Pledge Drive

It's funny... I just heard this exact sentiment in my office, maybe an hour after reading Jay Ackroyd describe it over at Eschaton.

Email is a big cog in the attack machine this time 'round. I saw it for myself in Maine on caucus weekend when an old family friend resisted entreaties to caucus for Obama, saying he couldn't support someone who refuses to say the pledge of allegiance.

I mean, yeah, we all know this is demonstrably untrue. But that aside, what is the big deal with the Pledge of Allegiance? It's fucking creepy. I haven't said the pledge since 10th grade, and bear in mind I was a raging young republican back then. Why should I pledge anything, nevermind allegiance, to a symbol? Symbols can easily be usurped and bastardized. I have no allegiance to the flag, or even the nation that flies it. My allegiance is reserved for a set of ideals, those being democracy, liberty, justice and equality. I am proud to live in a country founded on those ideals, and that has continuously improved upon that foundation. But of late, I've been reminded far too often that things can change. I take giving my word far too seriously to pledge allegiance to something that could quite conceivably come to symbolize that which I abhor. Pledging allegiance to a flag is not patriotic. It is nationalistic. It is the worship of a symbol instead of a value. It is political idolatry. It's easy, and it's empty. It's appealing because it takes so little effort. You can stick a flag on the rear window of your pick-up truck and consider yourself a patriot. How do you stick freedom on your window? Or justice? Or equality? Those are concepts. They're not easy. Pondering them might make one miss American Idol. I mean, come on, "American" is right there in the name. That's patriotic right there. One can't be expected to waste time on things like 'concepts' and 'values'.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written for children. That an adult could be lambasted for not saying it, whether the accusation is true or not, says a lot about our maturity as a society.

Update: I just spoke to a friend about this, who pointed out that criticizing someone for not saying the pledge isn't really about patriotism, but conformity. I think this may be very true.

5 Strands of Pure Patriotism

CNN Reports: The 55 million dollar Minuteman Border Fence is under way, and it's... uh.... underwhelming.

Hey, crazy right-wing xenophobe! You're part of a brave, thoroughly patriotic plan.

The fence was described on the Minuteman Web site as 14 feet high, with security cameras and sensors, topped with razor wire and flanked by ditches to stop vehicles. Simcox referred to it as an "Israeli-style" fence, similar to the barrier Israel has erected to keep Palestinians from crossing from the West Bank.

Curious to see what you bought with that $100,000 you raised by mortgaging your house? A cow fence! Guaranteed to stop heifers, steers, and illegal immigrants who haven't mastered the use of a utility knife!

This is my favorite part:

[Project Organizer Chris] Simcox posted his group's most recent tax filing and an independent audit on the Minuteman Web site. In the audit, the largest expense listed, by far, is for "professional services," with no further details given.

Uh-huh. "Professional services." The batshit wingnuts can't even put together a grassroots movement that isn't swallowed up in corruption within months.

Lou Dobbs is Way More Patriotic than You

Lou Dobbs, that insufferable mouthpiece for the far-right, wrote an editorial for CNN.com regarding his decision to continue wearing a flag pin on his lapel. It's a feast for the soul in it's entirety, but this passage really made my eyes well up.

Sen. Barack Obama put away his lapel flag pin. The senator says instead of a flag pin, his words will be a testament to his patriotism. 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.

Oh, Lou, you are a man who knows his demographic. Indeed, we enlightened few know that words, concepts and ideas are empty things, useless to the true patriot. All we ask for is somebody willing to wave and wear a flag. What more does one need? Patriotism is just a synonym for Nationalism, and can best be embodied by preferring a cheap piece of metal on your collar over an exchange of ideas. Bravo, sir. Bravo.

Random Bits

It's been quiet here of late, I know. I haven't been feeling very well. Something is off in my throat and neck, and so far I have no idea what it is. My throat is intermittently sore, and my neck is almost constantly stiff and fatigued on the left side. It's coming up negative for an infection, and there's no visual issue in my throat. I go for an MRI today... joy. I had one years ago, and I have vague but generally unpleasant memories of lying in a banging tube for 45 minutes.

Just some things I've been thinking on lately:

Nintendo Fires a Blogger
This isn't the first time an company has fired an employee for blogging. It always annoys me, but in most cases you can see the employer's side. In this instance, however, the blogger did not use her real name and made no mention of her employer. Now, granted, the blog is terrible... skimming through it, my eyes rolled frequently at the artificial 'edginess'. That aside, it's ridiculous to be fired for anonymous writing.

Batshit Dude Cuts Down 'Illegal' Flag

Okay, a few things about this. First of all, flag display laws are ridiculous and a violation of the first amendment. Hell, even back in 9th grade I stopped saying the Pledge of Allegiance, because my allegiance is to a set of ideal about human value and liberty, and not a piece of cloth that could just as easily be waved over a country that supported torture, imperialism, and rampant xenophobia. Also, this douche videotaped himself engaged in illegal destruction of property and theft. Look at the guys watching him... do they look like they want to fight? No, like most immigrants, they look like they want to work, and can't figure out why some bearded nutbag hates them for it. Xenophobia is not, historically speaking, a good sign for the continued prosperity of a nation. That the news ran this story as they did suggests we're there.

Cruel Nostalgia
Why is it that, after almost 10 years, you can have a dream in which someone you once knew shows up in a walk-on cameo appearance, and you can spend the entire next day feeling as awful and insecure as that person once made you feel, even though you've successfully dealt with and gotten over the events of a decade previous? It's like some sort of self-sabotage. Look, brain, I long ago decided that the person in question was poisonous to my mental health. Please refrain from creating scenarios where she stands in front of me in line at Cosi. Thank you.