- Proverbs for Paranoids, 3: If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers.—Gravity’s Rainbow
‘Is it about a bicycle?’ he asked.—The Third Policeman
Tag Archives: patriotism
Protest
It’s progress of sorts. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post described how “tens of thousands” marched in Washington on Saturday in protest against the Iraq war. In September 2005, an even bigger march was characterized by the Times as “thousands” of protesters. Technically true, but oh-so-misleading. The coverage—scant and dismissive—provoked a massive [...]
Terrific
For fans of the “war on terror,” the last few days have been downright terrorlicious. Other minds more loquacious and quicker with their fingers have explained why they preferred not to mark the anniversary of an attack by a handful of foreigners, noting instead the self-inflicted depredations of the last five years (and counting). On the [...]
Inverted
A grieving mother flies the US flag upside-down. Anonymous neighbors take action. A farmer follows suit in support. He is charged with disorderly conduct. And he gets death threats. I wonder if such acts would become felonies if our militant flag-defenders had their way and got their constitutional amendment. Flying the flag upside-down, I mean. [...]
Appreciation
Happy 4th of July, Americans! Let’s be as independent as we can, each of us individually. Love our country, but not just our country. Be curious, in every sense (eccentricity is good). If we don’t care about the rest of the world—that is, don’t care enough to learn about other countries and other people on [...]
Patria
My fellow Americans: If you really love your country, you wear a flag lapel pin, just like our President does. If you don’t wear one … well, we can draw our own conclusion. Question of the day: Can you name one other president, prime minister, dictator, or king who routinely wears the flag of his [...]
Marching