==============================================Off The Wall
Susanne McDaniel writes...
How did you become so blindly patriotic? First of all, the college you were referencing in your rant about the American flag is a private college and doesn't receive federal funding. However...the very essence of freedom in this country is our right to speak out against the flag, which is a mere symbol. If you take away that right, then we have lost all freedom. You really need to take a civics course, Mike Rowe. I used to like you; but, you have really become very annoying to me in recent years. I thought you were more intelligent. But, I guess appearances aren't everything.
Hi Susanne
I’ve never thought of myself as “blindly patriotic,” but I am a fan of the United States, the founding fathers, and the men and women who have served on my behalf. I also confess to feeling lucky to live here. Having said that, I think you’re correct about the flag; it’s only a symbol. So too is the Crucifix. And the middle finger. And the Swastika. And the compressed chunks of carbon that millions wear on their ring fingers as expressions of timeless love and eternal devotion.
It’s easy to make anything feel small and silly by reducing it to its chemical composition or its various component parts. But if you really believe our flag is nothing but a “mere symbol,” equally suitable for flying or burning, ask yourself if you’d be comfortable if the people you work with suddenly started coming to the office in pointy white hats fashioned from bedsheets? Would that be a problem for you? Or how about The Rainbow Flag, favored by the LGBTQ community? Would it be OK if people started burning that? If not, why not? I mean, it’s only a symbol, right?
Years ago, an artist named Andres Serrano presented a charming piece called “Immersion.” It consisted of a Crucifix, immersed in a glass of the artist’s urine. Amazingly, some people were offended. Christians, in particular. They just couldn’t see that Andres was using a symbol to express himself. Silly Christians. Interesting though, that Andres didn’t submerge Mohammed in the same glass. I wonder why that is?
The thing about “mere symbols” Susanne, is that they represent “mere ideas,” and “mere ideas” are the backbone of "mere humanity." In the case of the flag, we’re talking about ideas that are wrapped into the Constitution – a document that separates us from every other country on the planet.
Mere ideas are the reason people fight and die. Mere ideas are the reason we’re allowed to speak freely, protest publicly, bear arms, and burn the very symbol that represents those very freedoms. I didn’t suggest that you or anyone else be denied your right to fly or burn whatever flag you wish. What I failed to do, is quietly accept behavior I don’t care for. Which, if I’m not mistaken, is the same compulsion that motivates others to publicly express themselves in whatever ways they choose.
As for Hampshire College, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. If you check the link I provided in my original post, you’ll see that several forms of federal funding are readily available to their students. Also, according to their site, you’ll notice that the flag is once again flying at full staff. I’ll take no credit for this, if you offer no blame. Deal?
Finally, regarding my overall annoyance, you’re correct, and you're not alone. I’ve been annoying people for years now. Just ask my mother. And yes, I too, once thought I was more intelligent than I actually am. I still remember the disappointment when the test results come back.
Anyway, thanks for your comments, Susanne. I do hope you’ll stick around.
Mike
Television host Mike Rowe replied to a viewer who criticized him for being "blindly patriotic" in an earlier post in which Rowe suggested that college students opposed to flying the American flag should therefore refuse any government funding for their education.
In his previous post, Rowe was responding to recent events at Hampshire College, in which Old Glory was burned and the college president called for the removal of all American flags thereafter-- a decision he recently recanted.
The woman said Rowe, host of 'Dirty Jobs' and 'Deadliest Catch', should "take a civics course" and recognize the flag as a "mere symbol".
Rowe said the flag is as much a symbol as the Crucifix, Swastika, wedding ring and middle finger.
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A Leatherneck tells it like it is!
The Will to Win
Unless you are willing to be as unreasonable and as brutal, as your enemy, do not engage him in a conflict -- because he will win. This old leatherneck says it better.
Quote from a WWII veteran overhearing someone say that `You can't bomb an ideology.":
"The hell you can't, because we did it. These Muslims are no different than the [Imperial] Japanese.
The Japs had their suicide bombers too. And we stopped them. What it takes is the resolve and will to use a level of brutality and violence that your generations can't stomach.
And until you can, this shit won't stop. It took us on the beaches with bullets, clearing out caves with flame throwers, and men like LeMay burning down their cities, killing people by the tens of thousands. And then it took 2 atom bombs on top of it. Plus we had to bomb the shit out of German cities to get them to quit fighting.
But, if that was what it took to win, we were willing to do it. Until you are willing to do the same...well I hope you enjoy this shit, because it ain't going to stop!"
Back then, we had leadership, resolve, resources and determination.
Today we're afraid to hurt people's feelings....and worry about which bathroom to piss in!!!
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