Sunday Roast: Flag Day

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The U.S. flag was adopted on this date in 1777, and the day became an official “thing” in 1916, by order of President Woodrow Wilson.

I learned all about flag etiquette in Girl Scouts, but I don’t remember ever actually owning a flag.  Not that I was opposed to it, but I just never bought one.  It grates on me that the American flag is manufactured anywhere other than the United States.  Too picky?  My step-mother has the flag that was presented to the family at my dad’s memorial service, so I suppose it might come to me one day.

After September 11, 2001, with all the flag pins on politicians, ragged Made in China flags waving from sticks on car windows, and so-called “patriots” virtually dry-humping the Stars and Stripes — I acquired what I call “flag fatigue.”  As it turns out, it’s a fairly chronic condition.

“Uber-patriots” have wrung out any real symbolism our flag held, while completely forgetting (if they ever knew) what the flag, patriotism, the Constitution, and being an American actually mean.

Anyway, Happy Flag Day, everyone.  Lawdy, I’m such an old crank.

This is our daily open thread — S.N.A.F.U.

66 thoughts on “Sunday Roast: Flag Day”

  1. Was curious if the U.S. had an official flower. We do have a ‘floral emblem’: the Rose.
    (no indication of color(s)

    .

    We also have a tree:

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    • Wow, didn’t realize it had been seven years since you wrote that parody, Wayne.
      Great, as always!

      Yes I’m groovin’
      ‘Cause I’m provin’
      I’m patriotic big time
      Gone crazy on the moon shine
      Yes I’m braggin’
      ‘Bout my flag pin
      Nice and shiny, wear it on my hiney
      Cover ev’ry spot until I’m goin’ down in history

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  4. Flags were used long ago as a form of communication to indicate what camp you were in. What regiment, brigade, etc.
    There’s a long history of the use of flags during wartime for identification in Asian cultures such as the Japanese and the Chinese.
    Alexander the Great used them as well as the Roman armies.
    I’ll admit, I’m saturated with the post 9/11 flag orgasm that washed over the U.S. and the supposed outrage exhibited by politicians over the burning of the flag.
    My take on things? You want to burn a flag, go ahead. It constitutes free speech so enjoy yourself.
    Just don’t politicize its abuse when you hold it out there in such a sanctimonious fashion that you lose sight of what it stands for.

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  5. As the story goes, when my mother was a little girl she looked outside on one June 14 morning, saw a lot of flags along the street, then asked her mom, “mommy, why are there so many flags out there today?”

    “Because, of course, today’s your BIRTHDAY, Margie!”

    Happy 107th, mum, wherever you are.

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  6. Speaking of Flag Day and “Patriots,” here’s one of the better ones I’ve run across in the last couple of days:

    Rick Wiles: America Is ‘Toast’

    [Rick Wiles] expanded on statements he has made recently about President Obama planning a military takeover of the country to stay in power past 2016, which is part of a strategy to prepare for the total collapse of the nation.

    Wiles told me that America is beyond saving at this point and “we’re toast.” He predicted that a major financial collapse is coming which will leave the United States in the “total dark.” He also said the US is at the mercy of a satellite-killing weapon in space created by the Chinese, which will be followed by Chinese and Russian troops in the United States. Wiles said that he is so fearful of this scenario that he plans to leave the country when God tells him it’s time to go.

    Too bad his “god” is a myth. Means he’ll probably hang around longer than needed — beyond yesterday, i.o.w.

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  8. Chris Wallace: Jeb Bush just finished a European trip in which he showed that he is ‘comfortable’ on the world stage.

    So, he’s comfortable. As a fuckin’ tourist, he’s comfortable?

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    • When is Nestle shutting down their water bottling plant, so that water can be diverted for other needs? Bottled water can be transported from areas with plentiful water from other parts of the country.

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    • “…Gay Butler, an interior designer out for a trail ride on her show horse…”

      Yeah, that pretty much sums up Rancho Santa Fe. My wife’s late cousin used to live there.

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      • How to piss off TSA;
        Take empty water bottles through security screening and then fill them up at a drinking fountain.

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  11. So, this question has probably already been asked and answered more than once, but is anyone else unable to view the comments sections at any of the Think Progress sites? (I should probably view this as a good thing that I can’t.) But I’ve gone through multiple browsers, as well as both my laptop and my tablet, and I’m unable to see any comments on any thread.

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    • I am seeing the comments. At the bottom of an article are three colored bands: f Share, Tweet and Comment. Clicking on the comment one drops down one or two comments. Then you have to keep clicking the gray bar at the bottom to view more comments. About five minutes in, you’ll finally be able to see all the comments. Refresh, and start the process all over again.

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      • Well, harumph. Yet another setback for my detective’s license …

        By the bye, I’ve found that by switching over to “Chonological” (the down arrow on the “comments” button at the top left of the comments, after one, maybe two clicks in, that usually suffices to bring them all up at once. (I’d found this prior to losing the comments entirely under the new button.)

        Thanks, HoR!

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        • I tried using the main story about the Southern Baptists, and used your method. I dropped down the comments, clicked on chronological, then at the bottom, it said, ‘view 194 more’. I clicked that, some comments dropped down, scroll to the bottom, it said, ‘view 193 more’, then ‘view 192 more’ etc. Then I refreshed and had to start from scratch again. Just way too much clusterfucking for me.

          The facebook system doesn’t count replies either, only parent comments. 400 comments can be several hundred more. Or a thousand.

          I haven’t found one thing I like about the facebook comment system, and it’s gotten much worse since TP first put it in. The only thing they ever improved is sometime in there they made it where you could zoom the page and the type would get bigger.

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  16. A couple of light showers have delayed the Nascar race at Michigan, so we have a Red Flag Report: According to Brad Keselowski, Michael Waltrip got googly eyed working with Danica yesterday, and Michael said Danica has beautiful eyes, and she smelled like cinnamon! 😉

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    • Didn’t intelligence enter the picture? Did he begin to drool?!!

      …
      Bede, on C&L LNMC reminds me of 5thState. It finally came to mind the other day. His writing on the topic of music had reminded me of someone and that’s who!

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      • Ah, the Execrable Bede. You know, 5th could come up with that for a screen name.
        LNMC has become almost too much these days. Last night was 338 comments. Like the facebook system, you have to repeatedly scroll to the bottom of the page and add more comments until they’re all displayed, then when you refresh, you have to start all over again.

        When did BabyBubbs begin showing up on LNMC?

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        • When did BabyBubbs begin showing up on LNMC?

          Perhaps a month ago. Bede, Tuar, Bronwyn, Tucker, and a few more seem to
          ‘know each other (on-line) from somewhere else.

          If you hide media it is not so unwieldy.

          To the right of the comment box is your name and a drop box arrow

          • Your Profile
          • Hide Media
          • Logout

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          • Hide Media , in true Dissux fashion, only works until you refresh again, then it all goes back to default condition, just like everything else. Thanks for trying though.

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            • She gets that way when the music isn’t to her taste.
              (where most of us just post whatever we want)

    • Such an ugly attitude.

      Brown is the new green, Ms Butler. Use your money to have drought-resistant planting.
      Greedy and arrogant. She has no idea that money can’t bring more water.
      Sacrifice like the rest of us.

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      • When I lived in Arizona I zero-scaped.
        I loved it.
        Deer, coyote, javalina, quail and blue jays that would fly into the house and rob anything they could.

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        • Me too. Saguaros, Palo Verdes, and various other desert plants tend to take care of themselves even as they offer habitat to lots of other critters.

          Anybody with an $800 per month water bill needs a lengthy stay in a nuthouse.

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  20. I present to you, Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison

    Sir Paul McCartney. Sir Elton John. Sir Mick Jagger. Sir Van Morrison.

    Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison, to be precise. Van Morrison joined an elite crew of British musicians to receive England’s highest honor, knighthood. No doubt the legendary singer/songwriter is worthy of the accolades.

    In a report by BBC, Morrison is quoted as saying “Throughout my career I have always preferred to let my music speak for me, and it is a huge honour to now have that body of work recognised in this way… I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans who have supported me on my musical journey.”

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    • I believe Wallace is running out of patience with the GOP in general. I have seen him question several Repub guests on his show like this, and get noticeably frustrated with their lack of specificity. He wants the GOP he supports to provide workable solutions but they never do.

      Wallace gave Karen Finney a hard time but never would let her finish an answer to any of his questions.

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  23. Cal needs to stay out of the ‘stretching face’ doctors office. (He and O’R have such tight skin it seems to affect their brains.) Well, then again, perhaps it is just a contributing factor.

    Fox News contributor Cal Thomas argued over the weekend that polygamy and “adult-child marriage” could become legal in the United States unless the Supreme Court bases its same-sex marriage ruling on “scripture.”

    Both polygamy and child marriage were accepted practices in the Bible. Some accounts even claim that Jesus’ mother, Mary, was as young as 12 years old when she married Joseph, who was said to be in his thirties or forties.

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    • Shoot, my husband has been researching his ancestry and has found that one of his great-grandmothers married at 11. I don’t think we can blame gay folk for that.

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