Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Flags

What the... look, I don't valorize the flag, but c'mon people, the guy is clearly either an idiot or doesn't believe any of the shit that comes out of his mouth:



... in other words, if Bush is going to metaphorically drape himself in the flag, the least he could do is display the fucking thing properly.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

We traditionally see the U.S. flag with the union (the blue with stars) on the left. Have you ever noticed the flag on the right side of a vehicle, or the the starboard side of a ship or an aircraft? The union is on the right. Even the U.S. flag arm patches worn by our servicemen on the right arm even have the union on the right side. Because there is no clear "pole", the way Bush is handling the flag is acceptable.

Dennis said...

United State Flag Code:

Note that on Army uniforms, where the flag is put on the sleeve of the uniform, the flag patch is displayed with the stars facing forward, in the direction the wearer is facing. This is done to give the impression of the flag flowing in the wind while being carried forward across the battlefield. This is known as the "Reverse Field Flag."

I can find no reference regarding displaying the flag with the union on the right anywhere else. Given this reference, I think it's safe to assume that doing so on military vehicles has similar reasoning - but that displaying the flag backwards under other circumstances is not acceptable.

Combine this with the fact that Bush autographs flags, which is a no-no, and I think we can reasonably claim he doesn't know what he's doing in regards to the flag code.

Again: All I'm saying is that if he's going to be such a patriotic guy, maybe he should go about it correctly. That doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?

Anonymous said...

Dennis, according to the Flag Code you directed us to, Bush is OK. It specifically says it should not have the union displayed at the bottom. No where does it address what you are worried about. So technically, he is correct. And since the whole gist of your post was he is an idiot for not doing it right, I think you are wrong. Your response to anonymous #1 is inferring something which may not be true. Nowhere did I see:

"-but that displaying the flag backwards under other circumstances is not acceptable."

So, since he is tecnically ok, by your definition, he is very patriotic. I sense a vote for McCain coming from you this fall! Welcome to the dark side!

Anonymous said...

Dennis, you have mentioned before that you don't even stand for the flag salute. So why in the hell would this picture bother you?

Dennis said...

Because it illustrates a gap between how seriously someone claims to take their beliefs and how seriously they appear to be taking them.

In other words, it's not really the backwards flag that gets me. It's the fact that the guy holding it has said and done a lot of things in the name of patriotism, but can't manage to note that the flag is going to look backwards to everyone else.

It's about consistency, and about the difference between action and rhetoric.

Anonymous said...

Well the guy IS an idiot. And the flag probably looks right to him because he is standing behind it and thinking of the mirror image">). But still, Dennis, you seem to look for things to criticize. We don't need to nit-pick to know Bush is an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Watch your language, young man.

 
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