"Who?! Who does not want to wear the flag pin?!"

[Vympel]

Link

Obama doesn't wear one of those stupid little American flag lapels. Witness the lunatic reaction from the right:-

Yesterday, in response to a question from a reporter suspicious of why he wasn’t wearing an American flag pin on his lapel, Barack Obama explained his belief that for some, the pins became a substitute for “true patriotism.” The senator said he would instead “try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism.”

I didn’t expect leading conservative voices to understand, but I was a little surprised at the ferocity of the response. Jonah Goldberg described Obama’s perspective as “staggeringly stupid,” and “the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of him doing.” Another prominent far-right blogger responded this way:

Seriously, you want this for President of these great United States.This is how he catches the attention of a media aligned with the terror force? This useful tool won’t wear an American flag pin? Talk about pandering to the radical base, he ought to run against Ahmadinejad.

He is scoring points with Georgie Soros, won’t be waiting long for his on his Soros stipend, I’m sure. What’s Obama Hussein’s new campaign slogan, “America Sucks!” ?

Higher-profile conservative voices were only slightly less unhinged.

But talk radio and cable news quickly pounced on the issue. “It just shows you he’s not ready for the big time,” conservative Laura Ingram opined on Fox News. Said Sean Hannity: “Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!”

Hannity, a voice of reason in these trying times. Perhaps he believes lapel pins are some kind of protection against terrorist attacks? And if so, why doesn’t he wear one more often?

But for my money, James Joyner relied on a Seinfeld episode to offer the most clever, poignant take on the “controversy.”

ORGANIZER: But you have to wear an AIDS ribbon.

KRAMER: I have to?

ORGANIZER: Yes.

KRAMER: See, that’s why I don’t want to.

ORGANIZER: But everyone wears the ribbon. You must wear the ribbon!

KRAMER: You know what you are? You’re a ribbon bully.

ORGANIZER: Hey you! Come back here! Come back here and put this on!

New scene - Kramer in the AIDS walk. Some AIDS activists accost him for failing to wear the red ribbon.

WALKER #1: Hey, where’s your ribbon?

KRAMER: Oh, I don’t wear the ribbon.

WALKER #2: Oh, you don’t wear the ribbon? Aren’t you against AIDS?

KRAMER: Yeah, I’m against AIDS. I mean, I’m walking, aren’t I? I just don’t wear the ribbon.

WALKER #3: Who do you think you are?

WALKER #1: Put the ribbon on!

WALKER #2: Hey, Cedric! Bob! This guy won’t wear a ribbon!

BOB: Who? Who does not want to wear the ribbon?

New scene - Kramer surrounded by Cedric, Bob, and the other walkers.

BOB: So! What’s it going to be? Are you going to wear the ribbon?

KRAMER (nervously): No! Never.

BOB: But I am wearing the ribbon. He is wearing the ribbon. We are all wearing the ribbon! So why aren’t you going to wear the ribbon!?

KRAMER: This is America! I don’t have to wear anything I don’t want to wear!

CEDRIC: What are we gonna do with him?

BOB: I guess we are just going to have to teach him to wear the ribbon!

All I ever really needed to know, I learned watching Seinfeld.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Hot damn. As if I needed more reasons to throw my vote at Obama. Not only does it demonstrate balls, but it's about goddamn time someone took a stand against those godawful, meaningless pieces of shit.

[Sriad]

I'm glad Colorado only requires you to register your party affiliation the day of the primary: if the Democratic nomination is still in contention I can vote against Hillary, and if it's decided but the Republican nomination is still in the air, I can vote for Ghouliani and try to provoke a schism.

[Patrick Degan]

But talk radio and cable news quickly pounced on the issue. “It just shows you he’s not ready for the big time,” conservative Laura Ingram opined on Fox News. Said Sean Hannity: “Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!”

My my, Sean, did you piss yourself on the air again?

[Flagg]

But talk radio and cable news quickly pounced on the issue. “It just shows you he’s not ready for the big time,” conservative Laura Ingram opined on Fox News. Said Sean Hannity: “Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!”

He's right, though. Our country is under attack. It just happens to be the people wearing the pins that are doing the attacking.

[Gandalf]

But talk radio and cable news quickly pounced on the issue. “It just shows you he’s not ready for the big time,” conservative Laura Ingram opined on Fox News. Said Sean Hannity: “Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!”

It's been six years since 11/9. America was under attack. Unless of course he's talking about America being under verbal attack by people who believe in things like laws and human rights.

[The Yosemite Bear]

So patriotism is now wearing some decal or pin on your person or vehicle that was manufactured by substandard labour in China?

[Ryan Thunder]

Idiots... Its about as meaningful as running around with a cross necklace.

That is, its totally meaningless.

Bin Laden himself could put a pin on. Would this make him a patriotic American? I think not.

[Pulp Hero]

Obama just put himself over the top for getting my vote by being the person to say something about those stupid pins.

[Crossroads Inc.]

And in other news Hillary was found to be waring Half a pin...just in case. :"P

[rhoenix]

Well, if I didn't like Obama before, I like him now for having the balls to not pander to empty slogans and insipid stickers as a substitute for pride in one's country.

[Tsyroc]

Wouldn't a really patriotic person get a flag tattoo right on his fucking forehead? Skip right to something permanent instead of that wussy assed sticking a removable pin on his clothes bullshit.


I really enjoyed that Seinfeld episode about pins. Hollywood had really been that abnoxious about the AIDS pins at one time. People pretty much had to wear them at awards shows or they caught shit about it.

[Darth Wong]

The right-wingers' behaviour actually makes sense if you look at things from their warped perspective. You see, they have a primitive tribal mindset, very similar to the mentality of inner-city youth gangs.

Once you realize that they are basically gangsta rappers in business suits, their behaviour makes sense. They're perfectly willing to go to war because somebody "dissed" them. They think that "patriotism" means wearing the gang colours in public. They believe that the only appropriate response to any annoyance is always swift and brutal violence, even if they know perfectly well that innocent bystanders will get hurt. The upper echelons of the gang are voracious hedonists and hoarders of "bling", while the foot soldiers are treated like expendable cannon fodder.

That's why they react so viscerally to Obama's refusal to wear the pin. Wassup, bitch? Why you don' wanna wear the gang colors?

[Eris]

Hot damn. As if I needed more reasons to throw my vote at Obama. Not only does it demonstrate balls, but it's about goddamn time someone took a stand against those godawful, meaningless pieces of shit.

I'm very very sad that I have to agree with this statement. Not because Obama didn't have some cojones on the issue, but because wearing a pin is considered in the US an issue in which it takes considerable spine relative to most other politicians in order to break from the standard.

I admit, I'm really liking what I've seen of Obama so far. This is just yet another feather in his cap in my eyes. (He had me sold on his opinions about religion and politics.)

[FSTargetDrone]

So patriotism is now wearing some decal or pin on your person or vehicle that was manufactured by substandard labour in China?

Careful, asking too many unfortunate questions like this will get you branded as a defeatist who hates supporting the troops. Because by definition, if you aren't supporting The Cause you surely must be encouraging its failure.

[Connor MacLeod]

I didnt even realize these pins were there, much less that you had to wear them. I've gone six years without knowing or caring.

[Glocksman]

The right-wingers' behaviour actually makes sense if you look at things from their warped perspective. You see, they have a primitive tribal mindset, very similar to the mentality of inner-city youth gangs.

Once you realize that they are basically gangsta rappers in business suits, their behaviour makes sense. They're perfectly willing to go to war because somebody "dissed" them. They think that "patriotism" means wearing the gang colours in public. They believe that the only appropriate response to any annoyance is always swift and brutal violence, even if they know perfectly well that innocent bystanders will get hurt. The upper echelons of the gang are voracious hedonists and hoarders of "bling", while the foot soldiers are treated like expendable cannon fodder.

That's why they react so viscerally to Obama's refusal to wear the pin. Wassup, bitch? Why you don' wanna wear the gang colors?

Jesus Mike, I don't know if that was an 'off the cuff' analysis or one you put a lot of thought into, but it seems right on the money the more I think about it.

Patriotism all too often can be the last refuge of the scoundrel.

[Glocksman]

And in other news Hillary was found to be waring Half a pin...just in case. :"P

Hannity mentioned HRC and said 'he googled for pictures of Hillary, so we don't have to' WRT flag pins, and the only picture he found of her wearing one was the official portrait on her Senate website.

I didn't think it was possible, but Sean Hannity's bullshit about these pins and the grief he was giving her about not wearing one actually made me sympathetic towards HRC.

[Norseman]

I didnt even realize these pins were there, much less that you had to wear them. I've gone six years without knowing or caring.

How can you forget your pin it would be like forgetting your head or your heart in the morning! Outrageous!

Normally I'm all for patriotism, and I disagree with... 90% of what you lot say of politics, but this is moronic.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Never understood what George shaw ment on politics, untill recently.

"Why appeal to the mob when ninetyfive per cent of them do not understand politics, and can do nothing but mischief without leaders? And what sort of leaders do they vote for? For Titus Oates and Lord George Gordon with their Popish plots, for Hitlers who call on them to exterminate Jews, for Mussolinis who rally them to nationalist dreams of glory and empire in which all foreigners are enemies to be subjugated."

You'll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.

Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.

No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.
Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it…
Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy.[1]

[Connor MacLeod]

I didnt even realize these pins were there, much less that you had to wear them. I've gone six years without knowing or caring.

How can you forget your pin it would be like forgetting your head or your heart in the morning! Outrageous!

Normally I'm all for patriotism, and I disagree with... 90% of what you lot say of politics, but this is moronic.

I never bought Freedom Fries either.

[Big Orange]

Obama received serious criticism for not wearing this tatty little thing?



I know this is a tired and whorish cliché' in comparisons, but that is comparable to the Nazi government getting pissed off at some high ranking official for not wearing this:



That is what that US flag pin always reminded me of, ever since I glimpsed US Government officials wearing it in press conferences since 2003.

[The Yosemite Bear]

yes, hence my gratuitus quoatations of GBS

[Darth Wong]

The right-wingers' behaviour actually makes sense if you look at things from their warped perspective. You see, they have a primitive tribal mindset, very similar to the mentality of inner-city youth gangs.

Once you realize that they are basically gangsta rappers in business suits, their behaviour makes sense. They're perfectly willing to go to war because somebody "dissed" them. They think that "patriotism" means wearing the gang colours in public. They believe that the only appropriate response to any annoyance is always swift and brutal violence, even if they know perfectly well that innocent bystanders will get hurt. The upper echelons of the gang are voracious hedonists and hoarders of "bling", while the foot soldiers are treated like expendable cannon fodder.

That's why they react so viscerally to Obama's refusal to wear the pin. Wassup, bitch? Why you don' wanna wear the gang colors?

Jesus Mike, I don't know if that was an 'off the cuff' analysis or one you put a lot of thought into, but it seems right on the money the more I think about it.

Patriotism all too often can be the last refuge of the scoundrel.

Thanks, although I don't think it's that profound. We're all human beings after all, with the same base instincts, so one should have always suspected that there would be some rich-white-guy analogue for the "gangsta" mindset. The only thing that sets me apart is the fact that I'm blunt enough to say things like that.

PS. Also look at how they are both contemptuous of intellectuals: another very clear point of similarity.

[CmdrWilkens]

The truth is whether you are looking at any power structure human nature tends towards the stong and cunning doing what they can to secure power by abusing the base instincts of those around them. The lowest common denominator is tried and true, it holds power for those who understand they are using it and in the end all they care about is the power so they will stoke the flames and care not one iota about what it does to other people so long as they remain in charge of their little hill.