Obama again criticized for common sense

Posted on: Wed, 10/10/2007 - 19:31 By: Tom Swiss

It's sad to see how much heat Barak Obama draws when he says the most commonsensical things.

Following the lead of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan during the Cold War, you're willing to talk to leaders of nations at odd with us? Then you must be "inexperienced" or "naive".

You're willing to take a nuclear first strike off the table? You must be "irresponsible". (No matter if the one criticizing you made the same statement last year.)

Now he's getting criticized for his fashion choices, for saying that he decided that he ought to display his patriotism with actions than with an American flag lapel pin. (One probably made in China.)

The whole thing reminds me of the great old John Prine song Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore.

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I got tired of the whole flag thing years ago. No other democratic nation feels this bizarre need to display a flag at every opportunity. At the very least this compulsive flagging is immature and annoying; at worst it can be taken as a sign of support for a corrupt and brutal government.

I won't fly or display the stars and stripes until democratic rule returns to the United States.

But I am thinking about trying to find a Gadsden flag for special occasions, after recently reading this piece by Ben Franklin about the rattlesnake as a symbol of the U.S. All-American, but far less jingoistic I think.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Gadsden flag has been adopted as a favorite by the loonies in the "Tea Party" movement. Ah, well.

Tom Swiss - proprietor, unreasonable.org