It's Time to Take Down The Flag

[NanceGreggs]

It’s Time To Take Down the Flag
By Nancy Greggs

In view of what we have seen and heard for the past few years, and especially in the last few months, it is time for all of you who still support George W. Bush and this Administration to take down your American flags. Remove them from your front porch, from the flagpole on the lawn. Pack away your stars-and-stripes T-shirts, and remove the flag-pins from your lapels.

The proud display of the American flag is meant for the patriotic, for those who love their country.

This president has plunged our beloved nation into unconscionable debt, and compromised its security for the sake of corporations and their bottom line. He has steadfastly looked the other way while American jobs have been irretrievably lost, and while citizens go without affordable medical care. He has stolen from the poor and working class by promoting the under-funding of their schools, their hospitals, and the social programs that feed and shelter the most unfortunate among us, and has ensured that those monies find their way into the pockets of the wealthy.

Time and again, he has turned his back on the victims of disaster, and left them to fend for themselves. He has destroyed a way of life that rewarded hard work, and that offered opportunity for all. He has lessened our country’s once-proud standing in the world, and has made a mockery of our laws, our rights, and our Constitution.

A true patriot doesn’t ignore the needs of the nation, nor its citizenry, and does not systematically revoke the very freedoms our democracy was founded upon. If you support the Bush regime, what it stands for, and what it has done, you are no patriot.

If you support this president, remove the “Support the Troops” stickers from your cars, and the symbolic Yellow Ribbons from your front doors.

Those symbols are meant to represent care and concern for our military, both in battle and upon their return to the homefront. This president, and his fellow Republican Party members who control our government, have placed our troops in harm’s way for a lie, and have ignored their safety and well-being at every turn. They have initiated policies that gut our veterans’ benefits and pensions. They have sent our troops into combat without the most basic of equipment to protect themselves, and have ignored the consequences of placing the battle-fatigued, the sick, the psychologically and emotionally damaged on the front lines. They have handed the tax dollars meant to feed, equip and house our forces over to Administration cronies, who slip those funds into their own pockets and devote mere pennies to the needs of our fighting men and women.

If you support those kinds of policies and the people who promote them for their own political and/or financial gain, you do not support the troops. On the contrary, you speed their demise. Pretending to support the very troops you are dishonoring is not only hypocritical, it is an insult to their sacrifice.

If you support this president, remove the crosses you wear around your neck, the rosary beads strung over your rearview mirror, the crucifixes and prayer cards you display in your homes.

Those revered signs of faith are reserved for Christians who honor the principles set forth by a man who taught love, tolerance and understanding.

The present Administration and those who blindly follow it have not only condoned but embraced torture, unlawful imprisonment without hope of a fair hearing, secret prisons that exist only for the purpose of inflicting pain and suffering. In addition, they have engaged in the rendition of human beings to other countries where the most heinous conduct can be indulged in – apparently too cowardly themselves to the “dirty work” they claim to be necessary to make us all secure.

This president and his minions have made a mockery of the true Christian faith, and have spit in the face of those who adhere to its tenets. George Bush’s illegal and immoral war has caused thousands upon thousands of deaths of innocent men, women and children, and has turned such laudable principles as feeding the hungry and caring for the sick into trivialities unworthy of his attention. He has preyed upon the unsuspecting sheep by offering money and influence to their corrupt, money-grubbing pastors in exchange for leading their flocks to the altar of the polling stations, enticed by the Judas Goat of policies based on hatred, bigotry and intolerance.

If you have transferred your religious faith away from the teachings of a forgiving and merciful God, and placed it instead in a president who promotes violence and torture, you are not a Christian.

Once you have dispensed with displaying the symbols of true patriotism, troop support and Christianity, you are free to flaunt your “W” stickers, and all of the other pro-Bush, pro-Administration paraphernalia you are so fond of.

In fact, I would encourage you to do so. It’s always helpful to know who your real enemies are.

[meti57b]

1. That's really great! Thanks for posting!

[RadiDem]

2. Very well said. Thanks for the great read

[madame defarge]

3. Great essay

Again, Nancy, you express so well what many of us feel. I refuse to hang my American flag up anymore because it doesn't feel like it means anything to me. Hell, I won't even wear red, white, & blue anymore. I used to be so proud to be an American, but now I hang my head in shame at what this administration has done to our country & our world.

Thanks again, Nancy, for your eloquent prose.

[NanceGreggs]

5. I've told this story before ...

... but the hubby and I put out our TRULY ENORMOUS American flag on the front porch the afternoon of 9/11. We left it there until the night Bush declared he was invading Iraq, when we took it down and have not displayed it since.

It's not that we don't love our country. It is just that we loathe to have anyone think, even for a minute, that we supported this administration and what it was doing.

I also bought several American flag pins after 9/11. I wore one of them to work every day -- even had a rhinestoned one for formal occasions! Those, too, have been put away from view.

Every time I see them in my jewelry box, I wonder if they will wind up on Antiques Roadshow someday, oddities that harken back to a country that no longer exists.

It's time we took these things BACK from those who have chosen to display them as trophies, after having lost all respect for their meaning.

[Child_Of_Isis]

25. It's not that we don't love our country.

I can't fly a flag anymore either. In my mind it has turned into a war symbol.

[Grove City Lou]

76. It's Time To Take Down the Flag

Dear Ms. Greggs,

A friend is interested in running your article "It's Time To Take Down the Flag" as an ad in a local newspaper. Would she have your permission to do that, indicating your authorship.

Grove City Lou

[newyawker99]

77. Hi Grove City Lou!!

Welcome to DU!!

[NanceGreggs]

84. Welcome to DU, Grove City Lou!

Yes, your friend is free to run the piece (with attribution to myself as author).

I'm sorry I did not respond sooner - this thread has been off the front page for a while, and I didn't know it was still being responded to.

[BeFree]

11. I know how you feel, Madame...

... there is reason to be ashamed. But wearing the red white and blue while standing against those who cheapen its true meaning, does make for a stronger message. It is not the idea of America that we should be ashamed of, it is the governors.

When someone starts telling me I have no right to say something, I whip out my patriotism and fly it in their face. 'Tis the winning hand, everytime.

[BigYawn]

57. Well said, mate!! The old glory does NOT represent Bush, it stands

for the United States, and its constitution. Bushes come and go,
but the USA will live for ever. I display it proudly every chance
I get. Even my golf head cover is red white and blue!!

[indepat]

62. Thank you, Nancy, for telling it like it is more succinctly and

eloquently than most of us ever could.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

72. You and me both. I inherited a flag when my mother-in-law passed

away but I wouldn't think of hanging it on our house.

[Faryn Balyncd]

4. Great! - - It's time to reclaim our flag from the fascists!

Thanks for a great post.

[Raster]

6. You go GIRL!!!

Absolutely Spot On:

Once you have dispensed with displaying the symbols of true patriotism, troop support and Christianity, you are free to flaunt your “W” stickers, and all of the other pro-Bush, pro-Administration paraphernalia you are so fond of.

In fact, I would encourage you to do so. It’s always helpful to know who your real enemies are.

[Mythsaje]

7. The flag is a symbol

of something it is no longer allowed to represent.

[NanceGreggs]

8. Which is why we need to wrest it from the hands ...

... of those who have dragged it through the mud, and replace Ol' Glory to its rightful place.

[Mythsaje]

9. Hell, they've stapled the damn thing to themselves

as if Old Glory would hide the fact that not only the emperor, but his whole pack of courtiers, aren't wearing any clothes.

I wish we COULD wrest it from them, but I'm not sure there's a way to do that. They've got a deathgrip on it.

[NanceGreggs]

10. "Deathgrip" being the operative word ...

Whenever I think about the flag these days, I recall the scene from the movie "Glory".

The company commander hands the flag to a soldier, then looks at the troops and says, "And if this man should fall in battle, who will pick up the flag and raise it again?"

"I will," comes the immediate response.

And we all will; of that I have no doubt.

[Hun Joro]

12. Fantastic! Mind if I email that to a few people?

Of course I'd include your byline if I had permission to do so.

[NanceGreggs]

13. Of course!

And thank you!

[Spiffarino]

14. Mine went down the night Bush stole his second election

It was up every day before that. It will be up again on January 20th, 2008 unless he declares himself Fuhrer.

[Clyde39]

15. I saw three bumper stickers today.......flag, W/04 and "We Still Pray"

The SUV passed me going about 75mph in a 55mph zone. When I saw those particular stickers I was pretty depressed.

[NanceGreggs]

16. It only makes sense.

If you're still sporting a "W" sticker, you've got to figure that prayer is your only hope.

[Vidar]

17. Fly it upside down (distress signal), if at all.

[treestar]

42. I like that and there is another solution too, use the 13 star version

With the 13 stars in a circle.

That was the original flag and so it stands for the US as it was originally conceived, Constitution intact.

[wake.up.america]

44. Great idea!!!!

[Vidar]

54. It was one of the favorite avatars on the old Kerry site.

[unpossibles]

80. I've tought of that too, but am a bit afraid people don't know the true

meaning and will take it to mean "anti-America" instead of distress, and frankly we are all Soldiers in Distress right now.

I wouldn't care, but I don't want my house egged or rocks thrown, or any of that crap. Although to be honest, I live in a neighborhood which most Wingers would probably be too chickenshit to come into, quite frankly, although for no real reason.

I've noticed a lot of disrespect for the flag lately: it is flown in bad weather, it hits the ground, etc. These false patriots abuse it like they abuse the Constitution.

[Evergreen Emerald]

18. My daughter stopped saying the pledge of allegiance at school

Her teacher railed into her in front of the class saying that she was not patriotic. She responded that she is dissenting from Bush and his policies, which is truly patriotic.

I later called the school to reinforce the idea of dissent-as-patriotic--and to tell her to stop yelling at my daughter. She actually suggested that I talk to her about what the flag stands for. I instead gave the teacher a lesson in what it means to be an American versus a lemming. And actually, I was unaware that my daughter took that stand. We talk politics alot, and listen to Air America, which brings up issues and begins dialog, but I did not realize she had taken that stand against Bush and his policies.

I am very proud of her.

[Divernan]

20. Give that teacher a copy of this OP, & ask her what she thinks about it.

nt

[madame defarge]

21. Have your daughter tell the teacher this...

"Blind allegiance to a failed leadership is not patriotism."

I love that quote. I use it all the time now.

[The Brethren]

58. Evergreen Emerald.

A huge applause for your daughter!! She is very brave and patriotic. She also has a mind of her own and has taken the time to actually follow the news in our country, care about things and is taking a stand. Wouldn't a teacher value those things in a student? And an additional thank you as a parent for standing up for your daughter.

[Evergreen Emerald]

68. Thanks!

I was proud of her for standing up for her beliefs.

Welcome to DU, bty.

[The Brethren]

69. You're welcome.

Can imagine what she'll be like as an adult -- smart, strong and independent.

And thank you very much for the welcome!

[derby378]

19. Abso-fuckin-loutely!!

Thank you, Nance. About time more people started saying that.

[Buzz Clik]

22. I linked this on my favorite knuckledragger discussion board

It will be a popular piece, no doubt.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. My flag was on my dad's coffin

and it came down the day el pretzeldente invaded Iraq.

I refuse to disgrace my dad's memory with that tarnished symbol.

[onenote]

24. good post, although most of the comments seem not to get the point

The call is for the freepers to stop flying the flag. Its a call for progressives -- who uphold patriotic values and who fight the freepers out of love for this country and what it can be -- to reclaim the flag. Seems like a lot of the comments think that its a call for us to stop flying the flag.

Well, I've been flying the flag for a long time, through good times and bad. The fact that these are bad times isn't going to make me stop.

[BlueOysterCult]

27. I used to fly the flag...

These comments are responses to the article and don't really need to get to the point. The truth of the matter is that I am embarrassed. Embarrassed that we have the president we do. I used to be proud of this country but after years of this regime that has the agenda of making the rich richer while stepping on everyone else's toes to get it done... I have lost the pride that I used to have. I am almost depressed to the point of not caring anymore. The arrogance of this administration makes me sick. I used to fly the flag.....

[annabanana]

31. Welcome to DU!

(Congratulations! You seem to have caught a troll - usually the mods are quicker than this. I was on DU for months before I saw one!)

[onenote]

33. I think your post is in the wrong subthread

I'm assuming that you are (quite rightly) congratulating BlueOysterCult for calling out the trolling post by "noterroristallowed". Unfortunately, by posting in this subthread, it may look like you're calling me a troll instead. I'm sure that's not what you intended.

[BlueOysterCult]

36. oooops

sorry for any "sub-misthreading"

[onenote]

37. actually, nothing wrong with your posts

I was referring to annabanana's response to your wtf post, which ended up in the wrong subthread. Just trying to keep the lines of communication clear

[annabanana]

50. oh Lord, no ... my bad!

comes from mid-day lack of caffeine!

[onenote]

52. no problem

just keeping the record straight!

[newyawker99]

78. Hi BlueOysterCult!!

Welcome to DU!!

[RangerSmith]

41. I tend to agree

Running around trying to define by virtue of "ideology" .. or maybe better defined by "if you don't believe as I do" ... who is and who isn't a Patriot IMHO was a losing proposition for the right and it will be more of the same for the left.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueOysterCult]

28. wtf?

First of all - not everyone believes in God anyway so being Godless is ok by me.
Secondly, terrorist kill us, we kill them - where does it end? To me if God did exist - he, she wouldn't allow this to happen in the first place.
And I'll quote the bumper sticker here: "Who would Jesus bomb?"

[annabanana]

30. witness the insanity, first hand, before the floor opens up!

[Sad4world]

32. "following his commandments"

Thou shall not Kill!!!!!

[newspeak]

34. no, a true patriot

is one who questions it's president, to do otherwise is treason. (Teddy Roosevelt) I bet you know nothing of your president's business dealings or his family's business dealings, do you? Unlike Jimmy Carter, how many times has your president gone to church--he professes to be Methodist, but even the Methodists condemned the war. The fetus, it seems to you, has more of a right than the woman carrying it or the children that have been blown to kingdom come in Iraq. But, that's okay to you isn't it? As it is okay to lie, and during campaigns to pull out the sleaziest, most vile tricks and lies on your opponents. I mean, it's so Christian--you will know them by their acts--that about says it all to me. The corruption, sweet deals to corporations like Halliburton who have given our soldiers tainted food and water, overcharging us, the American people--these corporations who are making a killing on the war--nothing but leeches of misery. "Friends" with this administration, some can just claim their "Christian" and apparently it makes it so. But, that's fine with you, isn't it? I bet you may have a libertarian streak in you, want the government to stay out of your business. Right? Yet, you have no problems with the Patriot Act, you have no problem giving away that very same freedom that you profess to cherish. I stand by the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, that is what has identified this country to the rest of the world. When those documents are so blatantly disregarded, we are nothing but another corrupt Banana Republic. I do not believe in divine right of kings--and the PR creation of your king being anointed by God is so obscene--it goes against our founding fathers and mothers--those who have fought and died to uphold a democratic republic. Blindly following does not make you a patriot--it makes you a goose stepper and we have already seen in history where that leads!

[LibDemAlways]

39. This brutal maiming of an innocent child was

ordered by your phony "Christian" "president." If you supported "shock and awe" against the citizens of Iraq, you have no understanding of "Christianity" either.

[BlueOysterCult]

40. Oh I forgot

right... a post reminded my that you are a hypocrite! I seem to remember that God had a commandment - Thou shall not kill ( don't know what number that is... #1?) and I'll quote you here Noterroristallowed.. " Christianity is a relationship with Jesus and following his commandments. " How many christian soldiers do we have over there..? but its ok.. cuz they're terrorists I guess - even the ones that are under the age of 5

[JeffR]

46. This is too easy, but let's take your comments point by point:

As a marine, you have or had an obligation to follow the orders of your superiors, up to and including the Commander in Chief. As a citizen, you have no such obligation. If you want to stand by the President, that's your prerogative and your right. If you oppose his policies, that too is your right. It has nothing to do with patriotism.

Clinton's adultery had nothing to do with his job description or job performance. As to the rape allegations, these were underwritten by Richard Mellon Scaife and probably delivered to you in the pages of something published by Regnery. In other words, not credible by a long shot. If you want to believe that the Clintons snorted coke off Vince Foster's corpse, go right ahead, but don't drag this nonsense into a discussion of patriotism. You might as well put a neon sign on your forehead that proclaims to the world that your head is permanently stuck up your ass.

How has Bush put the nation's security at the top of the list? By being asleep at the wheel in 2001? By ignoring the warnings of a real imminent threat in 2001 and manufacturing a phony threat in 2003? By turning Iraq into a giant petri dish for the propogation of a new generation of America-hating radical Islamists? By turning a blind eye to port security, and being unaware of an attempt to sell it off to a hardline Islamic nation? By cozying up to repressive regimes like Saudi Arabia? Take your pick.

God put GWB there? Well, He does work in mysterious ways! I thought GWB was put there by 5 Supreme Court justices and a whole bunch of election theft. Go figure. My guess is that God has little interest in the electoral process and the will of the people to elect politicians to public office. And by the way, the presidency is a public office. The President is a civil servant. He works for you, not the other way around. We had a king once, we didn't like it, and we fought for a long time to get rid of him. Guess what? We won. We don't have a king anymore.

Bush is about as convincing a Christian as he was an Air National Guard pilot, an oilman or a cowboy. I've seen better acting in kindergarten pageants. I'm unclear on any of Christ's commandments that Bush has followed. Personally, I doubt whether Bush has even come into contact with a Bible, other than the one he put his hand on when he swore to uphold the Constitution.

You say it is being patriotic to speak your mind. Thank you for that. I agree with you fully.

Bush did nothing to prevent the events of September 11, and for a suspiciously long time did nothing in response to them except to fly a bunch of Saudis out of the country. He then invaded Afghanistan on the cheap, left the job half-done (at best), implemented warrantless wiretapping of Americans in clear violation of the law, enacted the Patriot Act to further undermine your rights, invaded a country that had nothing to do with September 11, has overseeen hundreds of thousands of deaths, and has yet to capture Osama bin Laden. Heck of a job, yes? Heck of a job.

I honestly don't think you need to read Coulter's new book. You might want to write your own; it sounds like you're fully prepped.

ON EDIT: Where are you? Oh, I see you've been tombstoned. Hope you're still reading from the Great Beyond. Maybe you'll learn something other than Fox propaganda points.

[Steely_Dan]

74. Wonderful Rant...

Your writing has inspired me to get behind the keyboard again.

Thanks...

-Paige

[ArmchairMeme]

29. K & R Fine Rant

I had one of those static plastic flags on the window of my car but, after bush invaded Iraq it curled up and fell off.

[PegDAC]

61. How fitting! n/t

[LibDemAlways]

35. I hope you'll take the time to send this

to the LTTE section of as many newspapers as you have time for. They won't all print it,of course, but some will. It's a message well worth spreading.

[Deep13]

38. We need a new hate, chaos and suffering flag for the Republicans.

How about a frown face and a middle finger on an obnoxious flourescent checkered background?

[Greylyn58]

43. Incredibly Well Said

You have put into words everything that I have been feeling and saying since this mis-administration took over OUR WHITE HOUSE.

And I totally agree with your symbols statement. Anyone...ANYONE who worships at the the Bush alter needs to remove all of the afore mentioned paraphernalia and own up to who their real God is.

[melissinha]

45. I WON'T take down my flag

YOu can't make me. Its on my balcony.



Did I mention it is for my beloved Brasil in support of my team?


But yes, I won't fly my other country's flag until it stands for something, until our freedoms that they are supposedly fighting for are restored. Well it will fly upside down on my monitor....

[IndependentVoice]

47. k&r

[sandrakae]

48. Holy Shit.

Please send this to the editor of every newspaper you can.

[blondeatlast]

49. Excellent as usual. K&R. nt

[ejbr]

51. Right on!

I say we take back our flag. Even now, whenever I see the flag I cringe. I know, I know. Those Bush apologists who flaunt it are trying to convince us that their perspective is the patriotic perspective. However, their ruse only made me want to burn our flag in hopes those jerks would still be draped in it. Nancy, thank you for reminding us that it is not their flag, but OUR flag and damn it, we should reclaim it!

[Son Of Spy]

53. New Hate Flag for Bush supporters (comments, suggestions pls.)

Waddya think?

[JeffR]

56. Excellent! You should post this as a separate thread.

[Snaggletooth]

64. Perfect! How repuglican't! n/t

[The Brethren]

55. keep the rants coming.....

"This president has plunged our beloved nation into unconscionable debt, and compromised its security for the sake of corporations and their bottom line."

That pretty much sums him up. That and what he's done to our Constitutional rights and a few other "minor" issues,like ignoring the importance of checks and balances within our government that don't agree with his agenda.

"A true patriot doesn’t ignore the needs of the nation, nor its citizenry, and does not systematically revoke the very freedoms our democracy was founded upon."

Very well said!

[fooj]

59. Wow. You nailed it!

Awesome.

[PegDAC]

60. Eloquent as always.

Should be required reading for all Repugnants!

[Goel]

63. Yes. Well said.

The larger problem, of course, is that it is not enough just to be vitriolic about George W Bush and the neocons. The Constitution of the USA has been violated by these people - just so the flag - and if faith in the principles that it espouses is to be maintained then the transgressors must answer for their misdemeanours.

This is not sh1t-stirring or an attempt to instigate open revolution - it is a call for a re-affirmation of the legal basis of the Constitution of the United States of America from a concerned European.

Europe still sees US as greatest threat to stability

In a Harris opinion poll, published on the eve of Mr Bush’s latest visit to Europe this week, 36 per cent of respondents identify the US as the greatest threat to global stability.

G.

[Snaggletooth]

66. Welcome to DU, Goel!

However, what I have been seeing for the last 6+ years (I include the initial election hi-jinks) constitues HIGH CRIMES, not misdemeanors.

Snaggletooth the Crone

[AusGail]

65. Design a new symbolic ribbon or flag

We wear a red ribbon in support of Aids awareness or a pink ribbon to support awareness of breast cancer. Why not have a specific color ribbon to support peace, justice and love. When Iraq was invaded by your country and mine, I wore a purple ribbon for a while. I will continue wearing it (or some other color) if I knew that many others would do the same.

Your essay was up to your usual excellent standard Nancy, you never cease to inspire me.

[NanceGreggs]

67. My dear AusGail!

Everytime you post on one of my threads, it is the same warm feeling one has when hearing from a treasured friend.

Peace be with you, now and always.

[AusGail]

71. Thankyou Nancy, and you too

[Kajsa]

70. Thank You Nancy Greggs!!

Thank you for giving a strong voice to what I have said for
some time now;

Bushie and the BA are not patriots, nor do they support our country, flag and Constitution.
They sure as heck aren't Christians, they are heretics posing as Christians!

Hurray for you!

Thank You.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

73. Written in great DOI style. n/t

[tasty apple]

75. a proposal

Hi Nance ,

I think it's a good idea to end up with this dumb patriotism



instead hissing the flag I would propos to exchange it by

another one I recently found on Harper's magazine

http://www.harpers.org/CartoonRibbon1299239.html

[newyawker99]

79. Hi tasty apple!!

Welcome to DU!!

[tasty apple]

82. thanks for the nice welcome

Hi newyawker99,

pleased to meet you !


by the way did you recognize the adds below the journal

it goes fully automatic , we are here on a topic that is dealing with the non-sense of this

nine-ill-even propaganda shit and here we go: tons of adds of companies advertsing for their bullshit.


"support our troops "... " have a f(l)ag" ...

holy shit : I think days get better when they start to give fat rebates on their mind drugs, and we'll

definitly in heaven when we see the first of these shops covered with big announcements :

Closing sale ! Closing sale ! Closing sale ! Closing sale ! Closing sale !

[enough already]

81. I took mine down and burned it on my front lawn after Ohio

This country sucks.

[tasty apple]

83. This one goes out for you

and all the other people in this forum

please have a look on entry '82 in this journal

I think you're with me, hope you like it.

subversive potential is up to the limit, I guess.



cu