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Capture The Flag

published by David Rogers on 01/02/17 3:44pm
Posted to: 
Colorado

This morning while driving back from the mountains from a hike I saw a big ol' bubba truck (a common mountain sight) flying an American flag from the back, whipping patriotically next to his Trump bumper sticker. I laughed, painfully.

Our opponents have long claimed the American flag as their own, and everyone else has let them do so. The symbol, coupled with other classic American terms such as “patriot,” were co-opted in a deliberate attempt to paint everyone else as “Un-American.” A distaste for nationalism made this co-option easy. Uncomfortable with nationalism in the post-colonial world, many were content to let the flag be claimed with the assumption that the vicious “my country right or wrong” mentality would fade with time, tossed behind us in the march to a better world.

Unfortunately, nationalism is back and they took our flag.

As part of the fight we need to take that flag back. The values we are championing—peace, tolerance, democracy and personal self-determination—are more American than the values of our opponents, who see their dreams of American apartheid, one-party rule and endless war within their grasp. To show that we are the true conveyors of American values, we need to fly the flag again.

This coming year, take the American flag with you to your events, gatherings, and protests. Don’t use it ironically. Take it back from those who abuse it to un-American ends.

David Rogers's picture

Capture The Flag

This morning while driving back from the mountains from a hike I saw a big ol' bubba truck (a common mountain sight) flying an American flag from the back, whipping patriotically next to his Trump bumper sticker. I laughed,...
David Rogers's picture

To Pablo Neruda for his Canto General

To Pablo Neruda for his Canto General By David Rogers Jr Pampas of blood, deserts of sorrow. Your land, Pablo, suffered like The Forgotten in dictators’ Cells covering your continent, A land shaped like an arrow To...

National Lawyers Guild speaking event

On October 23rd, the National Lawyers Guild student chapter at CU Law hosted Graham Clumpner of IVAW at a lunch speaking event to talk about Operation Recovery and the role of legal professionals in GI rights and...
Sunnyside IVAW Operation Community Support

IVAW Sunnyside Music Festival

Here is a blog about the IVAW security operation this weekend.    http://equalminded.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/sunnyside-music-festival/
Carli Richards's picture

First blog. Just wanted to share these cool links and see how these things work.

http://secularwoman.org/Aurora_Shooting_Survivor_Carli_Counsels_Fellow_Atheist_Women http://secularwoman.org/carli_interview These people were so amazingly compassionate and gave me an outlet to speak the truth about what...
Graham Clumpner's picture

Iraq Veterans Against the War Colorado Chapter statement on the Aurora shooting

Iraq Veterans Against the War Colorado Chapter statement on the Aurora shooting The Aurora movie theatre shooting has left a hole in our Colorado Community. We are disgusted by this hopeless act of violence. We have...

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