See article below. Vote! Make your opinion (or lack thereof) count!! Vote at Adult Christian Forum Thread 99410!!!. (Choices also given after article below.)
Agence France-Presse (AFP): "Flag Epidemic" Peaks on Forth of July
The Stars and Stripes were displayed openly in only one place in Nazi occupied Europe all through World War II.
It was a symbol of hope.
It was in France. (Over the grave of the Marquis de Lafayette, an honorary American citizen.)
Agence France-Presse (AFP) forgets so soon. (American commander Pershing remembered and paid tribute, in 1917, to the great assistance of France in the founding our Nation, proclaiming "Lafayette, We are here!"
From a AFP via Breitbart.com article, US 'flag epidemic' reaches peak on Fourth of July:
US 'flag epidemic' reaches peak on Fourth of July [/] Jul 05 4:43 AM US/Eastern
It's a true epidemic: the red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes banners are everywhere in the United States - on house facades, front lawns, cars and clothes. [/] Hitting an high point on the July 4 US Independence Day holiday, it is a genuine phenomenon of American national pride that, inevitably, gets a good but also sometimes unwanted boost from commercial exploitation.
"It's a little strange, this obsession of the flag," French author Bernard-Henri Levy wrote after traveling across the country. [/] "Everywhere, in every form, flapping in the wind or on stickers, an epidemic of flags that has spread throughout the city," Levy wrote in "American Vertigo" of the riot of banners he saw.
"Old Glory," as the US flag is affectionately called, can be seen in abundance through the year in the American heartland and the South, and to a lesser extent in cities like New York and Los Angeles. [/]
Patriotic flag-waving strengthened in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and increased even more with the beginning of the war in Iraq as a testament of support for President George W. Bush.
But the phenomenon hits its peak each year around the Fourth of July, when it becomes the focus of intense advertising and commercial promotions.
At shopping malls, big and small national banners show up on jeans, baseball caps, dinner plates and swimsuits. The Stars and Stripes decorate everything -- from tattoos and fingernails to huge cakes.
[…] "Global public opinion surveys regularly put Americans at the top of the patriotism index," [Brookings Institution analyst William] Galston told AFP. "The US flag is the visible symbol of that strong sentiment... Even our national anthem is about the flag." [My ellipses and emphasis]
Other interesting information may be found in the article quoted above.
Poll Question: Is Patriotism a Disease? The Flag a Symptom? | Poll choices:
1. Yes. The U.N.! The Baby Blue and White!! Forever!!! / 2. Yes. Workers of the World! Unite!! / 3. Yes. One World! / 4. Yes. The last refuge of the right wing. / 5. Yes. The last refuge of Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld. / 6. Yes. The last refuge of the right wing nuts. / 7. Yes. The last refuge of scoundrels. / 8. Yes, Let niceness reign. / 9. Yes. / 10. Possibly. Should be investigated by the Centers for Disease Control. / 11. Possibly. Fairness and compassion toward all people more important. / 12. No. But stop attacking godless liberals as un-patriotic. / 13. No. / 14. No. Support our unity of purpose for godly ends. / 15. No. Keep our commitments (and those of our forefathers) as citizens. / 16. No. Support the world's second best hope. (The best is Jesus.) / 17. No. The biggest kid on the block has big responsibilities. / 18. No. Use the big stick on the world's thugs whenever needed. / 19. No comment. / 20. No opinion. / 21. This poll is worthless. / 22. This poll is of negative value. / 23. Other.
Vote at Adult Christian Forum Thread 99410! Vote!! Make your opinion (or lack thereof) count!!!
