What is it with some people who think it is perfectly ok for the US flag to be flown everywhere, including in other countries where the US citizen happens to live, but it is NOT ok for a foreigner in the US to fly his/her country's flag? Apart from the fact that the US flag is being used in this country to hawk everything from new and used cars to underwear, particularly on days that should? inspire patriotism such as the 4th of July and Washington's/Lincoln's Birthday, it is being displayed at gas stations, banks etc. Even churches and public schools are not immune. I would have thought that at least in a church nationalism or patriotism would not have a place. Religion is supposed to supercede all that. And public schools are there for ALL the children, not just citizen children.
In my opinion displaying one's national flag for commercial purposes cheapens its image. Seeing it everywhere all the time dulls its impact.
I have no problem with it being flown at government buildings and even then I think it should only be at federal buildings. State buildings can fly the state flag and municipalities can fly their city flag if they have one.
That way when you do see the national flag being displayed it means something, it kind of grabs you right there.
Now my gripe regarding that it's NOT ok to fly another country's flag here. Even then there seems to be a problem. It's not that ALL other countries' flags are looked upon with something of disdain if not downright loathing. Plenty of Mexican flags are flown here in Southern California, and the various "Little Saigons" fly their old national flag. That seems to get little notice. Neither do the various Skandinavian flags in places like Wisconsin and Michigan, or Italian in New York and plenty of others. But try a communist country's flag or some other country's that is not in the good graces of Uncle Sam right now (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan anyone?)
I fly my Black-Red-Gold flag of post-war Germany and I get static. Allegedly it has bad connotations for the Jewish population. That would be true if it were the old Black-White-Red flag which has been outlawed for over 60 years. And even if it does offend some old Jewish person who hates everything German, including me who has nothing to do with what happened so long ago, get over it: YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT NOT TO BE OFFENDED!!!
Offence is something that happens every day, some big, some small. Get over it. Shall we hate some people forever because of something their forefathers did? Should the tribal people of this big country try to kick out everybody else because they stole this country from them? Should Black people forever hate Whites because they had been made slaves and were mostly treated abominably? Should people of Japanese ancestry hate everybody else in this country because they had been put in concentration camps during WWII?
I thought not.
Let me fly my flag, you can fly yours, and everybody else can fly their's.
So while I am at it, let me pose a question: what is wrong with the words of the German National Anthem?
First of all, it was written over 100 years ago when the boundaries of the country were different from those today. It talked about boundaries that were more a boundary of language and culture than natioanl borders and those borders are still valid today although diluted. OK, I can understand that those words have no business in today's anthem. Then the often-criticized beginning words of the first stanza: "Germany, above everything (NOT "over everyone else".), above everything in the world". Is there a person who does not value his/her own country above all others? OK, since the general misunderstanding is that Germany aspires to "rule" over all other countries, lets just strike that whole first stanza.
Now to the second stanza which says "German women, German faithfulness, German wine, and German song shall retain their ancient good reputation throughout the whole world. They should inspire us to noble deeds for all of our lives. Fatherland, flourish in the glory of this fortune. " Now what could possibly be wrong with that? Nevertheless, that too has been stricken from the modern German anthem as it is allegedly "sexist". What? Run this by me again as I don't get it. What's wrong with a good reputation of all these things just because it mentions women? Would someone rather have German women have a "BAD" reputation? I thought not. Well, whatever. The second stanza was stricken also.
In the end only the last stanza was retained and there is probably someone who objects to that also : "Unity and Justice and Freedom for the German fatherland, in brotherhood let us all strive for that in thoughts and deeds." Innocuous I should hope, it's all that's left.
At least they left the melody alone, written by Haendel, which is better than the melody of the US national anthem which is based on an old English drinking song and is almost impossible to sing (don't let me start on the words which glorify WAR! "bombs bursting in air" etc which is re-enacted every 4th of July!) That one really needs to go. "America, the Beautiful" would be a much better anthem.
Now to offend some more people: The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
What bunk. One does not owe allegiance to a printed piece of cloth but to one's country. Oh my, a flag has touched the ground, you must burn it. You must take it in at night, fold it just so, take it down in inclement weather, if you step on it that is sacrilegious (since when is a piece of cloth sacred in this country?), nevertheless it is used for cheap advertisments. There is a whole slew of rules and regulations that somebody made up. Apart from that, this Pledge is less than 100 years old, the words "under God" were added in the 1950's during the Communist scare and Communists were "godless", so let's put "God" into the Pledge to differentiate us from those "godless" people. This quasi-official pledge flies in the face of the seperation of church and state since those words were added. This is NOT a Christian nation, no matter how many people try to make it so. Oh, double bunk.
They make children recite this pledge in grade school. When I had a first-grader he refused to recite it. Teacher called him on it, wanting to know why. He said first he did not understand it all, and second he was too little to fight for his country. Out of the mouths of babes.
This is just a way to indoctrinate children and to keep them from asking questions and just put up with the status quo. I'm glad my first-grader grew up to question things and hopefully think for himself. Unquestioning obedience just because somebody said so and said it loud enough and often enough has led to an awful lot of grief for a lot of people. Somebody said that if a lie is repeated often enough and with some authority it becomes the truth. Really? I say "question authority", what makes whoever such an authority on the given subject? If they don't have a satisfying answer then forget about them. I am not an authority on everything here either, so by all means question what I say also. It makes for good conversation. Also try reading "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, first copyrighted in 1935. Shades of Adolph Hitler.
Small update on the deadbeat: I got the "notice of mailing" back from my out-of-state source. However, I never did get back the second mailing to the incorrect address. So I will need to make a copy and sent that out of state to be mailed to TX from there. I want to make sure the deadbeat gets it.
Flash: the wife of the deadbeat's Colorado son contacted one of his half-brothers, R, on facebook, probably at the instigation of R's sister, but he never replied, he wants nothing to do with that clan. These must be some strange people that they would think that all of their half-siblings want to have a relationship with them. A pox on them all, none of us need any of them, only the money owed by the deadbeat.
I wonder if he will show up on Sept 23, 2010. In a way I hope he won't as I have no desire to see him amd listen to any of his raves or dirty language; on the other hand I would like to see what the years have done to him in the way of looks etc. and gloat as time has been rather good to me in that respect. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when he got that last missive! I bet the language turned the air blue. I just hope that the judge will have me attach anything he owns as I can't depend on him paying anything. 35 plus years show his word cannot be trusted. I want what's owed to me NOW, not in dribs and drabs which I might never collect, heck, he could DIE on me before it's all paid!!! I wonder if I could attach any estate he might leave?
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