First there was fussing and fuming because Barack Obama didn’t want to wear a U.S. flag pin. Now there’s more fussing and fuming because Obama didn’t put his hand over his heart during the State Loyalty Oath Pledge of Allegiance.
Now I’m no great fan of Obama – who’s not the peace candidate he pretends to be – but how refreshing it is to see a candidate not going along with the flag-worship that prevails so tiresomely throughout this country!
During my recent trip to Poland I was struck by the fact that I saw only two Polish flags the entire time I was in the country. What a relief. In the U.S., American flags are in your face aggressively, everywhere. And the whole thing is one big use/mention confusion, like promising people life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and then giving them a shiny sticker that says “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” instead.
You’d have a hard time finding many Union Flags out in the UK – the only flag one is likely to spot is the St. George Cross, and that will be related to football. I find the US flag fetish quite bizarre.
My favorite bizarre football-related flag fetish is that of the Dutch Ajax team, whose supporters carry Israeli flags despite being almost entirely non-Jewish.
http://dominikhennig.blogspot.com/2008/01/america-needs-change.html
I think, while seeing things realistically, Barack Obama is the best we can get. I concede he is not a Libertarian but not so bad like the others! 🙂