Flag Lapel Pins Do Not Define Patriotism

According to Douglas Schoen of the Wall Street Journal Barack Obama needs to look to the general election and begin to define himself before the Republican Party does. While I agree with this statement, it is what Mr. Schoen suggests that I can't stand. He states "First, and obviously symbolically, he must start wearing the flag lapel pin. He simply cannot afford to raise doubts about his patriotism." I'm sorry, but what does wearing a flag lapel pin have to do with how patriotic someone is? It is the calls from the brain-dead Media like Mr. Schoen, and that of ABC during the last Presidential debate between Obama and Clinton that are lowering the intelligence of all of us and insulting the intelligence of the American People.

Senator Obama stated to the Associated Press that he no longer wears a flag lapel pin because people started using it as an empty symbol of patriotism instead of actually being a patriot. I couldn't agree with him more. The same people that claim to love America and wear a flag lapel pin on their chests are nothing more than politicians wanting to secure their election while sending over 4,000 American Troops to their deaths in a war that was started with lies. In fact, Obama's words, as stated in the New York Times, sum it perfectly: "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." This is 100% correct. People that claim to be patriotic and wear their flag lapel pins everywhere they go also tend to vote in ways that are very un-patriotic.

I think Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury strip did a great job of mocking the stupid people who think that you have to wear a lapel pin to be patriotic.

Here's the deal. We need to stop looking at what is "symbolic" and what is truly in the heart and minds of those people. What we truly need is for people to stop looking at what someone wears and supposedly believes and start looking at what they actually believe in and how they vote. What is more disturbing is that people will actually question Obama's patriotism because of his decision not to wear a lapel pin. People might actually think he doesn't love America and what it stands for. Yet, someone like McCain, who wants to continue to send our sons and daughters to die in Iraq will never be questioned for his patriotism.

This reminds me of the campaign in 2002 in South Dakota. Then Senator Tim Johnson was running against our current Representative and now Senator John Thune. At this time, Senator Johnson was the ONLY Congressman to have a child fighting in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was the only one who had a personal stake in his voting for the wars pushed by the Bush Administration. Yet at this time, the Republican Party put out ads questioning Senator Johnson's patriotism because he didn't want to spend billions of dollars on a wasteful and irresponsible policy of missile defense. It was a cowardly attack against someone who had his oldest son serving in the military all because of politics. Unfortunately, the Republican Party likes to use this tactic to try and persuade the ignorant populace that they are the ones who are patriotic and democrats are not.

I have one word for the media: STOP! Stop making this an issue and helping the idiots of the world dumb down the debates. We need a discussion of issues that matter, not a fashion statement.

Barack Obama loves America. In fact, he loves it enough that he wants to explain to people about his policies and why he loves America instead of wearing a pin that is a hollow reference. The people that think this is important are the same people who probably have a ribbon on their vehicle stating "support the troops" while driving an SUV that gets 8 miles to the gallon -- another words, people who feel better by putting on a pin or magnetic ribbon while doing nothing to actually support what they are supposedly believing in.

True patriots don't need to wear a pin that was made in China. True patriots don't send our own people across the world to die for oil. True patriots fight for the rights of American's and the liberties we hold true. Barack Obama is that patriot and he doesn't need a pin to tell us.

Douglas Schoen, "Obama and the Values Question Mark"; Wall Street Journal

Associated Press, "Barack Obama Stops Wearing American Flag Lapel Pin"; Fox News

Jeff Zeleny, "Obama's Lapels"; The New York Times