Wednesday, June 22, 2005

The Flag Protection Legislation is Very Silly



So... *ahem* yes, the new measure to outlaw monkey business with the American Flag has just sailed through the House. This is very important! Stop laughing! Because, you know, I can hardly go anywhere without seeing people burnin' on Old Glory. For shame!

Please. This is just an excuse for toxic creeps like Tom DeLay to cynically lather himself up with the flag, and a no-win situation for people who think such legislation is silly. Anybody who dares suggest that all this fuss is pure jingoistic shenanigans will be quickly denounced as an America-hating Saddam-cuddler.

Don't think, even for a second, that this is a serious issue.

EDIT: I've been trying to identify the flag immolation shown in the very dramatic photo AFP used to illustrate the article linked above:



I bet that photo wasn't even shot in the US (I've written to them to see). It's probably from Serbia, Iran, Iraq or Korea, recent hotspots of symbolic flag fires (notice how it's cropped to despecify the location). I also checked around the other photo services (Corbis, Getty, etc.), and I wasn't able to find a single photo of an American burning the US flag. That's because it hardly ever happens, you dopes! Keep your eyes open for the next few days, and I bet you'll see a lot of stories about this illustrated with people burning the flag... in other countries, because they won't be able to find any domestic footage.

EDIT 2: Ha, ha! I just saw the local NBC news report on the legislation, and they used some lame footage of college students doing something to a flag, but they weren't burning it. Also, AP managed to dig up this photo of a hippie burning the flag in Portland.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can we wrap DeLay in it and smother him to death? Or even better, make sure it's that cheapo nylon and place him next to a space heater. A liquid plastic coffin, in bright colors!

Peteykins said...

I seriously like your way of thinking, Carl!

TexasYankee said...

I am not sure that is actually a "real" American flag. It has the wrong star pattern on it: It should be 5 rows of 6 stars alternating with 4 rows of 5 stars - such that the edges of the rows are offset. In this photo, the edges of the rows are even. Also, there should be 13 R&W rows, not the 15 +/- on this one.
Not that I am a flag-freak, just have an eye for detail.

Anonymous said...

ooh.. when i find it, i have a pic of my friend burning a flag on july 4 earlier this year, if you want a copy.. i'll come back when i get a copy from the guy that took the picture


just saying, an american flag burns in my town at least every week, i see it at least once a month... and yes, an official flag, all 13 stripes and 50 stars in the correct patterns in the correct pantone colors

fuck america!

Anonymous said...

Пуши курац! :D