Us “lefty liberals” have a funny relationship with the flag. It’s our symbol, too, no question about it. We all pledged allegiance “to the flag” in school (I’m actually old enough to remember when they added “under God” to the pledge - it annoyed me because it interrupted the meter. Say the pledge with and without “under God” and you’ll see what I mean).
And yet, the greatest symbol of the freedom it represents is the freedom to burn it publicly if the government is doing something we disapprove of. I’m not sure the rest of the world really understands that. I’m damn sure the extreme right doesn’t understand it.
I’m so ashamed. I’m preconditioned to look for subtle humor here at Felber’s house, so I counted the stars to be sure it was the current flag, not the one pre-Alaska and Hawai’i.
Here’s a suggestion for Memorial Day. If you have HBO, watch the documentary “Bagdad ER.” It’s a very unbiased and unblinking look at the consequences of war. Important for any citizen of a country at war.
Ignore this post if you have trouble viewing blood or limbs being anywhere other than in their original locations.
Mother Felber speaks the truth with her usual eloquence.
I just got back from a walk through the neighborhood and didn’t see any flags. Made me decide to go out tomorrow and get one for the house. Should go well with the “Kerry-Edwards” bumper sticker that’s still on the Prius.
Two of my neighbors have full-on flagpoles, 20 or 30 feet high. Mine’s the kind you nail up on the side of the house next to the door (yes, it’s up; when I went to get the paper I put it out).
You should see the one in my brother-in-law’s yard, I think 50 feet high. (Retired Air Force major. NOT a Democrat, although my sister says even he is getting torqued at the present administration…)
Old Mother Felber got there firstest with the mostest, but that’s as it should be.
hedera,
Not only did the interruption of the meter bother me (I was in 4th grade), but the more I thought about it as I got older, the more I realized how toublesomely ironic the placement of “under God” is. It divides “one nation” from “indivisible.” And that is precisely what it is being exploited for these days - one more cultural divider.
Meanwhile, here’s to the times I’ve seen Wes Clark walk up to Old Glory, take it in his hands, and say “It’s our flag, too.” Damned well worth remembering. Liberals like George McGovern flew bombing missions to defend what that flag actually stands for, including the right to burn it as a protest against government warmaking exploitation of patriotism.
Adam, did the Republican Party sell you rights to use a picture of their flag? Did they know you’d be using it on a blog of the vast Left Wing conspiracy? Did they care, as long as they made a buck?
My birthday is Flag Day, so I’ve always had a soft spot for the ol’ banner. It irked me when the right started trying to claim it as exclusively their own. (One thing that was particularly annoying was the way so many people stuck ‘em on their cars and houses after 9/11 and then just let them rot away… talk about sending the wrong message.)
Lefties, take back your flag! Put one on your car next to your nice liberal bumperstickers! Fly one on the 4th of July and Labor Day, too. Do it on Constitution Day and maybe we can steer that holiday back on track as well.
The flag is ours..So is the Star-Spangled Banner.Our national monuments as well. I’m so tired of the right appropriating our national symbols for their own.It belongs to us, all of us. One can be critcial of our government and still love our country; don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.
And thanks to SeattleTammy for correcting my grammar.
Dan, your comment about the placement of “under God” in the pledge of allegiance is awesome. That is SO right, and I never saw it!
I lied about the flagpole in my brother-in-law’s yard. My sister says it’s only 30 feet tall.
The really sad thing about putting a flag on my car is that I drive through the People’s Republic of Berkeley regularly, and that will get your car keyed in some neighborhoods, or at least it used to… I just don’t put my opinions on my car, that’s all.
It’s Liberty Loving Lefties, which actually should be treated as a compound word. I’m not sure who those purported lefties who are supposed to be a threat to freedom of thought, especially on college campuses, are. I’ve never met any, although I suppose the odd thought tyrant masquerading as a leftie does exist.
Much, much compassion to those Marines traumatized by their unit’s crazed revenge slaughter of Iraqi civilians, including small children. The military apparently isn’t interested in helping them cope.
My wife is also a retired Air Force major, and a registered Republican. She said just this morning that Bush deserves to be impeached, the sooner the better.
Well I’m not letting the Republicans take and capture the flag in our campaign for congress.
Yesterday I bought a flag to place on Tony’s house so that I could take photos of him for his website. It may take a few days to show up but you will see the flag in the background. www.tonybarr2006.com
BTW Tony received more than 2000 write-in votes and as soon as the district certifies the votes he will be the official PA 9th district Democratic nominee for US Congress.
This was a small miracle; Shuster’s camp claimed that with only 2 weeks it would cost $50-75,000 to get 1000 write in votes. This shows how they view the world. We got more than twice the number for around $1000.
My official duty beyond photographer is speech writer. So if any one wants to help out coming up with good analogies I could use help. Something like, “giving tax breaks to oil companies to encourage drilling is like paying Keith Richards to take drugs”.
Stuff like that. I need funny but biting hook lines (sound bites).
Tony has been helping me for years give tours and had already been scheduled to help out with Felberpalooza, but now we are going to add to one of the days a Labor Day Campaign kick off. It will probably be Saturday morning during the Bike Rally, or Monday’s Bike Ride. We expect local TV and media coverage.
Soon you will be able to see our (my) position papers on his web site. There are no cowering Democrats on this ticket.
It’s going to be a busy summer and fall.
Comments for this entry are now closed. Thanks for participating.
Fanny Roborat
25 comments
Old Mother Felber
May 29, 2006 at 3:42 pm
1Yes. That’s where it’s at.
I’ve seen that glorious flag used and misused for all kinds of political purposes.
But Man!
That’s some flag, and it’s every Americans’.
Murray
May 29, 2006 at 4:22 pm
2Great, just great, how am I supposed to follow that?
hedera
May 29, 2006 at 4:51 pm
3Us “lefty liberals” have a funny relationship with the flag. It’s our symbol, too, no question about it. We all pledged allegiance “to the flag” in school (I’m actually old enough to remember when they added “under God” to the pledge - it annoyed me because it interrupted the meter. Say the pledge with and without “under God” and you’ll see what I mean).
And yet, the greatest symbol of the freedom it represents is the freedom to burn it publicly if the government is doing something we disapprove of. I’m not sure the rest of the world really understands that. I’m damn sure the extreme right doesn’t understand it.
Linkmeister
May 29, 2006 at 5:56 pm
4I’m so ashamed. I’m preconditioned to look for subtle humor here at Felber’s house, so I counted the stars to be sure it was the current flag, not the one pre-Alaska and Hawai’i.
piglet
May 29, 2006 at 6:10 pm
5Here’s a suggestion for Memorial Day. If you have HBO, watch the documentary “Bagdad ER.” It’s a very unbiased and unblinking look at the consequences of war. Important for any citizen of a country at war.
Ignore this post if you have trouble viewing blood or limbs being anywhere other than in their original locations.
ginny
May 29, 2006 at 6:47 pm
6It looks good up there. Looks considerably sadder here. Patriotic, but sadder.
dee
May 29, 2006 at 6:49 pm
7Mother Felber speaks the truth with her usual eloquence.
I just got back from a walk through the neighborhood and didn’t see any flags. Made me decide to go out tomorrow and get one for the house. Should go well with the “Kerry-Edwards” bumper sticker that’s still on the Prius.
hedera
May 29, 2006 at 6:54 pm
8You go, dee - some people think you can’t be a Democrat and still fly a flag. We need to take it back.
Linkmeister
May 29, 2006 at 7:29 pm
9Two of my neighbors have full-on flagpoles, 20 or 30 feet high. Mine’s the kind you nail up on the side of the house next to the door (yes, it’s up; when I went to get the paper I put it out).
hedera
May 29, 2006 at 8:20 pm
10You should see the one in my brother-in-law’s yard, I think 50 feet high. (Retired Air Force major. NOT a Democrat, although my sister says even he is getting torqued at the present administration…)
David
May 29, 2006 at 8:34 pm
11Old Mother Felber got there firstest with the mostest, but that’s as it should be.
hedera,
Not only did the interruption of the meter bother me (I was in 4th grade), but the more I thought about it as I got older, the more I realized how toublesomely ironic the placement of “under God” is. It divides “one nation” from “indivisible.” And that is precisely what it is being exploited for these days - one more cultural divider.
Meanwhile, here’s to the times I’ve seen Wes Clark walk up to Old Glory, take it in his hands, and say “It’s our flag, too.” Damned well worth remembering. Liberals like George McGovern flew bombing missions to defend what that flag actually stands for, including the right to burn it as a protest against government warmaking exploitation of patriotism.
cooper
May 29, 2006 at 10:00 pm
12ginny. Good point.
Adam, did the Republican Party sell you rights to use a picture of their flag? Did they know you’d be using it on a blog of the vast Left Wing conspiracy? Did they care, as long as they made a buck?
siobhan
May 29, 2006 at 10:14 pm
13My birthday is Flag Day, so I’ve always had a soft spot for the ol’ banner. It irked me when the right started trying to claim it as exclusively their own. (One thing that was particularly annoying was the way so many people stuck ‘em on their cars and houses after 9/11 and then just let them rot away… talk about sending the wrong message.)
Lefties, take back your flag! Put one on your car next to your nice liberal bumperstickers! Fly one on the 4th of July and Labor Day, too. Do it on Constitution Day and maybe we can steer that holiday back on track as well.
siobhan
May 29, 2006 at 10:39 pm
14I’m just listening to Fresh Air, all about the documentary “Baghdad ER”.
* sigh *
Thanks to all who gave their lives. Thanks, too, to those who served and returned.
SeattleDan
May 29, 2006 at 11:08 pm
15Amen,siobhan.
The flag is ours..So is the Star-Spangled Banner.Our national monuments as well. I’m so tired of the right appropriating our national symbols for their own.It belongs to us, all of us. One can be critcial of our government and still love our country; don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.
And thanks to SeattleTammy for correcting my grammar.
Bill Frist
May 29, 2006 at 11:37 pm
16Hey, that’s my flag! I mean, literally, my flag! It’s the one I plan to wrap myself in during the upcoming gay marriage debate.
No kidding: check the label and tell me it’s not a 38 long.
siobhan
May 29, 2006 at 11:58 pm
17Bill, you are so tempting me to burn that thing…
hedera
May 30, 2006 at 12:32 am
18Dan, your comment about the placement of “under God” in the pledge of allegiance is awesome. That is SO right, and I never saw it!
I lied about the flagpole in my brother-in-law’s yard. My sister says it’s only 30 feet tall.
The really sad thing about putting a flag on my car is that I drive through the People’s Republic of Berkeley regularly, and that will get your car keyed in some neighborhoods, or at least it used to… I just don’t put my opinions on my car, that’s all.
David
May 30, 2006 at 9:26 am
19siobhan,
It’s Liberty Loving Lefties, which actually should be treated as a compound word. I’m not sure who those purported lefties who are supposed to be a threat to freedom of thought, especially on college campuses, are. I’ve never met any, although I suppose the odd thought tyrant masquerading as a leftie does exist.
Much, much compassion to those Marines traumatized by their unit’s crazed revenge slaughter of Iraqi civilians, including small children. The military apparently isn’t interested in helping them cope.
David
May 30, 2006 at 10:22 am
20On fallen soldiers, John Nichols and a Whitman poem, both brief.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=87349
Rob Allen
May 30, 2006 at 4:11 pm
21My wife is also a retired Air Force major, and a registered Republican. She said just this morning that Bush deserves to be impeached, the sooner the better.
David
May 30, 2006 at 8:14 pm
22Rob,
Wow! A very close friend, a retired Army infantry captain, a graduate of Georgia Military Academy, and a registered Republican, feels the same way.
hedera
May 31, 2006 at 12:21 am
23The death of a multitude is cause for mourning.
Conduct your triumph as a funeral.
– Lao Tze (Witter Bynner translation)
Mary
May 31, 2006 at 10:04 am
24With thanks to all who serve/d and those who died. Said a silent prayer on Mnday for all of them.
Murray
May 31, 2006 at 4:16 pm
25Well I’m not letting the Republicans take and capture the flag in our campaign for congress.
Yesterday I bought a flag to place on Tony’s house so that I could take photos of him for his website. It may take a few days to show up but you will see the flag in the background.
www.tonybarr2006.com
BTW Tony received more than 2000 write-in votes and as soon as the district certifies the votes he will be the official PA 9th district Democratic nominee for US Congress.
This was a small miracle; Shuster’s camp claimed that with only 2 weeks it would cost $50-75,000 to get 1000 write in votes. This shows how they view the world. We got more than twice the number for around $1000.
My official duty beyond photographer is speech writer. So if any one wants to help out coming up with good analogies I could use help. Something like, “giving tax breaks to oil companies to encourage drilling is like paying Keith Richards to take drugs”.
Stuff like that. I need funny but biting hook lines (sound bites).
Tony has been helping me for years give tours and had already been scheduled to help out with Felberpalooza, but now we are going to add to one of the days a Labor Day Campaign kick off. It will probably be Saturday morning during the Bike Rally, or Monday’s Bike Ride. We expect local TV and media coverage.
Soon you will be able to see our (my) position papers on his web site. There are no cowering Democrats on this ticket.
It’s going to be a busy summer and fall.