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Now for some humor :
An Independence Day Greeting — Muppet-style

-"BB"-

Oh I see. Since I mentioned tomtatoes from Mexico suddenly mammabear wants to help me move to some real estate in Mexico?

How typically AMERICAN of you! And obviously you are holding on to a property in another country for outsourcing! Why you are so patriotic it's astounding!

Great. Tell you what. I'll stay where I live and support my local farmers and grocers and tax base while you and the rest of you flag wavers can have your out of season - not local - huge carbon footprint tomatoes (and a lot of other out of season fruits) that have no taste from Mexico and California and various other south of the border countries.

This whining about the national anthem is very entertaining. And then the usual over inflated typical American hubris that goes with it. I observe the national anthem when I want to. Why it's done at EVERY sports event I'll never understand.

How many of you drive vehicles made in the US? How many of you buy Made In The USA products ONLY? I bet the response to the first question is no one actually knows and the second is none. Want to encourage China to continue buying this country? Keep going to Wal-Mart.

And just for the record, the pledge of allegiance? Yeah - I leave the 'god' part out. Because that's how it was written. Then again, I haven't said it since I was a kid. I guess that makes me a terrorist.

Supporting your local business is more patriotic than where you put your hat or your hand for the national anthem - because supporting local businesses is reality. Support our troops? By buying a magnet? That's not support. That's chest thumping.

This whole thing reminds me of the morons who said Why should we help New Orleans after Katrina when those very people are the ones that would go to, of all places, Bourbon Street and have a good time (supposedly) and most likely throw their trash and vomit and p*** all over the place. It reeks of the usual American double standard.

And another thing - members of my family are retired military. So just stifle.

What if your local business is run by foreigners? What if you were grateful for one day out of the year? Would you curl up and die? "There's One in Every Crowd." - Montgomery Gentry

Run by foreigners? You mean people who come to the United States to live? Like all of us white people from Europe? Like you?

rich_big wrote:

ph4ever wrote:

Former Marine's front-porch flag display is torched

11:07 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 30, 2009

By AVI SELK / The Dallas Morning News
aselk@dallasnews.com

When Ed Jordan hung two flags from his front porch, one for his country and one for the Marine Corps he once served in, he thought no one would take issue with his gesture to honor the troops during the Fourth of July.

He returned home from an errand Monday morning to find the flags burned, their cinders scattered amid his azaleas.

The 70-year-old veteran was shocked when police told him that a flag at another house in his quiet neighborhood just north of Valley View Mall was also incinerated.

"I'd have given them the flags if they wanted them," he said, spreading a handful of remains out on his coffee table. "But to just burn them – I don't understand that at all."

A sooty sliver of red and white was all that remained of the American flag.

Another that had depicted a famous photograph of Marines at Iwo Jima had been reduced to shreds of melted nylon.

Jordan said he enlisted in the Marines out of high school and served as a corporal at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in the 1950s.

"When I was on active duty, the flag always meant something to me," he said. "I'd always take pride when I saw it flying in civilian areas."

How others could take offense at the same sight was beyond his understanding.

"When you damage something that so many have died for, the symbol it represents, that, to me, is intolerable," he said.

Jordan didn't hold out much hope that the culprit or culprits would be caught. He said he'll get another flag and fly it, as he has done for more than a decade.

"I'm not angry, just disappointed," he said. "I guess, more than anything, I feel sorry for them."

"Disappointed" was also the word Jordan's neighbor, Celeste Mele, used to describe her feelings after discovering her own flag had been burned, though she had a few others she said weren't printable.

"The question is, was it a prank or some anti-American statement?" she said. "I guess in this day and age, it could be either one."

My dad, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, says anyone who burns an American flag should get the death penalty. And he is not kidding about it. He says the same thing about draft dodgers and people who go AWOL from the military. That’s the kind of house I grew up in. I don’t think much of flag burners.



“You have the right to burn your flag, and I have the right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine”…Johnny Cash before performing “Ragged old Flag”

So sorry to have brought flag burning up and stirred up all this mess. Was just making a point that symbols are odd things and mean very different thing to different people and that what one person considers sacrosanct is another's offense. (Though flag burning typically isn't about being un-American but about protesting an action of the government, which is not only a right but a responsibility according to the Constitution.) That is life and in a truly free country you have to allow both opinions to exist. I am not a flag burner and would be offended by anyone who was, but I would allow them to do it. It is not my right to stop them, as it is not theirs to stop me from flying one. My dad is a veteran of Vietnam and the first Desert Storm and a 30 year military man. While it would hurt him terribly to witness flag burning, I think, he taught me that tolerance is our signal most important virtue. There is not much I can't tolerate save intolerance is a common joke with me. Can you take tolerance too far? Absolutely. Hurting others, stealing, destruction of property, etc - all not ok. But peaceful protest, which might include burning of a flag as a sign of your resolution? Not for me (even if I agreed with your stance, which I might, it's going too far for me), but not harming any one, either, and quite legal...so, I would not shoot you. I'd be sad and hurt and upset, but I wouldn't shoot you. After all, my countrymen once pulled down statues and tossed tea into the ocean and did all sorts of unruly things in protest to a government. These things happen.

Now, the crime committed against the old man?

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Crimes are crimes and that hurts my heart.

I am just so upset when people hurt other people just to be hurtful. Sigh...

Bicycle Bill wrote:Now for some humor :
An Independence Day Greeting — Muppet-style

-"BB"-

LOL!

JustDucky wrote:Run by foreigners? You mean people who come to the United States to live? Like all of us white people from Europe? Like you?

JustDucky wrote:Oh I see. Since I mentioned tomtatoes from Mexico suddenly mammabear wants to help me move to some real estate in Mexico?

How typically AMERICAN of you! And obviously you are holding on to a property in another country for outsourcing! Why you are so patriotic it's astounding!

Great. Tell you what. I'll stay where I live and support my local farmers and grocers and tax base while you and the rest of you flag wavers can have your out of season - not local - huge carbon footprint tomatoes (and a lot of other out of season fruits) that have no taste from Mexico and California and various other south of the border countries.

This whining about the national anthem is very entertaining. And then the usual over inflated typical American hubris that goes with it. I observe the national anthem when I want to. Why it's done at EVERY sports event I'll never understand.

How many of you drive vehicles made in the US? How many of you buy Made In The USA products ONLY? I bet the response to the first question is no one actually knows and the second is none. Want to encourage China to continue buying this country? Keep going to Wal-Mart.

And just for the record, the pledge of allegiance? Yeah - I leave the 'god' part out. Because that's how it was written. Then again, I haven't said it since I was a kid. I guess that makes me a terrorist.

Supporting your local business is more patriotic than where you put your hat or your hand for the national anthem - because supporting local businesses is reality. Support our troops? By buying a magnet? That's not support. That's chest thumping.

This whole thing reminds me of the morons who said Why should we help New Orleans after Katrina when those very people are the ones that would go to, of all places, Bourbon Street and have a good time (supposedly) and most likely throw their trash and vomit and p*** all over the place. It reeks of the usual American double standard.

And another thing - members of my family are retired military. So just stifle.

I drive a CHEVY Silverado I buy from local businesses whenever possible and I'm cognizant of where items are made. The fact of the matter is some items made outside the US are better. I'd be willing to bet you're not 100% entirely a consumer of only US produced items. Sure you could say you were but I'd think you're lying and won't believe you so don't waste my or your time on that one. The produce bought for my July 4th meal was bought from a local stand.

I personally never met anyone that felt N'Orleans didn't need help after Katrina. In fact most people I know are p*** that they haven't received more help. Show me one person here that said N'Orleans didn't need and deserve help. Sounds to me like you're holding a grudge, perhaps rightfully so but you're dead wrong if you think the majority of people here feel that way. Take your anger elsewhere.

My ancestors, father and brother all served this great country so people could continue to enjoy the freedoms that we have, including the freedom of speech. You can try to make yourself look like a martyr with your cute little rhetoric and trying to turn the tables yet the truth remains. Your past couple of posts in this thread have been anything but American and as repugnant as some of your thoughts are you do have the right to voice your opinion.

I've got it on pretty good authority there's a passel of Vietnam vets in a VA chapter just west of New Orleans that would love to hear your views on America.

triste037 wrote:The Manfield show opened with the National Anthem which was a great touch. But the tradition when the National Anthem plays is for men to take off their hats. All those around me in the arena did. But the musician on stage playing it, Shimabukuro, had a hat on.

I grew up on a navy base...... we stood to the national anthem at the beginning of movies at the theater, if you were in ear shot of the admin building at 1600 and you could hear taps, you stopped stood at attention and turned to the flag......

It irritates me at the ball park when people keep on yacking away....

I will give Jake a break though...lots to remember.....but the classy thing to do , once you had the audiences attention would be to remove your hat and play the hell outa that Uke.....

It was coming from people in the volcano and earth quake zones as well as where there are hundreds of tornadoes, blizzards and ice storms and where it floods a lot who were saying, in the aftermath of Katrina, 'why would anyone want to live there?'. The reason New Orleanians were mad is because of being lied to all these years by our own government. Yeah, I know, our own government lies on a daily basis - but when it comes to lying about how things are with where you live, that's different.

Dutch Harbor PH wrote:

I grew up on a navy base...... we stood to the national anthem at the beginning of movies at the theater, if you were in ear shot of the admin building at 1600 and you could hear taps, you stopped stood at attention and turned to the flag......

Oh, yes! Before the movies, too! Great memories...sigh...

JustDucky wrote: Great. Tell you what. I'll stay where I live and support my local farmers and grocers and tax base while you and the rest of you flag wavers can have your out of season - not local - huge carbon footprint tomatoes (and a lot of other out of season fruits) that have no taste from Mexico and California and various other south of the border countries.

I always buy local....just didn't know I lived in a south of the border country........Viva Californi'a!!!!!

Give it time, California will be south of the border ha ha.

The question you have to ask...did Mr. Shimabukuro intend to disrespect the flag by wearing a hat?

No.

With that said....it was a mistake. Geez.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

Well, with that said...Freedom also means taking off or not taking off your hat while performing on the ukulele in front of a mostly drunken crowd.

Too often freedom is reserved only for popular things...just remember freedom extends to things that people dislike.

I may not like it that there are people who worship the Devil, but in America they have that right.

Again, it was a mistake.

Bwana Paul wrote:Well, with that said...Freedom also means taking off or not taking off your hat while performing on the ukulele in front of a mostly drunken crowd.

Too often freedom is reserved only for popular things...just remember freedom extends to things that people dislike.

I may not like it that there are people who worship the Devil, but in America they have that right.

Again, it was a mistake.

No, it wasn't. If you read the entire thread you'd see that it has been pointed out several times that musicians are not required to remove their hats. That's not something most people know, but we were educated about it and several other things thoughout this thread. It was a valid concern, and now we know.

Dutch Harbor PH wrote:I grew up on a navy base...... we stood to the national anthem at the beginning of movies at the theater, if you were in ear shot of the admin building at 1600 and you could hear taps, you stopped stood at attention and turned to the flag......

It irritates me at the ball park when people keep on yacking away....

We took the family to the local 4th of July parade. At the beginning was a color guard made up of reps from each of the services carrying the service colors as well as the national colors. As they got to within about 10 yards, people all around me, and across the street started standing up, took off their hats, and even nudged their neighbors and kids to do the same. As the colors passed they sat back down. What surprised me, was that each time another color guard passed, the same thing happened. I stopped counting at 14.

So, it's not dead in this country. Respect is still being taught to the next generation. It was heartening, it really was.

green1 wrote:

Dutch Harbor PH wrote:I grew up on a navy base...... we stood to the national anthem at the beginning of movies at the theater, if you were in ear shot of the admin building at 1600 and you could hear taps, you stopped stood at attention and turned to the flag......

It irritates me at the ball park when people keep on yacking away....

We took the family to the local 4th of July parade. At the beginning was a color guard made up of reps from each of the services carrying the service colors as well as the national colors. As they got to within about 10 yards, people all around me, and across the street started standing up, took off their hats, and even nudged their neighbors and kids to do the same. As the colors passed they sat back down. What surprised me, was that each time another color guard passed, the same thing happened. I stopped counting at 14.

So, it's not dead in this country. Respect is still being taught to the next generation. It was heartening, it really was.

Very cool.....I know these seem like silly small gestures to some of you, but showing respect is never out of style.

Just thinking out loud here, but I wonder what would happen if we treated each other with the same awe and respect that we do (or should do) our flag.