GOP House Leaders Disrespect American Flag

We all know by now that Barack Obama is not a patriot. After all, he doesn't always wear a flag pin, and he objects to the idea that he should be required to in order to run for office. But who knew that House Minority Leader John Boehner disrespects the flag too?

Obama has been attacked repeatedly for not wearing a flag pin, with Republicans claiming that his patriotism is in question. It's all a bit silly. After all, John McCain hasn't worn a flag since he became the de facto Republican nominee.

But let's grant the inanity for a moment. For a party that is suddenly obsessed with proper deference to the flag, their leaders are pretty clueless. Check out this picture from a press conference with Republican House leaders yesterday.

Notice anything off? If you're a bit of a flag-o-phile, you might recognize that the flag is hanging the wrong way. According to the document "Our Flag," (pdf) printed under approval of Senate Concurrent Resolution 108, Chapter 6.i:

When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

The correct position is displayed below, as well as a shot of the Democratic leadership showing due deference to the American flag.

So Boehner -- aka the GOP's newest commie pinko -- allowed the American flag to fly incorrectly throughout his press conference. At least Obama's flag pin is a replica; the Republicans disgraced the actual flag.

Silly? Unbelievably. As is the whole issue.

Comments

[lthuedk 1]

12:28 AM on 05/21/2008

Lead by example:

http://www­.light-to-­dark.com/n­eo_con_tri­fecta.html

[JiminNC]

04:40 PM on 05/20/2008

Off with Boehner's head!!

[Fugaziaol]

12:06 PM on 05/20/2008

With a name like Boehner don't you think the first question he should be asked is 'How's it hanging'?

[RS]

12:14 PM on 05/20/2008

ROTFLMAO, good one Fugaziaol! :-)

[MizFlagPin]

01:29 AM on 05/20/2008

Republican­s are faux patriots. They owe their allegiance to the mighty dollar (which isn't so mighty these days) and they worship at the feet of their gods (aka Wall Street and multinatio­nal corporatio­ns).

[loki]

12:51 AM on 05/20/2008

They are all hypocrites­. Whether its Rethugs screaming about flags, or Someone like Hillary going on about decent wage and health care for the poor after she was in a position of power to do something about both of those when she was on the board of wal mart, but she chose to stay a mute during union bashing and benefit slashings.

[farseer]

06:34 PM on 05/18/2008

Wonder what those folks calling for flag-burni­ng to be illegal, would say about someone using the Bible for target practice? (As was done with the Quran.)
Just curious.

[marymansour]

02:26 PM on 05/17/2008

We all know that the GOP stands for hypocrisy. I love the way the Republican­s carry on about patriotism and the adornment of such but they have managed to bloody our flag at home and abroad by this disreputab­le war of choice in Iraq. A pox on them all!

[dnegri]

02:43 PM on 05/17/2008

What i'd like to know is what's up with these guys (my neighbor being one) who have American flags attached to their car, flapping in the breeze? He has one on each side of the of the rear of the car's roof. I did once mention one of them was a bit torn, and to his credit he replaced it. Does the flag etiquette code say anything about 2003 Chevrolets­?

[Birdman]

11:05 AM on 05/18/2008

here is what it says in the US Flag code....

(b) The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat. When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.

http://www­.suvcw.org­/flag.htm

[aliceblue]

04:01 PM on 05/17/2008

This 'error' may have been intentiona­l on
the part of Republican­s.

The two-chambe­r human brain is very
sensitive to visual symbols.

Volunteers in psych labs who were not told
the nature of the experiment­, were first shown
the Nazi version of the swastika which is turned
in the opposite direction of ancient swastikas.

The volunteers experience­d physical weakness
and changes in galvanic skin response.

The same subjects were then shown pictures
of swastikas taken from ancient tombs in the
Middle East. Those swastikas are turned in the opposite direction from the Nazi swastikas.

The subjects reported that they felt invigorate­d
when viewing the ancient swastikas.

We hang the flag with the union to the flag's
right because that visual image gives us a
burst of positive emotion.

The purpose of the Republican­'s displaying
the flag with the union to the flag's left would
be to weaken the will of the observer in order to
drive the Republican message deeper.

[Stirner]

10:46 PM on 05/18/2008

Wonderful observatio­n! You would know that the Nazi swastika was the "male" symbol, its reverse the "female"..­. Hitler knew what he was up to. Incidental­ly, in West Chester, PA, there is found the only statue dedicated to a symbol ... a fellow almost wrapped up in a flag, the statue entitled "Old Glory". Who was it that said "Patriotis­m is the last refuge of a scoundrel" ? Clue: it wasn't Boehner.

[Podewumun]

01:20 PM on 05/17/2008

Why is it most Republican women appear to be blondes? Just wonderin'.

[truthbrigade]

01:25 PM on 05/17/2008

And they're naturally blond!!

[bikerdude]

01:26 PM on 05/17/2008

Insecure..­.

[MichaelDeane]

01:17 PM on 05/17/2008

This stuff is ridiculous and classic "gotcha" politics. Of course it is interestin­g to note the hypocrisy of those who foment this issue by not wearing the flag themselves­.

In the late 60s and early 70s when the flag was hijacked by the right as a symbol of supporting the VietNam War, I got caught in a little kerfuffle with the administra­tion of my high school which was--how can I put this delicately­--discoura­ging any form of dissent. Clothing with any form of a flag--incl­uding my jacket with the flag draped upside down as a distress call--was banned.

So a friend and I brought to their attention that they were desecratin­g the flag by leaving it flying overnight without the required light shining on it. And we made that comment as public as we could which eventually forced them take the flag down every night.

They paid me back by accusing me of being a communist and stripping me of an award but that's a whole other story...

[nativeeyes]

01:07 PM on 05/17/2008

McCain and Bush, " Attack Obama on Foreign Policy and National Security" "Yeah let's get him"

McCain and Bush," Even though we totally Blew it with 9/11, Afgan War looking for Bin Laden, you know the guy that we gave WEAPONS too." "Don't mention the WEAPONS we gave Saddam and the WMD's we didn't find in Iraq, and we had no friggin idea what the hell we were getting ourselves into over there"

McCain and Bush, "Yeah and don't tell them about all the AMERICAN lives that are going to be LOST, for this big IRAQ Blunder"' " But we have experience of getting ourselves into more sh.t that cost AMERICAN lives. Oh Well"

McCain and Bush, " How do we get the hell out of Iraq again?" " Hush, we messed up the economy too, don't let anybody find out about that one, hehehe"

McCain: " I LIKE WAR!! Killing is good"

Obama, "These two fools never got anything right in 8 years" " God Help those that want more of this stupidity"­"

[edhillfiker]

01:12 PM on 05/17/2008

Obama's own words, buried by the media and his robotic followers. You can't argue with words because they do matter.

Quotes from the Audacity of Hope, from the 'Great Unifier" Barack Obama. Want to know him, read his book. Of course, that's asking a bit, isn't it?

From Audacity of Hope: 'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.­'

From Dreams of My Father: 'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiati­ng myself to whites.'

From Dreams of My Father : 'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mothers race.'

From Dreams of My Father: 'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'

From Dreams of My Father: ; 'It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'

From Dreams of My Father: 'I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.'

[marymansour]

02:36 PM on 05/17/2008

The people against Obama accuse we Obama voters of being rabid in favor of our candidate. I have noticed a great deal of this on the part of Obama detractors­. I, for one, have read all three of his books and consider them wonderful. The struggles that made him the person he is cannot be laughed at. He is the amazing product of a white woman, ahead of her time and an African man who achieved a Harvard Education, having been a goat herder at one point. Barack Obama struggled to find his way and in the process became a beacon of hope for voters in America. Laugh and scoff if you will but it's the truth. And we Obama Nation inhabiters will laugh all the way to inaugurati­on day in 2009.

YES WE CAN!

[chromodynamics]

02:49 PM on 05/17/2008

And your point is...?

[BADEN]

12:52 PM on 05/17/2008

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross."

http://hom­e.woh.rr.c­om/hosting­/flag-cros­s.jpg

[JonW]

02:14 PM on 05/17/2008

You got that right!!

[JonW]

02:19 PM on 05/17/2008

Me too, regarding Michelle Obama. She;sgoing to be a great first lady!

[tea in the harbor]

12:31 PM on 05/17/2008

OFF WITH HIS HEAD! Oh, o k it is a petty little argument aimed at a petty little man, not relevant, but fair enough.

[larmarch5]

12:26 PM on 05/17/2008

Republican­s: All stripes and no stars

[tea in the harbor]

12:33 PM on 05/17/2008

That may prove prophetic when Attourney General Edwards clocks in!

[Vespasian]

11:47 AM on 05/17/2008

Agreed! This whole issue of the flag, lapel pins, etc. is just silly... especially given the times we live in and the importance of this singular election to our country's future. Washington simply will not "get the message"..­. Democrats or republican­s. Of course it's fun pointing out republican hypocrisy, but that's just too easy. America is in deep yogurt and a lot of "we the people" have figured it out... after all, we're living it right now! Meanwhile our leaders... who led us here in the first place... really have no answers. So they continue on with silly games to distract us, or fobbing us off with lies about our real situation, hoping against hope that all these problems will go away if we just don't talk about them. And, of course, lining their own pockets at our expense. If we the people continue to hide our own heads in the sand, our leaders will lead us.... right over the cliff edge!

[kellygrrrl]

11:40 AM on 05/17/2008

Oh! my grandma was right ... your face really will freeze like that