Monday, October 22, 2007

Obama's Lapel

Barack Obama made a comment about how wearing a lapel of an American flag wasn't a subsitute for patriotism. I haven't liked much of Obama's rhetoric which seems to consist of a lot of short-term protectionism, but this is one of the first things that he's said of which I really admire. Too often nationalism goes unquestioned, and nationalism doesn't sound all that different from jingoism. The idea that any one person, or group of people are somehow superior to another because of their geographic location is outright obnoxious. It's bothersome when people talk of their unquestioning loyalty to America, as an end in itself, not a means for a free society.

Flag waving, to me, looks similar to racist chants. Of course, I speak out against this, but let me make it clear that no government, in my humble opinion, has the right to censor any such speech.

Check out Obama's unlikely ally from his statement.

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