There are several symbols being used to represent the Statesmen: the red, white, and blue Maltese Cross banner, the radish badge, and the Latin motto, "Gutta cavat lapidem." These symbols are meant to be simple but layered, to be easily recognizable and yet tie together the fundamental principles and goals of the organization. This article talks about what they mean and why they were chosen. The Statesmen's symbols intentionally tie into a long history; our organization may be new, but the traditions are old and well tried. There are many people, past and present, to attempt to live up to.

First of all let me say that this is written very much in the first person and the symbolism is personal, as Eric Vought, Co-Founder and First President of the organization. This is not meant to be a living document and the foundation of the organization is non-negotiable today or tomorrow: I am starting this effort because it is what I am called to do. I am inviting others who wish to serve under the same banner and will welcome your help, your courage, and your leadership, but these concepts define what I am building; if they are changed, I am building something different. The specific goals, the priorities, the methods we use to get there are very much open to debate (and co-authorship), but the fundamental principles are not.

The Maltese Cross Banner

 The first symbol is the Maltese Cross Banner. This is a flag or banner with a forked tail, divided, with red on top and blue on the bottom. Centered ("proper") is a white Maltese Cross, a cross with eight points. On the blue field are two white stars. It should be noted that there is no "white triangle" on the bottom of the banner, the banner is split in two and, if made in fabric, it would have a long, forked tail.

The choice of red, white, and blue obviously connects to the United States Flag and has the same symbolisms our Founders chose. In particular, red, on top in this banner, represents the sacrifice and service which brought about this nation and which is necessary to sustain it— every day. This is over the blue of peace and prosperity. The white cross is in the center, its "proper" place, as the spiritual must be the focus of physical life, over the twin stars of the public and private. This does not suggest religious law (corporal law which attempts to enforce divine will), but rather the dominance of our individual hearts and consciences above all other considerations. No one can tell us what God wants us to do; we must seek it for ourselves, with the public and private constructed to help us do that.

The Maltese Cross has a long history of representing service and sacrifice. The Knights of Malta (Knights Hospitalers, a medical charity) first bore that symbol. It has been used for many purposes since that time, including that of the Fifth Army Corps on the Union side in the American Civil War, largely made up of volunteers, "citizen soldiers," and, in particular, the 44th New York Volunteers, who went home and formed a fire department in New York City using the Maltese Cross as its symbol, a symbol which is now being used by fire fighters all over the U.S. Many hours can be spent researching this symbol and its variants, its history, and its significance.

The forked tail is a reference to Saint Martin of Tours, a Roman knight who tore his own rich cloak in two to clothe a naked beggar. The forked tail represents the sacrifice we all make in order to make ourselves and our world more complete, to clothe its nakedness. A call to be a Statesmen is a call to serve and sacrifice, but it is through that sacrifice that we become what we are meant to be. In the same manner, we are each torn between the public and the private each day of our lives, divided loyalties and confused perceptions, but the two halves become whole through sacrifice: the red at the top of the banner.

The Raddish

The radish is a badge of the Statesmen, not its symbol, but just a subtle reminder of what we are about.

The radish is a traditional staple crop going back to Roman and Helenic times. Our word, radish, comes from the same Latin base as radical, meaning root. Simply put, a radical is someone who draws attention to the root of a problem. In many ways, the radish is an ideal analog to the radical Republican. The Greek word for the genus, Raphanus, means quickly appearing; although radishes germinate and mature quickly, they also store exceptionally well in root cellars to help people through the long season of cold and dark. Radishes also come in many varieties, are often spicy, may be difficult to get used to, but are a valuable addition to any garden.

As radical Republicans, we aim to draw our society back to its roots. Just like the cutting from the root of one plant produces a different plant, tailored to its unique environment, so we do not aim to turn the clock back to the 1800's and repeat the mistakes of our forbears. Rather, it is to the ideals, the coded instructions in that root, that we must turn in order to rebuild our nation from first principles. In so doing, we build a community based on the values and goals our traditions honor, tailored to the uniqueness of our present situation and world, but drinking the same water and reaching for the same Sun.

It should be noted that "Republican," in this context does not refer to the Republican Party per se, but rather to the principles of Republican government which were the basis for our Constitution and for the Republican Party. It may be used as a badge for those who wish to revitalize the Republican Party, drawing the faithful Republicans and its offshoots, the Libertarian and Constitutionalist Parties, back to a common purpose. In the end, however, its significance does not depend on a specific organizational structure but rather an ethical code of conduct for free peoples.

A Statesman may be difficult to get along with since they "make trouble" or "won't let things go", but they are a dependable staple which is critical to free society and always spices life up a little bit. Like radishes, Statesmen seem to often flourish through adversity.

Gutta cavat lapidem

This is Latin and means "the drop excavates the stone." It is part of a longer quote from Ovid, roughly: "The drop excavates the stone, not with force but by falling often."

We are each only one person. By ourselves we can do nothing but try to live life as best we can and have faith that things will work out. But that is enough. Little by little, we do make a difference. We are not responsible for miracles. We are not expected to end poverty, disease, death, inequity. Indeed, one wonders whether these ideas even make sense: life and death, joy and pain are two sides of the same coin and one cannot be removed without taking the other with it.

We make the best of the time we are given, not ending poverty, relative differences in wealth, but comforting the poor and putting a dent in pauperism, the hopelessness and helplessness that comes with not being able to stand on one's own two feet; not by ending death but by doing our best to make life worth living, by giving dignity and meaning to every life we meet (including our own). We cannot change society in a day by any means, but we can change it in a lifetime one day, one encounter, one word of truth at a time. We cannot ever change society "for all time." Each generation is responsible for itself, for rising to meet the challenges of its own time.

We are not responsible for miracles, but miracles do happen: the water wears through the stone. By doing our duty, by reaching inside ourselves, beyond ourselves, we set the stage where miracles can occur of their own volition. If you do not lead a horse to water, it cannot choose to drink. Every battle won gives meaning to a score of battes lost.

The Statesmen, by fighting the same battles every day, by pushing for a return to principles people have turned away from time and time again, is not naïeve: we know that we are likely to lose any particular battle, but we also know that the end result is not and never was in question. One only needs to look at the Grand Canyon to know that water always wins.