When I see someone dressed up like George Washington nowadays...

[murdoch]

I immediately start to think, "here's a wacko who hates our president because he's black".

It's too bad they've chosen to appropriate these symbols. They even talk about the Constitution all of the time, it's too bad they don't want to apply it. If we actually applied the Constitution, corporations would not have the same rights as a person etc.

I was just watching James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrR6czE8sJ0

In one scene, they recreate Willard's painting "Yankee Doodle".



As soon as I saw the recreation I thought, oh no, here comes those loony tea baggers.

It's unfortunate these loons have chosen to seize these symbols.

It's not as if they're the original people on this land anyhow. For that you'd have to talk to the Cherokee, Lakota etc.

As some Arizonan Navajos have pointed out - with these recent Arizona laws, they're going to be stopped by police even more because they "look Mexican". It's ironic that white people will be stopping Navajos on the street in Arizona to see if they are authentically native, in a state that wasn't even a state a century ago.

[Journeyman]

1. Best advice I can give is, "Don't let those people live in your head rent free". . .

and certainly don't let them steal your intellectual heritage.

[Hawkowl]

2. I no longer watch "the news"

So I don't even know what you are referring to! You should just get all your news from the internet and it will probably make you happier.

[Hekate]

3. Reclaim the best of our patriotic symbols. In Bush War protests, I gravitated to the VFP early on...

... because of all of the marchers, *they* were the ones carrying the flag proudly and with a sense of ownership. They had fought for it and often bled, and damned if they were going to give it up to Bush and his goons without a struggle.

Take it back, murdoch, take it all back.

Hekate

[pinboy3niner]

4. I'm with you, Hekate

It was because of the Right's claims to ownership of patriotism and service that I made a point of wearing an old jungle shirt with all my VN stuff on it at antiwar vigils and demonstrations. In one parade, I even got to meet and "march" with Ed Asner, who was a combat vet of WWII (he actually rode in a convertible with his grandson). Of course, his service doesn't count because he's a socilist!11!1

The point is that patriotism and service are things that neither side "owns". Politically, vets are as heterogeneous as the rest of society. When I hear those false claims from the Right, it reminds me of another claim, this one from literature: "Some animals are more equal than others." Typical RW exclusionary BS--only "right-thinkers," those who pass political litmus-test muster, are entitled to the rights and privileges of our society. If you can be pegged as "un-American," "unpatriotic" or "treasonous" because of your political opinions, your service--even fighting and bleeding for your country--don't count.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[1776Forever]

6. To me the true vision of our founders will never be tarnished with idiots false tales! If you

really read up on Jefferson, Washington and Franklin most of them weren't anything like the tea baggers and these tea baggers are so ignorant they don't even realize it. You can come down on all kinds of the cultural things that were done in that day but in the end the vision of freedom from oppression rang true at least it has tried to. I hit ignore when I see these poor uninformed sheep.

[EstimatedProphet]

7. Try googling Paul Revere if you think this is bad

Talk about a teabilly circle-jerk in action! You can't find an image of Paul Revere that they haven't appropriated to claim that they are the next ones sounding the warning.