You heard about the Pakistani protester who died of smoke inhalation after burning American flags?

[xiphias]

Yeah, not a joke. I'd link to the story, but y'all don't want to read the comment sections.

But, well. That's basically the story. A protester at an anti-American flag-burning died of smoke inhalation. I'd like to say that it's not funny, because, y'know, a human being died, but, let's face it, it is.

But this story teaches us an important lesson: when you're burning American flags, look for the MADE IN THE USA label. You buy cheap flags from China or Indonesia or somewhere, and you have no idea WHAT kind of toxic crap that stuff is made of -- buy American, to make sure of getting QUALITY materials!

We also should thank that protester for saving the life of the Boy Scout who would have been performing the flag disposal ceremony after it wore out.

It also made Lis and me wonder -- what percentage of flag sales go to the US for display, and what percentage go to anti-US protesters? It seems to me that you'd have a much more dynamic, growing market if you marketed to the protesters. Plus, you can be a lot sloppier with quality control -- if you're just burning the thing, who cares if it's got fifty-three stars, or twelve stripes, or if the top stripe is white, or whatever?

Comments

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

I've always been fascinated by the near-idolatry of the Flag Code and all the OCD it brings out in people. Years ago, the comedian Robert Klein did a bit about attending school assemblies at his 1950s high school, complete with putting an illiterate kid in charge of reading the 23rd Psalm (back when you could, and in fact were forced to, do such things in US public schools). He recounted the poor kid dispatched to carry the big American flag into the assembly who dropped it: the kid thought George Washington was going to rise up from the dead and yell at him, "How dare you drop me! After all I suffered at Valley Forge!"

Yet the same people are defending the Youtube video that caused this whole hot mess in the first place as being "free speech by private citizens."

Can I have my country back? I think it went into the dryer and got lost with all the missing socks.