yep - about time!

thanks cat!  lol.

hey lori - i get why the flag is important - but a pin?  

Are you wearing a lapel pin right now? If not, why do you hate America?

I'd like to preface this with the obvious, which is that I speak for myself and not Obama supporters in general. To imply anything about others from my comments is foolish.

For a lot of people , it is not just a little shiny pin , it has the flag on it .

The flag is the ultimate symbol of patriotism for me.

While there are many ways in which people show their patriotism , the flag is a powerful symbol of patriotism for me.

Someone's going to troll rate me or call me un-American, but no, I don't see the flag as the ultimate symbol of patriotism.

Maybe it's my close proximity to the Canadian border, or maybe my parents raised me to hate America, but to me, the flag is just a piece of cloth, meaningless on its own. A flag is just a shiny piece of metal, equally meaningless on its own.

That "on its own" bit is the key. Having a flag and displaying it proudly tells me nothing about your patriotism. Patriotism is instead symbolized by actions and respect for the people of this country and the institutions that made it what it is today. When you fly a flag in combination with these things, I say you're patriotic. When you don't fly a flag but still have those things, I say you're still patriotic. If you do fly a flag but you don't vote, you aren't an informed citizen, you don't respect the institutions of this country, etc. I say you're a fraud, and your flag is meaningless.

Much better symbols of patriotism are the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, or the ballot box, or civic involvement, or service to one's country (military or otherwise). I try my best to avoid the Pledge of Allegiance because I don't like pledging anything to a symbol of the country. I'd much rather pledge my life and my energies to the benefit of the country itself. The flag is a meaningless piece of cloth.

Don't get me wrong. It's very pretty, very colorful. But on its own it means nothing to me. Patriotism is love of one's country and what's great about this country is better represented by other symbols. That's my opinion.

So where does this lead me? The politician who wears a flag pin to make himself look more patriotic doesn't get it. The flag itself has no inherent patriotism in it, and wearing one doesn't automatically mean you're patriotic. Men like President Bush, who trample on the Constitution and our rights, wear plenty of flag pins. But do they really love the institutions and the people of this country?

What about Barack Obama? He said this in January of 2005:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

In his life, he's shown a devotion to this country, its people, and its institutions. That's more than enough patriotism for me. Adding a flag pin simply for the sake of expressing patriotism means nothing to me.

(Now, he did wear one recently that was given to him by a veteran, and that, to me, is different. It's a personal connection, not an expression of patriotism. It's a sign of respect to a man that gave everything to his country. But had Obama picked up the flag pin at Walmart just because he's a politician, it would be completely meaningless.)

Like I said, that's probably not the popular opinion in this country. I just think too much flag waving gives people a convenient cover to hide the fact that they really aren't all that patriotic. True love of country is expressed in other ways.

ahem.  you are correct - they are canadians, but culturally different and don't represent that bathing suit attire of the rest of our men!

i only wish many here here shared your perspective (and knowledge) on me commenting here as a canadian.  yes we did not join on iraq (but did on afghanistan) and at the time got a lot of flack from our allies who did.