” The question naturally arises: Why has the foremost symbol of American unity become seemingly so divisive? Well, the sentiments expressed over the weekend by a couple of Democrat lawmakers, Representatives Maxine Waters and Cori Bush, go a long way in answering that question.

“July 4th… & so, the Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal. Equal to what?” Waters wrote on social media. “Only white men? Isn’t it something that they wrote this in 1776 when African Americans were enslaved? They weren’t thinking about us then, but we’re thinking about us now!”

Bush’s dubious claims were just as bad: “When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for white people. This land is stolen land and Black people still aren’t free.”

The pushback from Republicans was immediate. “Hateful, divisive lies,” chastised Senator Ted Cruz. “The Left hates America. Believe them when they tell you this.”

Both Waters and Bush are, of course, black women. They are members of Congress and some of the most powerful people in the country. But they hate the country they help run.

At the root of the growing division in America — and the hate espoused by Waters, Bush, and others — is the poisonous Marxist ideology of Critical Race Theory, which by design divides Americans along identitarian lines and encourages hatred by constantly elevating past grievances. CRT is an ideology that has always hated the value of individual liberty, seeing it as the primary problem in society preventing the realization of “equity.” Therefore, leftists have exploited those instances in American history where the nation has failed to live up to our founding ideals, and they do so not to encourage a greater realization of those ideals but to attack them.

Waters and Bush, along with a slew of other radical leftists, attack America, her flag, her people, and her history because they don’t believe in America. Through their words and actions they encourage more hatred of a nation that has brought more freedom, equality, and opportunity than any other nation in history.

Thankfully, there are Americans like boxing legend George Foreman who push back against this leftist hate and proudly express patriotism. As Foreman put it, “For about 54 years, people have ask[ed] me not to keep saying ‘I love America’. Well I do and I’m not ashamed. Don’t leave it. Love it.” Amen.