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03/17/2003
"So what's this doing here? Well, I put it on to take it back. The flag's been hijacked and turned into a logo - the trademark of a monopoly on patriotism. On those Sunday morning talk shows, official chests appear adorned with the flag as if it is the good housekeeping seal of approval. And during the State of the Union, did you notice Bush and Cheney wearing the flag? How come? No administration's patriotism is ever in doubt, only its policies. And the flag bestows no immunity from error. When I see flags sprouting on official lapels, I think of the time in China when I saw Mao's little Red Book on every official's desk, omnipresent and unread. "But more galling than anything are all those moralistic ideologues in Washington sporting the flag in their lapels while writing books and running Web sites and publishing magazines attacking dissenters as un-American… "I put it on to remind myself that not every patriot thinks we should do to the people of Baghdad what Bin Laden did to us. The flag belongs to the country, not to the government…" I fully agree with that last line! And doesn't it sound familiar? That's exactly what flag-wearing, flag-waving Americans said to those who found flag displays distasteful. When dissenters said that waving an American flag is aggressive, jingoistic, and exclusionary, conservatives said, "It's your flag, too." When media personalities said that wearing a flag pin on the air would create an impression of approval of the Bush administration's policies, conservatives said, "It represents the whole country." When hand-wringers feared that flag displays would cause Americans to injure other Americans, conservatives said, "The flag unites us." Here's what I want to know: Now that Moyers has 'rescued' the flag from moralistic ideologues, does he think that changes it's meaning? Or is it now in the hands of yet another moralistic ideologue? Does it not still belong to all of us? And that jab about Mao's little Red Book! What a hoot! Moyers must be talking here to those who aren't aware that some of the organizations backing the "peace" rallies truly are, if not "un-American", genuinely communist. A few of their websites are listed below. Please join me in letting Bill Moyers know what you think of his silly, one-sided rhetoric. Below is the contact information. Now with Bill Moyers (212) 560-8600 Email: now@thirteen.org Read more here: MRC CyberALert, 03/03/2003: Moyers Wears Flag Pin to Protest Hijacking by Ideologues "Peace" web sites: When you feel your personal media bias tolerance gauge rising into the red zone, don't throw stuff at the TV screen! Send your suggestion to outrage@fairpress.org! Each week, one hideous example of media bias will be selected for closer examination. Hmmmmmm . . .
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"I decided to put on my flag pin tonight. First time. Until now I haven't thought it necessary to display a little metallic icon of patriotism for everyone to see. It was enough to vote, pay my taxes, perform my civic duties, speak my mind, and do my best to raise our kids to be good Americans…