Today is Bastille Day on July 14 in France. This year as I am watching the military parade on TV, the rain is pouring down. Aircraft squadrons fly over the Champs-Elysées on the France 1 television channel. A moment later, I look out the window and they fly low over the Bastille area. Parachutists wave to the camera as they dive into the rain. The African national flags of former French colonies (or in the case of Algeria, a former French territory) are attached to their legs. They gather them up with their chute when landing with precision in front of the reviewing stand. These flags can now be displayed…