Erik Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 So I'm returning from a day of work at 29 Palms and my training partner Lee decides to take a detour on the way home to show me The Mission Inn in Riverside, CA. It's an historic hotel he's recommended for my wife and I to stay at and wanted to give me a brief tour. We walk through the hotel and on the way toward the freeway home we detour through a beautiful neighborhood of early 1900's homes. I notice a house that has the flag hung upside down and do a double take. I show Lee, who is a retired Marine LtCol and he stops the truck and says let's go talk to them and fix it. So we knock on the door of the house and a lady comes to the door and acknowledges that the flag is that way on purpose. She goes on to state that the flag can be hung upside down in times of distress and she feels our nation is in great danger. Lee, my partner is visibly upset and argues that we're both retired Marines who fought for her fight to do that and feel its unacceptable. She responds that we just elected a President who feels the Constitution of the US is deeply flawed and that she feels our country is heading rapidly toward socialism. She was kind, but firm in her expression. After some bantering between them I basically moved Lee of off the porch and toward the vehicle. Anyway, I did some quick research and this is becoming a more common expression of distress for many Americans. At this moment I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it. As someone who has fought and had brothers die defending the flag and what it stands for, I'm a bit offended, but I've got to respect her right to express where she see our nation going. I think the problem with things like this is, and I copied the original post in but this is a response to the whole thread in general, is that no one was really wrong in the situation, at least in my opinion. Everyone has free speech right? So if the woman is expressing her right to free speech by hanging a flag upside down. JarHead's buddy then in turn exercised his right to free speech by knocking on the door and asking what was up. The thing about free speech is that everybody has it. If someone wanted to hold a peaceful protest in front of her house, while being an incredible waste of time, would still be allowed under our free speech, would it not? I think people sometimes try to hide behind free speech, like they are immune to criticism. For instance no one should actually tell her to take it down but they have every right to criticize her for it. It sounds confusing and my head is all twisted around just writing that but it really is simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantelliotoffen Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Crusades will get you banned, by the way. So keep up the good work! Personal "crusades" (posting the same information/opinion in an excessively repetitive manner. We want posters to share opinions not bludgeon others to death with them.) You have no material left, don't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Sorry... I have to keep this post alive! Every morning I take my son to school... Up Green street... At the corner of Green and 36th, in town, there is a house with a single staff flag pole... On the staff flies Old Glory on the top... Just below it, on the SAME STAFF, there is a flag of Texas. Now you say, nothing is unusual about this... Flags often fly below the American flag on the flag pole... In fact, at my work we have the USACE flag just below The Stars and Stripes. What gives about 36th and Green? The Texas flag is two times larger than the American flag. Flags on the same staff as the American flag, by rule have to be smaller. Quite an outrage and total disrespect to our nation's flag! Should I keep tolerating this every morning while my young son maybe catches a glance... Or should I knock on this disrespectful Texan's (presumably) door and set them straight? Should I take the name of Texas in vain? What's the person's angle... Do they think Texas is bigger than the US? Oh... And the OTHER EriK makes a good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Sorry... I have to keep this post alive! Every morning I take my son to school... Up Green street... At the corner of Green and 36th, in town, there is a house with a single staff flag pole... On the staff flies Old Glory on the top... Just below it, on the SAME STAFF, there is a flag of Texas. Now you say, nothing is unusual about this... Flags often fly below the American flag on the flag pole... In fact, at my work we have the USACE flag just below The Stars and Stripes. What gives about 36th and Green? The Texas flag is two times larger than the American flag. Flags on the same staff as the American flag, by rule have to be smaller. Quite an outrage and total disrespect to our nation's flag! Should I keep tolerating this every morning while my young son maybe catches a glance... Or should I knock on this disrespectful Texan's (presumably) door and set them straight? Should I take the name of Texas in vain? What's the person's angle... Do they think Texas is bigger than the US? Oh... And the OTHER EriK makes a good point. If they are from Texas be prepared to get shot when you knock on the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Right, because I'm young, I don't understand anything. I forgot. I have spent a great deal of time on the grounds of the Naval Academy for athletic reasons, and I was invited to attend the 2007 USNA commissioning, and listened to Robert Gates give the commencement speech. I get it. And I DON'T BUY ANY OF IT. IMO, our military is a big, expensive, lives ruining joke. That military is one that allows tools like you...spoiled children...to spout this kind of nonsense. As a veteran, I'd like to respond to this particular piece of typewritten diarrhea with a hearty !@#$ YOU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Right, because I'm young, I don't understand anything. I forgot. I have spent a great deal of time on the grounds of the Naval Academy for athletic reasons, and I was invited to attend the 2007 USNA commissioning, and listened to Robert Gates give the commencement speech. I get it. And I DON'T BUY ANY OF IT. IMO, our military is a big, expensive, lives ruining joke. Cat....CONGRATULATIONS! You just firmly RIPPED the title of "Forum Douchebag" RIGHT out of the hands of MG and EEO. Have a look at the link I posted. Thats on the hospital door of a Navy SEAL who downrange took a 7.62mm AK round in the face and arm. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Mul...Lnoteondoor.jpg Cat......You are not worth the ball of sweat hanging from this man's balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I would like to invite Texass and indeed the entire Deep South to secede. And hurry up about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Oh... I just noticed this morning... The house with the larger than Old Glory by x2 flag... They have a security door with wrought iron bars as a front enterance... How the phuck am I gonna knock on that? Damn Texans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster4324 Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I would like to invite Texass and indeed the entire Deep South to secede. And hurry up about it. May I ask why you feel they should secede? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Cat....CONGRATULATIONS! You just firmly RIPPED the title of "Forum Douchebag" RIGHT out of the hands of MG and EEO. Have a look at the link I posted. Thats on the hospital door of a Navy SEAL who downrange took a 7.62mm AK round in the face and arm. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/Mul...Lnoteondoor.jpg Cat......You are not worth the ball of sweat hanging from this man's balls. That military is one that allows tools like you...spoiled children...to spout this kind of nonsense. As a veteran, I'd like to respond to this particular piece of typewritten diarrhea with a hearty !@#$ YOU. You guys really take the ass out of class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 That military is one that allows tools like you...spoiled children...to spout this kind of nonsense. As a veteran, I'd like to respond to this particular piece of typewritten diarrhea with a hearty !@#$ YOU. So the military isn't big and expensive? We aren't spending nearly 50% of the world's defense budget? Not for nothing, but I've seen the military ruin a lot of people's lives and not just because they or a loved one died in combat. He may be a tool and that statement may be pretty general but it's not wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 So the military isn't big and expensive? We aren't spending nearly 50% of the world's defense budget? Not for nothing, but I've seen the military ruin a lot of people's lives and not just because they or a loved one died in combat. He may be a tool and that statement may be pretty general but it's not wrong. Whether or not there was a ring of truth to it, the reason this shitstain put forth that comment was not to legitimately criticise the U.S. Military, but to demean it and sh-- on it and those who serve. !@#$ him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Whether or not there was a ring of truth to it, the reason this shitstain put forth that comment was not to legitimately criticise the U.S. Military, but to demean it and sh-- on it and those who serve. !@#$ him. I reserve the utmost spite and contempt for those who have volunteered to fight our wars. The troops are to blame for everything that's wrong with our military. Yep, you got me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molson_golden2002 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I reserve the utmost spite and contempt for those who have volunteered to fight our wars. The troops are to blame for everything that's wrong with our military. Yep, you got me. How big is the military advertising budget? They have advertisements on all the time in prime time and all sorts of other things. Must be in the hundreds of millions of dollars they spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molson_golden2002 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 According to this site military advertising budget is over a billion dollars! http://radicalreference.info/node/1111 Imagine if another government agency had that much to spend on advertising, like medicare or something? What if they started making ads to promote other things, like students doing more math and sciene? Propaganda does work, why not make it work for something useful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I reserve the utmost spite and contempt for those who have volunteered to fight our wars. The troops are to blame for everything that's wrong with our military. Yep, you got me. Oh, thats right...you can dissent and still support the troops. Silly me. If you meant to sh-- on how the military is RUN, and not on the troops, themselves choose better words next time, !@#$wad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Oh, thats right...you can dissent and still support the troops. Silly me. If you meant to sh-- on how the military is RUN, and not on the troops, themselves choose better words next time, !@#$wad. My apologies, queaf breath. That's right, I can call you names too, taint lips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 May I ask why you feel they should secede? Because they contribute nothing to our society except a healthy dose of narrow-minded hatred. I never thought so....but then I lived there for a number of years and learned to my horror just how wrong I was. I found pockets of decent people here and there, but in the minority. I found the people around me to be overwhelmingly ignorant (and proud of it), shallow, and very parochial. I guess you find those folks all over, but there sure seem to be a lot of them concentrated in the deep south. And, perhaps, in Alaska. I cannot say for sure, but judging by their elected officials one might just wonder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsidethebox Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Because they contribute nothing to our society except a healthy dose of narrow-minded hatred. I never thought so....but then I lived there for a number of years and learned to my horror just how wrong I was. I found pockets of decent people here and there, but in the minority. I found the people around me to be overwhelmingly ignorant (and proud of it), shallow, and very parochial. I guess you find those folks all over, but there sure seem to be a lot of them concentrated in the deep south. And, perhaps, in Alaska. I cannot say for sure, but judging by their elected officials one might just wonder. You must have felt right at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomer860 Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 You must have felt right at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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