Obama's Lapel and the Right Wing JizzFest

Barack Obama has offended Right Wing America because he is not wearing an American Flag lapel pin. Unsurprisingly, Drudge brought it out as a headline, reporting something to the effect of Obama ditching his pin. How about we let Senator Obama do the talking? From Media Matters report on the hysteria:

OBAMA: Somebody noticed I wasn't wearing a flag lapel pin and I told folks, well you know what? I haven't probably worn that pin in a very long time. I wore it right after 9/11. But after a while, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic. Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time.

My attitude is that I'm less concerned about what you're wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart. And you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who served. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and our ideals and that's what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals.

So what's the big deal? If I actually owned an American flag, it would be upside down in my library because in naval terms, flying a flag upside down is a signifier of distress. It only makes sense that you allow your actions to speak for themselves or, as Big Man Jesus put it, "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:20). Not by possessions, not by lapel pins, but by their fruit, their actions. That's pretty much what Barack said.

Not the least bit surprising is the beginning of Matthew 7:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

I do believe that would relate directly to Mr. Hannity, as he is pissing all over Barack's pin-less lapel but has apparently forgotten his patriotism in the jewelry box at home.

In what conscience, on what planet is it okay for someone to directly criticize someone for not doing something that they themselves are not doing? How did we get to the point where a symbol like the American Flag has replaced the practice of patriotism, where a pin is the signifier of loyalty?

I give kudos to Senator Obama; in my experience, it is those that want President Bush to determine how we should live, fight, and accept surveillance - and not those who embrace the freedom to which we are entitled and the freedom to disagree - who plant 500 flags in their front yards and occlude the back window of their pickup with the rippling red, white and blue.

[Side note: Hey, asshole, stop pasting the "These colors don't run" bumper sticker on your car; pink and powder blue only enforces the addendum "they slowly fade away." Second note: I can unequivocally confirm that almost 100% of the jackholes who cut me off and drive like ass support the troops. How suck is that?]

"Reality has a well-known liberal bias."