Posted on 08/10/2012 3:31:23 PM PDT by pansgold
I write this because of something I just saw on Fox News as they showed a clip from NBC’s coverage of the Olympics.
The video clip started out saying some Americans were complaining about our athletes celebrating their gold medal wins and the Nike T-shirt they wore bearing the phrase “GREATNESS HAS BEEN FOUND”.
What I found difficult to watch was watching two of the women’s soccer team bend down and pick up two American Flags that laid on the ground and wrapped themselves in them.
It was not the action I felt uncomfortable with, it was the disrespect shown for two American Flags that were intentionally laid in the ground.
Let me share a true story of an event that happened to me.
When I was a young child of perhaps 7 or 8 years of age, I was given the task to raise and lower our flag at dawn and dusk on our flag pole alongside our country general store. This task was assigned by my late father who was a United States Marine from the 1st. Division 1st. Regiment 3d Marine Amphibious Brigade and his outfit saw duty in Northern China, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Tarawa, New Britain, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
This particular day I carelessly dropped our flag onto the ground. Not knowing what I had just done, I raised the flag as usual. Dad later asked me if I had raise our flag and I said yes and then mentioned I had dropped it. Dad paused and I will never forget his words. “Did the flag touch the ground?” I told him yes and he said the flag was now soiled and must be burned.
We then went outside and dad told me to take the flag down. I argued that we shouldn’t destroy our only flag because I dropped it because nobody would ever know. All dad said was “I will”.
We then burned that flag in the fire barrel.
Americans have sure come along way. Flags flown at night without lighting, upside down or the star field not displayed in the upper left-hand corner. Now too lazy to stand, cover their hearts during our National Anthem or even to stop talking.
God help America when a T-shirt slogan becomes more of a news item than our national symbol of WORLD FREEDOM being disrespected at the Olympics. On March 5, 1968 I enlisted in the Marines. I still get upset when I see OUR FLAG on the ground.
heh heh...you said T shit....heh heh
cleanup in title line
If you’re going to proofread anything at all, the headline is a good place to start.
ahh.... I’m nearly blind and the spell chect didn’t cover the heading.
What, no toilet paper?
Olympics are an over hyped croc
These athletes compete against each other all the time
And too many use PEDS
What a waste watching them which I haven’t for years
Or this one?
Lots of folks around here think these guys are bona fide American heros. I'm not one of them, and if it were up to me, they'd both be kicked in the nuts so hard they'd be pissing blood for a month.
Prepare for some good natured joshing. I got a lot for posting about “hompsexuality” one time.
At least Nugent has the star field in the upper left corner.
Your old man was right to chastise you, but very wrong to burn the flag. That flag has stood up to more abuse over the years than an accidental brush with the ground by a 7 year old. So why take it out on the flag? It is one thing to burn a flag that can no longer be flown, but it is obscene to burn a clean flag with many years of use left in it.
“Nike T-shirt they wore bearing the phrase “GREATNESS HAS BEEN FOUND”.”
The author honestly didn’t need to pass-on what the shirt said. He could have just wrote “Nike T-shirt” and my brain would have immediately assumed the slogan was snarky, purile and stupid.
Because thats the Nike pony’s one trick.
I’ve had zero interest since America put the PROFESSIONAL “Dream Team” in the Olympics for the Great Clinton after they half-husseinedly gave Jim Thorpe’s children a couple of “commemorative medals”.
86 and done with the “Olympics” for me.
From one typo you might get 600 replies.
You are just going to just grin and suffer through it.
Sounds rather painful.
“Your old man was right to chastise you, but very wrong to burn the flag.”
Perhaps, but why be so judgmental without checking the facts?
Check out when flag burning is PROSCRIBED:
http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html
Although I don’t think it was NECESSARY to burn the flag in that case, the father decided the flag was no longer fit to be flown, so in that case, he took proper action.
The United States Congress said when a flag “touches” the ground it is “soiled” and should be destroyed. One method they listed to destroy the flag was burning. They also listed the methods to display the flag.
Should the stars face north, south, easts or west at an intersection, where the star field should be when draping a flag etc.
It was probably repealed years ago like the loss of patriation act but if I find it I’ll post that law for you.
I learned that much in the service.
It’s soiled.
Isn’t there a thread or ping list for (wait for it.......)
hugh and series typos?
I think I got you covered in #17.
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