This isn't an Attack on Patriotism?? Sure.......

On one hand the GOP claims that they aren't attacking the Democrats and on the other hand they announce that they have "rescued" a large number of American Flags thrown out by the Democratic Party after their convention in Denver? Do they really think that it is relevant whether the Democrats may or may not have thrown out a number of American Flags after the convention? (There is some dispute whether they were "thrown out" or simply taken by the GOP before the Democrats had a chance to deal with them). Or is this just yet another cynical attempt to engage in valance issue politics and try to make the Democrats look less patriotic. If the voting's with me, I vote for the latter.

What makes this conduct all the more hypocritical are the attacks on Sen. Obama for failing to consistently wear an American Flag pin while Sen. McCain NEVER wears an American Flag pin. And, of course, the Democrat's can't say anything, even if they wanted to, as, after all, Sen. McCain was a POW and it is unpatriotic to challenge the credentials of a Patriot. (Of course it appears to be okay to challenge the credentials of a highly decorated Veteran (Kerry) and a badly wounded Veteran (Max Cleland) if they happen to be Democrats and happen to be running against Chicken Hawks (Bush and Saxby Chambliss).

And I am not challenging the Patriotism of Sen. McCain. I am fully confident that Sen. McCain, Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden are all true Patriots who well defend the Constitution of the United States. (I am not challenging the Patriotism of Gov. Palin, I simply think that it is too early to be fully confident that she is a Patriot and not a Successionist. One cannot be both (well actually one can, but not a Patriot of the Nation from which you are seeking to leave... only a Patriot of the New Nation. -- John Adams was a Patriot to the United States and a Traitor to Great Britain, Robert E. Lee was a Traitor to the United States but would have been a Patriot had the Confederacy survived its ill chosen attempt to leave).) I am not challenging that the Flag can be a powerful symbol. But the Flag is not, itself, a magical totem possessing great power simply because it is a flag. Rather, the symbolism of the flag is what underlies the flag -- the greatness of the nation. And yet the GOP appears to believe that the "sacred" item is the flag -- that the underlying values are meaningless (as demonstrated by the fact that they are willing to trash them at the drop of a hat..>) And they want the rest of us to engage in a similar idolatry -- the worship of the flag much the way that the statues of Baal were worshiped.