Reply #9: Bill Maher on flying a flag on your car...

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After 9/11, there was a lot of talk in this country about a "nation transformed" and a "sleeping giant awakened" and "everyone pitching in." But in the end, what did we really do?

We put a flag on our car. (Half of which were manufactured in Germany, Japan or Sweden.) Or two flags, if we were really mad! Big ones, up front, so we could feel like Rommel in his staff car, speeding to meet the Fuehrer. For months in the fall of 2001, our highways looked like a country fair on wheels. "Look out, Al Qaeda --- patriot on board!" I once saw a guy with five flags tell a guy with four flags to go back to Afghanistan.

Now, is there anything wrong with flags? Of course not. I like the flags plenty, but I never forget it's only a symbol, a reminder of what we stand for, not a replacement for actually standing for it. Brave Americans in past wars didn't die for the actual flag --- they died for the freedom it represents, including the freedom to burn it. Too many in America lead with their emotions when it comes to the flag, becoming illogically protective. Hell, the British treat their national symbol, the Royal Family, way worse, and they're people!

The problem with the flag at this moment in our history is we've become masters at fooling ourselves into thinking there is a way to get everything with very little effort. It's ridiculous we even need to be reminded of this, but just displaying a flag doesn't actually do anything, anymore than "tying a yellow ribbon" brings home a hostage or AIDS ribbons cure. If we think we've done something because we went to Kmart and bought a flag, then the flag is actually hurting, not helping us.

True patriotism is doing something for your country. If our car flags had to be earned with real contributions ---purchased with deeds, not dollars --- if each one we saw meant someone had given blood or volunteered their time or donated money or written their congressman or saved a gallon of gas, perhaps then we'd really be bucked up at the sight of them.