The Republican patriot is a different kind of Patriot. This is not the lover of the Constitution, the lover of honor, the lover of liberty and freedom, this is the lover of symbolism and everything prior mentioned here is secondary to that symbolism.
The country was built upon people being able to criticize the American Government as freely as they desire, this was the unltimate check. People used to be able to express their dissapointment in many different ways, many of which involved ,"The Flag."
"The Flag," could be freely used or "abused" in any way, "desicrated" if you will. You could shred it, toss it in mud, use it as toilet paper and/or burn it. You could. But that looks like it may very well change...
The famed Flag Burning Amendment is passing it's way through our congress (It passed in the house and is heading toward the Senate) and unfortunately it looks like it just might make it this time(Last time it failed by just three senate votes). What will happen if this amendment is passed? It will truly mean that symbolism is stronger than what our country was based upon. Self-proclaimed "Patriots" are screaming to have it passed... and many people are surprisingly blind to the "desicration" of the flag that's worse than being burned:
Using it as a tool for their own political advancement. The great grandstand. Using it as a political tool. That's greater desicration than burning it could ever be.
Senetor Joe McCarthy, back in the Fifties, made a committee to exploit anybody doing "Un-American Activities". Anybody who was either too liberal for old Joe or once ever dared to seem to support anything ,"Communist" was blacklisted as a traitor to their country and many lives were ruined. Joe was thrown out of Congress when we finally came to realize how awful this was.
Now, how many people will be arrested for "Desicrating the flag" before we wake up this time? How many of us Commie-bastards would our Oh-so-proud conservative flag-wavers like to punish for burning the flag anyway in protest?
I'm going to make a bold prediction. Flag Burnings will go up becuase of this amendment. Allot of "pro-flag" Screamers love the amendment, but we have allot of people in this country much wiser than those who wrap themselves up in our flag. These people can detect substance beyond the glitter. People will get more angry when(if) it's passed. More people will spit back in the face of the fascists who think Flag-burners are evil Communists who should be punished for practicing their first amendment rights.
The final question is this: Will our beloved, "Liberal Media" which doesn't really exist avoid talking about protests against the amendment or will they side with the symbol- lovers? My geuss will be the latter. That's right, when(if) this amendment goes through the media, they will make flag-burners look evil and the symbol-lovers will be made to look like true American heroes, standing up to protect this symbol!
Don't believe me? Let's see if the Amendment get's all the way through, and just watch. I have a feeling that the symbol will blind our media and block out our first amendment word's in a dizzle-dazzle of red, white and blue.
Sinistral, 1997
