It seems to me that we are entering a period of mutally assured thuggery. This being the case what will waving the flag accomplish? It will only disguise the fact that truth and human freedom will be the first casualties in this war by implicitly causing everyone to identify with the policies of the corporate/capitalist regime that currently runs this country.
I should add though that I have never understood the us/them mentality involved in patriotism and flags. So it is possible that this is some kind of constitutional failing on my part.
Joanna Bujes
At 02:23 PM 10/15/2001 -0400, you wrote:
> > I'm pretty mystified why any Leftists would suggest that we activists
> > start waving the flag. You guys already know the U.S.'s history of
> > intervention, genocide and violence around the world. The American flag
> > stands for jingoism, we-versus-them, capitalism, and so on. It's no
> > coincidence that the biggest venues for flag-waving and patriotism these
> > days are sporting events. What better venue for a philosophy that
> > promotes domination, racism, and nationalism?
>
>So those who protested Jim Crow segregation/apartheid and US violence in
>Southeast Asia were jingoist fools for displaying the flag in demos and
>marches? Does the flag only represent racist elements? Too bad you weren't
>there to advise Martin Luther King on his reactionary behavior.