Scouts and GOP Recycle Dem Denver Trash

You're a Grand Old Flag

by George M. Cohan

 

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

Each day in homeroom at Shaw Junior High at Shaw AFB, SC began with this song blaring from the loudspeakers. It's almost impossible to explain to others what a flag means to those of us whom grew up as military brats (dependents) or whom have served in the military. The only time I can recall having been on TV was during Laredo's (TX) annual George Washington Parade one year while my dad served at the nearby Air Force base; I was in Boy Scouts at the time and had the distinct honor and privilege of marching, bearing the American flag. And I don't know who maintains the flags, but for years I've driven up and down I-95 near Laurel, MD (a few miles from the I-495 Beltway) where the Brooklyn Bridge Road overpass has flags facing approaching motorists; no matter what I'm thinking of during those commutes, I always look for those flags. It's difficult to explain to liberals, whom seem to think of flags as gimmicks, decorations to display, to "prove" their patriotism while the television lights are on. For us, the flag is something sacred, a blessed marker of a country with ideals greater than us, with freedom and opportunity billions yearn for but we select few are privileged to experience firsthand.

John McCain often recounts the story on the stump of Mike Christian, a fellow POW, corroborated by others such as Leo Thorsness (with minor differences as to materials used). John notes how Mike ingeniously used makeshift materials to knit a crude image of an American flag on the inside of his shirt, and the prisoners would hang up the shirt and say the Pledge of Allegiance. One day, the North Vietnamese guards discovered the garment, and Mike Christian was severely beaten to the point his eyes were almost swollen shut.  John says after the fellow Americans did their best to clean him up, Mike Christian immediately started work on doing the same with another garment.

It may surprise liberals and fellow conservatives to know I have always opposed a constitutional amendment against defacing the flag. The flag stands for freedom, including the freedom to dissent, but I would not recommend dissenting in my presence; I'm also entitled by the same Constitution to express my own views in symbolic ways.

Barack Obama, wanting to be Commander in Chief, expresses his own peculiar beliefs concerning the flag. You see, he decided last October to stop wearing the flag pin because he believes true patriotism is not wearing a flag pin. Yeah, right. And you know, Obama has been filmed during the playing of the National Anthem with his hands folded  at his waist, while our young Olympic medal winners know how to put their hand over their heart. But what would you expect from a former editor to the Harvard Law Review? I guess they didn't cover the US Flag Act at Harvard Law School...

During the Denver convention a couple of weeks ago, flags were passed out at a couple of sessions (Monday and Wednesday evening) in the convention hall, plus thousands more at the Barackopolis (in Invesco Field). Well, you know how Democrats believe in symbolism.  A number of Christians remember church on Eastern and Christmas. Liberal Democrats remember flags every 4 years. What's disturbing is seeing (e.g., pictures on redstate.com)  trash bags full of soda pop cups, other trash--and American flags. I mean, I can understand why the delegates threw out stuff like Obama bumper stickers and promotional items--I would do the same thing--but not American flags.

Then there were the 12,000 miniature flags in trash bags located out near the trash bins at Invesco Field, spotted by a vendor and turned over to Republicans.  The Democrats claim that the GOP  "stole" the flags: That's right. It was another "dirty trick" by GOP operatives whom infiltrated the stadium cleanup crew union for the express purpose of making off with miniature US flags. They coaxed attendees to part with their flags, put them in cleverly disguised dark trash bags and sneaked them by Democratic operatives anxiously looking for their missing flags, and deposited them near trash bins where party officials would never think of looking for them. We know of the Dems' concern over their "stolen" property because they filed a police report that very night! What's that? You mean they forgot to file one? HINT for the police if they're behind on their investigation: I know where you can find the evidence: the Boy Scouts and Republicans went through the discarded flags and salvaged reusable ones distributed today at a McCain-Palin rally in Colorado Springs.

But we know what the Democrats are really, really concerned about: Did those miniature flags come out of a union shop, and were the discarded ones biodegradable?