Category: Patriotism

Not A Problem

Patriotism

I know there’s going to be some kind of uproar about this:

The gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team is turning down President Trump’s invitation to attend the State of the Union (SOTU) address, citing conflicting “academic and professional commitments.”

Actually, I’m going to file this under “Whatever”, because it doesn’t matter.  I remember when Michael Jordan turned down an invitation from Bill Clinton to visit the White House, giving as a reason the fact that Clinton’s latest tax increase had severely impacted his financial state.

I didn’t care then, and I didn’t care now.  Some time ago, I think I asked the question about getting an invitation from Obama or Biden to visit the White House, and being surprised at the vitriolic response.

And yes, I know that these girls were representing the United States, and how dare they turn down an invitation from the President of the United States.

To borrow a line from the Left:  he’s not a king, and the invitation is not a Royal Summons.

Al that said, however, I do find it difficult to believe that every single member of the team has an “academic and professional commitment” which would make accepting an invitation impossible.  My question is:  who first suggested that these kids turn down the invitation as a team, rather than allowing individuals to make up their own mind?  Or do all the team members hate Trump that much?

And let’s be honest:  an invitation to attend the SOTU address would be a way for these kids to be recognized and applauded by the nation, on prime time TV.  If they want to be churlish and tun down that opportunity, well, there’s no law against bad manners.

Finally, I think it would e very wrong to think of punishing the team, its members or the USOC in some way – e.g. by cutting off their funding or something like that.  Now that would be churlish.

It’s not the end of the world.  Forget about it, and them, and let’s focus on more important matters.

All that said, I’m glad to see how the gold-winning men’s team has responded to the same Presidential invitation.  The above article makes no mention of that, but here’s one that does:

The president went on to extend an invitation to have the team at his State of the Union address on Tuesday, to which a chorus of players immediately answered, “We’re in!”

One player asked if they could have help getting to Washington, DC.

“We’ll get Kash or we’ll get the military to get you guys over,” Trump replied, garnering more cheers from the athletes.

At the end of the call, Trump said, “We love you guys. Congratulations… I’m going to shake hands with everybody, but I got to shake hands with that goalie!”

There ya go, and the hell with the chicks.

Turning The Tables

Funny Stuff, Patriotism

For those of you who’ve been away vacationing on the Planet Zarg and you have no idea who “Amelia” is, let Jamie Wilson ‘splain everything in her own inimitable style:

The British government’s Prevent office, housed under the Home Office (think Department of the Interior, but allergic to dissent), partnered with a media nonprofit called Shout Out UK (like a PBS focused on preventing “radicalism”) to come up with a clever new way to re-educate British youth.
The concern, as always, was “radicalization.” They thought the solution was inspired: a choice-based video game. Kids like games. Games involve decisions. Decisions shape values. What could possibly go wrong?
Thus Pathways was born, a government-funded interactive morality play designed to gently shepherd British children toward being properly antiracist, properly accepting, and properly enthusiastic about the ever-increasing number of migrants reshaping their country. Civics class, but fun. And digital. And corrective.
As part of this effort, the designers introduced a character named Amelia, a cute, purple-haired, vaguely goth girl who carries a Union Jack and talks about Britain being for the British. She was meant to function as a warning, a living illustration of how nationalism can look attractive, even charming, and yet be dangerous to the impressionable youths of Britain who may not have fully internalized the idea that Brexit is bad and they are to obey their elitist overlords.
What they did not anticipate was that the public would take one look at adorable, charming Amelia and decide she was the good guy.

To be honest, I’m howling with laughter at this whole thing.

Wasn’t it that little Commie tit Saul Alinsky who suggested using your enemy’s own rules and weapons against them?

It’s Not Hyperbole

Food & Drink, Marketing / Advertising, Patriotism, Trades

When I first referred to Jeremy Clarkson as “The Greatest Living Englishman”, it started off as a nod to his unflinching honesty when it came to everything he looked at, such as his (non-)review of some Vauxhall car model back in the 1990s:  “If they’re not going to bother to make an interesting car, I’m not going to bother to review it.”

That caused Big Business (in this case, Vauxhall’s then-parent company General Motors) to go apeshit, because that’s not the way car reviewers are supposed to behave.

It’s that same unflinching honesty that he displayed in his first bumbling efforts at farming which turned his Clarkson’s Farm TV show into a runaway smash hit, and along the way almost single-handedly changed the way the British regard both food and the farmers who produce it.

So when he turned that same agricultural ignorance towards brewing beer — simply because he had a barn full of unsold barley which he needed to sell — one might think that it was just another celebrity using their name to sell a product.

In this case, one would be not only wrong, but spectacularly wrong.  And if you want to see a case study in marketing that, in hindsight, never had a chance of failing, then I implore you to watch this video.

Time and time again, “the experts” believed that Clarkson was making a mistake, and every single time he proved them not only wrong, but spectacularly wrong.

He turned a few thousand pounds’ worth of unsold barley into a £75 million company, and in the process, changed the way British people think about farming, about beer and about the people who farm and the people who brew beer.

And he did it all with his usual unflinching honesty and openness, which gave the lie to the usual corporate veneer of respectability and care for both their employees and their customers.

Which is why he truly is the Greatest Living Englishman.

I can’t wait to try it the next time I go over to Britishland.

Flaggism

Mocking Furriners, Patriotism

“Wut dat, Kim?”

Allow me to explain, via this article:

This is turning into one of the most subversive and colorful patriotic campaigns ever.  And it’s really chapping the knickers off of the pissy, prissy ‘minders’ who keep an eye on everyone and tell them how to behave.

Hundreds of flags have sprung up in towns and cities across the country, many flying from lampposts, as part of a campaign called “Operation Raise the Colours.”

Sounds all peaceful and normal, right?  Nazzo fast, Guido:

A council leader has said that some residents have been left feeling “intimidated” by the appearance of Union Jack and St George’s flags.

My heart bleeds for their tender sensibilities.  Perhaps those “residents” (none of whom, I bet, are native-born Brits) should have tried “settling” in another country, perhaps?

Just not here.

Because if they had, they’d have been confronted by this:

A California RV dealership is defiantly displaying the massive American flag that it was told to take down by local officials earlier this year — despite proudly flying similarly sized versions of the Stars and Stripes at its more than 250 other locations across the country without issue.

Camping World on Interstate 5 outside Stockton is well known for the giant Old Glory flying over its grounds — but in April, San Joaquin County Community Development ordered that it be taken down for safety reasons and lack of a permit. Specifically, they are worried about the flagpole’s foundation and its proximity to property lines and the highway in case it ever fell over.

Yeah, I’m sure it was for “safety” reasons.  Oh, and I’m a little curious how John Adams (to name just one) would have responded to the ordinance requiring a permit to fly our flag.  (I’m thinking muskets, tar, feathers etc., but feel free to correct me.)

Anyway, our intrepid business owner has told the council to take a hike:

Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World, found out about the ongoing issue and ordered the dealership on Monday to raise the flag.

Lemonis said if it were a marketing flag on the pole and not the American flag, he would consider keeping it down until it was approved.

But Old Glory stays, he said, regardless of what the county says.

“It’s symbolism about how we feel about this country. We have a lot of veterans who work for us, and a lot of veterans who shop with us,” Lemonis said.

Best part of all this?

“I happen to be an immigrant,” the Lebanon-born entrepreneur said. “I was given the blessing of being able to enter this country and become a citizen, and I’m grateful for it. It’s been part of my life since I was a little child down in Miami, Florida, where we had the largest flagpole in Miami at our car dealership.”

“Not when they sue, not when I lose, not if they take me to jail, the flag is not coming down.”

Makes you proud to be an American, dunnit?  (And by the way, if it were me in his shoes, my response would probably get me on A List faster than you could say “dog”.

Anyway, back to our article about the Brits and their flags.  Beege Welborn concludes by saying about these naughty “right-wingers” and the BritGov apparatchiks who want to pull down the national flags:

They have no clue how lucky they are that it’s only flags.

Unfortunately, the way things have become Over There, all they have is flags.

Unlike us Over Here…

Not Bothered

Patriotism

I see that The Usual Suspects are going apeshit because POTUS has made burning the American flag illegal.

I know that there are all sorts of Constitutional issues involved, and I actually don’t mind too much if some malcontent decides to take a Zippo to Old Glory.

It makes Target Identification all the easier, you see.

Yeah I know:  “Ooooh Kim, that’s so hateful and threatening.”  Tell it to your fucking psychiatrist, or sell your angst to someone who actually cares.

If it happened the way I’d really want it to happen, I’d want the asshole to set himself on fire along with the flag and burn to death, slowly and painfully.

Quote Of The Day

Patriotism, Resistance

Talking about the current brouhaha in Britishland over local town councils taking down British or England flags while leaving Palestinian flags flying:

“If raising your own country’s flag is seen as an act of rebellion, then maybe your country is under foreign occupation.” — Alex James

Thank goodness we have laws about this kind of thing Over Here, because let me tell you that any similar reindeer games by local municipalities would result in both lawsuits (if they were lucky) and possibly gunfire.

If I (or any other proud Americans) want to fly our national flag, it will be flown regardless of whom it might “offend” or “trigger”.