Stick This in Your Lapel and Smoke It

Far be it from me to submit a political post here. Politics in the US are ridiculous enough without me pointing it out. Hell, the jokes pretty much write themselves.

But as you, dear reader, know, I never hesitate in the least to point out big steaming piles of idiocy. And there is currently an enormous, stinking, festering, oozing pile of idiocy heaped smack dab in the middle of the political arena. I'm speaking of course about the flack over one presidential candidate's (Sen. Barack Obama) decision not to wear an American Flag lapel pin.

As you all know, since September 11, 2001, many people in politics, the president included, have worn the flag lapel pin to show their respect for the victims of terrorism, their support for the men and women engaged in combat, and to announce their undying patriotism.

Well, recently Sen. Obama decided he was no longer going to wear his pin, stating he would rather his words and his actions demonstrate the measure of his patriotism.

Now, maybe I'm a fool when it comes to things like this, but doesn't that sentiment seem like a really cool thing to say? I mean, one's words and actions being the sole testament to one's level of patriotism, completely devoid of any trinkets, flags, and trite, empty, memorized expressions, seems almost pure, doesn't it? It's John Wayne-esque. It puts one in the mind of the great thinkers who dream up concepts like liberty, and who would live by them, even if it meant their own deaths.

Am I being too melodramatic?

Maybe. But even with the melodrama removed, it does seem to be an admirable stance on how to demonstrate one's patriotism.

But of course, you all know that we are unable to express ourselves as individuals in this country anymore without being shunned, without being seen as a pariah, without having a bunch of dipshits rallying the other dipshits against us. Hey, it's just what we do in the US these days.

In a CNN article, Lou Dobbs had this to say about Sen. Obama:

. . . . I don't know what's wrong with the senator or why he can find any discomfort at all, but that's his right as an American. But any politician of any political party who believes their words can be an adequate substitute for the symbolic power of the American flag is sadly arrogant and horribly mistaken.

Hey, Dipshit Dobbs, a legitimate substitute for symbolic power is exactly what a politician's words should be. I understand that the track record for government officials actually pulling that off is not great, but how can anyone castigate Obama for at least striving for that ideal? And how can anyone with half a brain believe that a little lapel pin is somehow more powerful than the words uttered by the man who may be holding the most powerful office on the globe?!?!

Dobbs isn't the only dipshit out there perpetuating "Pin-gate" (god damn the day someone decided to put "-gate" at the end of any scandal because of Watergate). Jon Stewart and the staff at The Daily Show had a montage of clips of various press and campaign people sounding off on the "controversy". One woman expressed her thought that when Obama said he would not wear "that pin" it was similar to Bill Clinton's avowal that he "did not have sex with that woman".

Holy hell, can grown people act any more stupid and childish?

The problem with Dobbs and these other dipshits is that somewhere along the line they forgot what it means to be patriotic. (Of course, there's the possibility that they never knew to begin with, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.) They don't seem to understand the dynamics at play in post-911 America. As PBS' Bill Moyers said a few years ago, the flag's

. . . . been hijacked and turned into a logo — the trademark of a monopoly on patriotism.

We've been conditioned to think that displaying a flag on our lapels, or on our cars, or in our yards is the full measure of patriotism. But where there is indeed a measure of pride in those acts, they hardly define patriotism fully. We seem to have forgotten that patriotism, at least in the US, is defined more by being a good citizen and a good person, and by abiding by the laws of the land. And it's embedded in the act of and the right to change those laws when we deem them unjust. Most people no longer realize that patriotism originates inside of us, and is manifested when we defend our way of life in discussions, as well as in physical confrontations if necessary. And people seem oblivious to the fact that patriotism fairly gushes from the man who, no matter the circumstances, refuses to live any other way than free; free of oppression, free of tyranny, free of stupidity, and free of a goddamned pin on his lapel, if that's his preference.

No act is more patriotic than honoring the Constitution by observing and putting into play the rights it bestows upon us. That's exactly what Obama is doing, but he's been called unpatriotic.

Sheesh, the idiocy is piled high and stinking to high heaven on this one folks!

At any rate, I am currently not prepared to vote for any of the candidates running for president. There is too much crap to sift through to find a decent, intelligent person to take the helm these days. But I am looking for people that see things clearly, and who don't get caught up in the dumbing-down of America. And in my opinion, this latest act by Sen. Obama, as insignificant as it should be viewed, is a step in the right direction. Maybe more of the candidates will eventually stop playing the tired old political games and follow suit.