Teen wants to bring reverence back to flag

Galveston County Daily News ^ | 5-19-02 | Alicia Gooden

[parsifal]

"I admire this young man for taking the effort to learn about the flag and its traditions. The values and skills learned in this project will serve him well in the future."

I don't think FlagBoy had a choice. It seems to be an obsession with him. He can't get dead flags out of his mind. I am not sure what useful skills he is learning out of this. How to play with matches??? How to cut out fabric??? parsy the confused.

[HairOfTheDog]

This is one thing going on in his life, and was the only subject of the interview... you don't know the rest. So he has an Eagle Scout project that made the newspaper. I see nothing to indicate this project is his whole life.

If he were interviewed about a term paper for school, he may have talked about only the subject of the term paper. To assume he is obsessed simply because this project is all the paper interviewed him about is brutally unfair.

[parsifal]

parsifal quoteth: "Paul Fillippa has had a profound appreciation for the American flag since he was a 9-year-old Cub Scout. That was the first time he saw the proper retirement for the U.S. flag. “It’s just stayed in my head, and now I’m trying to live it out,” he said."

Seems a little overboard to me. Maybe he just go to seminary or something. parsy.

[HairOfTheDog]

He is stating why he chose the project. He wants to share something that he found appreciation for when he was nine that still has meaning and impact for him... SO WHAT.

I saw a beautiful Arabian horse when I was nine and fell in love with them... I have appreciated them ever since, and now I own one. They have just sortof stayed in my head and I have tried to live it out.

I went for a ride in a small plane when I was about 12. I decided that I wanted to learn how to fly and I later did. It just sortof stayed in my head and I have tried to live it out.

Get it? You are leaping to conclusions from one sentence in the life on a boy. He was asked by a reporter why he chose this project and he said he was inspired by something that he remembers from when he was young, and is still relevent and important to him today.

Any one of us could have such a quote to describe the things that caused us to appreciate and honor and love the things we do. One sentence does not make the whole boy.

You have totally hijacked a thread that could have been about a nice kid that did a nice patriotic project to get his Eagle Scout rank. You have turned it into something twisted, when it isn't, parsy.

[JoeSixPack1]

I admire this young man for taking the effort to learn about the flag and its traditions. The values and skills learned in this project will serve him well in the future.

My point exactamundo!! :-)

[parsifal]

Maybe I am guilty of all that. I will ponder it a while and think about possible atonement. But, I do not think that I hijacked the thread. Nobody wants to read about nice kids doing nice things. The "psychotic" slant is the only thing that got this thread any attention. If not for that, we would have had to cut the thread into four pieces, kissed it bye-bye, and then set it on fire. parsifal the resurrector of dead threads.

[general_re]

Ah, so urinating in the town square is a public service now, is it? Just think how much more we appreciate it, especially now that you've pissed all over it... ;)

[HairOfTheDog]

Slamming this kid is not to the benefit of anything.

[Balata]

For FReepers who would like to fly their State Flag on their profile page. Click here.

[parsifal]

I couldn't help it. I was just marking my territory. Besides, why aren't you helping do some constructive over on that "sexually inappropriate mom gets arrested" thread, i.e., thinking of new names for nude "jumping jacks". parsy the altruist.

[parsifal]

Ok. I thought about it. I was being overly cynical. I was acting like Beavis and Butthead do when they encounter "hygenic" teens. Mea Cupla. parsy the penitent.

[serinde]

Nobody wants to read about nice kids doing nice things.

I like reading about nice kids doing nice things. I quit listening or watching network news several years ago because (among other things) ALL they talk about is the negative things in the world.

The fact that there are kids out there accepting positive values, making an effort to improve the world, and doing good gives me hope that the world is not a complete disaster and that some good will come out of life.

On a related note, there was a recent thread about how some good kids in a high school were recognized for this fact - over 1/2 the school. The principal was surprised that so many were good, and he works with them every day!

This tells me that MORE news about nice kids doing nice things would be a good thing, for everyone.

[bootless]

it does seem that some Eagle Scouts have a tendency to be a little bonkers.

HEY! My father was an Eagle Scout. It was on his way to becoming a B-17 Group Commander. I have a 10 year old son who is not in Scouts, trying not to overcommit his time. But I love it when he picks up the qualities of the Scouts.

You're sounding ridiculous today.

[HairOfTheDog]

parsy the penitent, thank you for reconsidering! - Hair the satisfied