I am so grateful to the author writing such an insightful and reality based article, although knowing those who scream to be "patriotic Americans" I am sure this blog will be filled with stupid and childish comments such as "well if you don't like it here leave".
However, for those of you who still have the ability to think independently and see all of reality will also see the value of this article.
It is a sad commentary on a country who purports to be "the very best in the world", yet one of the biggest flaws our country has had and which still contributes to the horrible domestic and international messes we are in now is the fact that we never ever take responsibility for our actions that cause negative effects on its citizens and other countries. We never take responsibility for the huge mistakes we have made in our domestic and especially international decisions and actions. We never take responsibility for ruining the lives of people in other countries, we never take reaponsibility for imposing our greed, will and stupid agendas on other sovereign countries under the false pretense of promotinc peace and democracy. We are the the evil that is destroying the world.
Instead most citizens have been trained to wear their meaningless "patriotism" on their sleeves, to sing the false praises of this country, and to follow whoever is in power like blind sheep. Certainly a contradiction when you think America as "the most powerful and intelligent" country in the world, yet its citizens have no ability to engage in critical thinking, to think independently, to form opinions that may be different than those of our supposed leaders. The so called "great free nation" has created a mass of citizens who chant our leaders' lies, such as "we are fighting to protect your freedoms"--what freedoms exactly were at risk??, the citizens of this country blindly chant the ignorant rhetoric of our contry enjoying more "freedoms" than anywhere else in the world--that is laughable!, the citizens of this country lost their ability to think independently, to think freely without being heavily influence by the false rhetoric of "patriotism"
Having been in other countries, I am convinced that citizens of this country have absolutely no idea what patriotism or freedom really means, primarily because the citizens of this country have been blinded by deceipt and lies for generations, and hence most don't even know an accurate account of American history--the true history, not the one created by those in power.
When the US Congress, the oversight branch and the "checks and balances" branch looses totaly power to enforce the US constitution, to stop and crazed maniac of a president and his cronies, or to stop the slaughter of thousands of young brave Americans and innocent citizens of the countries we invade, we are not living in a free country, we are living in a facist country disguised as a democracy. When people are afraid to speak their opposition to government policies for fear of serious reprisals and/or being linched by the mob of empty patriotics, when people who go out on the streets to protest unfair policies and actions by our government get beatten, shot at, and put in prison as "enemy combatants" these people, these citizens of the United States are NOT LIVING in a FREE COUNTRY.

It's time for the citizens of this country to wake up, open your eyes and stand up against our own powers who deceive us, destroy our constitution, make a disaster of the world, and places us at immense risk of harm by our own stupid actions. If we don't wake up soon, this country will self-destruct, it will simply implode. No need to worry about the foreign "boogy man" attacking us or taking over, there will be nothing left when our dictators are done.

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Getting the US to practice humility and engage in a little self-reflection would be like getting Donald Trump to do it.

Even so, the article tells it like it is, and keeps it short and simple. I like the point about our sense of proportion.

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from one man that is proud to be an American.

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Burn the flag. Rip it up.

Yee-haw!!!!!!!!! Good Buddy!

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America has always been a nation of idealized virtues yet to be realized. I think that NOW is as great time to reclaim the symbolism of the American Flagt and use it to empower, "We The People". It's time for the masses to get informed and active in defining and creating the new reality of what they want and don't want for their America.

The symbolism of the American flag has been hijacked throughout history by aggressive individuals and groups that have found it to be a handy motivational tool in rationalizing their extremist and unjust agendas under the guise of patriotism.

The thirteen stripes are supposed to symbolize the original colonies and the 50 stars, states rights. In effect, the flag has been and is being desecrated on a regular basis all over the world as it has come to represent repression, aggression, greed, colonialism, danger, etc.

Let's not run away from the issue or symbolism but instead face it head on with great pride, dignity, compassion and persistence.

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It doesn't belong to them alone!

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Zinn's plea here makes me laugh.

Last year when the open-borders loonies were having their May Day march here in Santa Cruz, I was the only counter-demonstrator (see last 2 paragraphs).

Someone handed me an American flag. I declined, because too many scoundrels wrap themselves in the flag -- and of course, the illegals prove that big time!

They started out waving Mexican flags, but it soon became obvious that was a big PR mistake. So their leaders provided them with new American flags. And presto, next thing you know, they're waving American flags for their photo-ops!

Of course, their attitude didn't change one iota -- it was pure BS, and most everyone saw through it.

One anarchist that I know of renounces all flags, but she, too, was waving the flag!

What a farce!

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yeah, im an american living abroad in japan, I must say the japanese have it right, not that they dont have problems, but the only ones waving the japanese flag are those that wish for a return to its agressive imperialist past, and when they do, neither the media or the public gives much notice. the only ones wrapping themselves in the rising sun are deemed more or less crazy zealots. ask the average japanese how they feel about their country, and they will tell you they love it.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLHdSovhzcA

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Though Howard Zinn is personally a hero of mine, I disagree with much of what this article implies. 2 main reasons.

(1.)He seems to confuse patriotism with nationalism, which are not always the same concepts.
(2.)The United States, as "the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed" *is* superior. Or, at least, the idea of it is. Because it's the quintessential melting pot mongrel nation of many different ethnic, cultural, religious, political, philosophical and cultural views , it's superior. Because of its basis on civil liberties(well, at least until this last administration), it's superior. Not to say that this superiority implies that we get to do whatever we want in the rest of the world, or that we are a/the perfect nation, but it does make me object to the idea that our country, its history, its symbols and what it could and should be should not be celebrated, as Mr. Zinn implies. The very independence that he proposes we not celebrate is the very independence that allows and encourages dissenting outsider voices like him to be heard. And that's worth celebrating.

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...but I'm not sure that the evidence supports this. I'm concerned that there are millions of miniature versions of Dick Cheney in our country, who truly believe that their suburban home, 2 cars in the driveway, and frequent trips to shopping malls to buy clothes made by concentration camp labor in east Asia, is what life is all about, and is, in fact, an entitlement. So as long as they get these things, they will support our government, or at least not protest much. There is a reason that governments co-opt people in this way -- because it works. Ultimately, when a society sacrifices honor for material gain, such as when it wages pre-emptive wars to get oil to sustain a standard of living, it will end up with neither honor nor standard of living. But those wheels of justice take a long time to turn, and a lot of damage to the innocent is done in the meantime.

As a veteran of the anti-war marches in the Bay Area, which were heavily subscribed, prior to the Iraq invasion, I can testify that carrying signs seems to have done little good. Voting with our dollars, if enough people do it, might effect more of a positive change. Here in Seattle, there are a growing number of us who have rearranged our lives to exit the car-dependence loop (by moving near work and using busses) and exit the clothes-dependence loop (by learning to make our own and not buying from the concentration camp factories sponsored in Asia by all the big U.S. clothing names). Those who cry the blues about the direction America has taken might consider moves like this. Otherwise their cries are undermined by their actions as they drive their SUV's from their oversized suburban homes to the mall to buy name brand clothing for their families.

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My flag is solid blood red (no white stripes) with a dark blue field (no stars). The stars, which represent light, are replaced by darkness. The white stripes are blood-drenched.

It's starless field represents the benighting of American minds by government propaganda with lies of freedom, equality, democracy and the rule of law.

It's blood-drenched solid red field represents its foreign policy: endless wars.

You celebrate that. I can't.

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Libby's Pardon: America's Flag in Disgrace
.
Dick Cheney and George Bush are a disgrace to our country. They are skillful liars as are all psychopaths. In fact lack of concern for community or democratic values as in putting oneself above the law combined with habitual lying defines psychopathy. It defines Cheney and Bush.
I personally don't think Scooter is a psychopath on the order of Cheney and Bush. I believe he lived in an environment where lying and duplicity were practiced daily on the most egregious levels. Living in this environment day in and day out, he had little practical knowledge or experience that there could or might be even one possible iota of repercussion for bold faced lying. Lacking the snakelike skills of a Cheney or Bush he blew it.
That Scooter, the person, should not have to spend years in prison strikes a sympathetic chord with me.
That Scooter, the representative of an administration that adheres to no moral system in the pursuit of power and economic gain, should avoid justice makes me vomit.
I think we should fly all American flags at half staff until these mendacious psychopaths are escorted out of the White House, one way or the other. Better yet perhaps, would be to visit or demonstrate in D.C. and simply leave flags at the White House gates and the Supreme Court building. This, turning in of the flags, will represent that the Red, White and Blue is used only for propaganda by Bush, Cheney and the neocon party and it no longer represents American values. It has been disgraced.
Craig Johnson

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to the day when America's independence will again be worthy of celebrating, may I recommend the most kick-ass "Stars and Stripes Forever" ever: Frederick Fennell and the Cleveland Winds, Stars & Stripes: Fanfares, Marches & Wind Band Spectaculars on Telarc.

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I am as liberal as most of the people in this country. On top of that, I hate this so-called war on terrorism which should be called the war to create terrorists. However I don't hate my country just because I hate what this administration has done and continues to do.

As far as I am concerned blaming the country for the actions of corrupt leaders is rather disingenuous. I don't want to live anywhere else and even in times when I don't agree with what is going on, I don't blame it on the symbol of what we are supposed to be. I blame it on the people who trample on and pervert that symbol. I may be ashamed of things the leaders of America have done, but I am not ashamed of being an American.

I am very grateful for the fact that I do live here. No, things are not perfect here, but in what country are they perfect? What I don't forget is the fact that many good people died trying to make the dream a reality. The only thing that can keep us from that reality is our own apathy. If we put up with lousy government, the flag didn't do it, nor is it responsible for our lack of will to make this country what it can be. The flag ought to be a rallying point, not an object of disgust. patti

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but my flag is flying high today. Patriotism is not the same thing as nationalism. I'm not letting the filthy neo-cons or the vile Democrat enablers claim the flag for theirs alone.

P.S. - If any of the statists/leftists on this site haven't read Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, I suggest you do so. Its one of the best history books I've ever read.

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We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.
No, not to the human race. Sure, that's better than nationalism, but it is still woefully anthropocentric. I believe we need to assert our allegiance to Planet Earth, out of whose body we are created and to whose body we return.
We need to assert our allegiance, not merely to our own kind but to all the millions of entities, from mountains to microbes, with whom we humans co-exist.
We need to assert our allegiance not to nations with their artificial boundaries but to the bioregions in which we live, to the ecosystems which support us and to the communities (not just of humans but of all life forms) in which we find ourselves.
We need to assert our allegiance to the local economies which need our effort, our money and our loyalty in order to provide a sustainable alternative when the oil runs out and the global economy collapses. That means pledging allegiance to local, independent businesses instead of supermarkets, pledging to live simply and caring for the soil that feeds us all.
Allegiance to a piece of colored fabric, no matter what it stands for, is really daft. Allegiance to the health of the soil, of rivers, of oceans and forests and fields, and a willingness to die for the rights of earthworms to live and thrive free from pesticides makes a lot more sense to me than saluting some stupid flag (especially when all the lofty concepts it was supposed to stand for have long since disappeared down the toilet).

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Remember all the hardworking honest people who came to America because they believed in honesty and freedom.
And realise that the capitalistic making profits out of everything distructs society, ruins the world, cause stretch and fat people.
Why Mr.Zinn is not talking about the Jewish superiorty feelings, that are a hindrance to the peace in Palestina.???

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After reading Howard Zinn's article and many of the comments (always as interesting and often more insightful than the articles themselves) I stepped out my front door and looked up the street. It's a dead-end street comprised of lower middle-class working people (at least I _hope_ they're working!) and I was curious to see how many flags were on display on this Fourth of July morning. I counted three, which puts them in a definite minority. I'll wager that a walk around the neighborhood would reveal a continuing minority. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems that Fourth of July celebrations in general have diminished around here. Usually, beginning this past weekend, I would only have to step outside after dark to witness the night go up in a blaze of local and city-wide fireworks displays, the air filled with the smell of burned powder and the light under the streetlamps illuminating drifting clouds of blue smoke. One could easily imagine a battle going on around. But not now. Not on this Fourth. The night is much more subdued. Celebration seems almost disrespectful. What an ugly place we have arrived at.

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should anyone who is not a white , middle-class male wave the flag proudly? It is obvouos that that the US wants no one but White males. Those who came from oppression may say that it is better here, but that does not deter from the fact that you are not wanted here.why honor something that hates you?

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I will continue to wave my flag today to honor the spirit of my mixed bag of ancestors, especially those fierce, independent minded Scotch-Irish who fought in the American Revolution. (And their sons who fought for the Union in the Civil War even though they were generational Southerners.) Were our founding fathers perfect? NO! Everything the author says is true. But guess what? No group of people or nation has ever been completely free from sin. It is not just patriotic rhetoric. The founders of this country DID do something revolutionary for the times they were living in. In was an experiment that in many ways it taking a wrong turn. They did not forsee corporate capitalism and the threat it poses to democracy. But as so many of the above posters have said, to turn away from the flag is to let the neocons define it. I'll keep my flag and turn off my television.

"America! Love it and make it better."

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Nationalism is revolting. Nationalist ideologies couldn't do a thing if the people who believed them didn't turn into zombies the instant they started believing in the superiority of their own country.

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I'm so tired of the daily depression brought on by the newest revelations of the crimes of Bush and his cronies.
Today I took down our flag. I'll put it back up when I can fly it with a clear conscience. I suspect that make take a good while. Impeaching Cheney and Bush would be a grand headstart.

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Excerpted from: http://humanebeing.blogspot.com

Central to the American collective self-picture is the story of the Fourth of July. It commemorates the declaration of political independence on this day in 1776 by colonial activists who had become disenchanted with exploitation by a distant monarch, George III of England. This led to the founding of a new and unique nation-state in its time.

We celebrate Independence Day in the classic American fashion through colorful excess. We engorge ourselves on rich food and drink. We parade ourselves in a proud and militaristic manner down our flag-decked main streets. And, we set off the most awesome fireworks that can be devised.

Interestingly, fireworks had originated with the early Chinese, who did not initially consider the warfare potential of the gunpowder they’d invented for their fireworks. But after Marco Polo brought the explosive powder to Europe, the Chinese eventually did learn through the example of the Europeans and Americans how to devise potent weaponry – first from gunpowder then uranium.

Americans have another interesting connection with the Chinese on this summer’s day. A distant fireworks event was witnessed by Chinese astronomers on July 4, 1054 AD. Had they known what it truly signified they would have held the celestial phenomenom in deepest awe.

Chinese skywatchers could not have missed the presence of the ”guest star.” Even in the noonday brightness it was possible to discern the supernova, which appeared six times brighter than Venus. Being superb astronomers, the supernova was carefully noted and tracked by them.

Had the Chinese not viewed the patterned movements of the sky as the model for order and stability in their Middle Kingdom, information on the supernova in the constellation Taurus (and whose remains are the Crab Nebula) might not have been so well preserved for posterity.

And, one wonders, had gunpowder not been invented so early, might its eventual use in destruction and death somehow have been minimized in later times? Unfortunately this appears unlikely, given the conflicted nature of the human condition. There seems to be a base human attraction to gunpowder’s belligerent use, as in: “the rockets’ red glare, bombs bursting in air,” words which every American has learned to sing but rarely reflects upon.

So when we set off fireworks, are we simply revisiting that heavenly awe experienced by the Chinese? Or do we also need the shock and awe of fireworks to help defibrillate our humdrum lives? On each Fourth of July, Americans celebrate while not really knowing why.

Yet amid the patriotic fervor, good times with family and friends, the exhuberance of fireworks, cookouts and colorful parades, there is something else that could be celebrated.

We might pause for a moment in the festivities to contemplate how fortunate we in fact are. And in evoking a sense of thankfulness for our good fortune, health and happiness we might also wish such good fortune on others.

With each burst of the fireworks we might envision sending our best wishes out to all the world’s people, as if saying: “here is a gift of light, vitality, hope and goodness.” Indeed, it has been known to every world wisdom tradition that good things come when we wish them on others. But when we pull the benefits greedily to ourselves, little good comes of it.

I for one will send out my good wishes with each firework’s blast. I will envision them as harbingers of light and life in this suffering yet glorious world.

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Last year on this date, AlterNet published an Op-Ed piece titled, “Patriotism and the Fourth of July.”

The article’s summary said, “The Declaration of Independence gives us the true meaning of a patriot, someone who supports a country's ideals, not necessarily its government.”

That description fits me to a tee -- the reason I hung the Stars & Stripes from my house this morning.

But, oh, what a difference a year makes. Why do I say that? Because the Alternet article posted on July 4, 2006, was written by -- you guessed it -- Howard Zinn.

The gall this man has, preaching to me about nationalism and patriotism – as if I were too stupid to know the difference. Last year, it was okay with Howard Zinn that I flew the American flag but not now. What made him so wise? Who made him God?

As for AlertNeters who will attack me for celebrating Independence Day the traditional way, I have one thing to say. You’re no better than Herr Busch and his goose-stepping neocon cabal that I hate so viscerally. Stop smearing Americans who believe in REAL patriotism – the kind Zinn wrote about last year. Quit being divisive, goddamnit! That's what the Bush/Cheney White House does.

Hugh E. Scott, proud Vietnam vet, proud ex-USAF pilot and proud editor of FreedomCentralUSA.com, a nonprofit investigative website dedicated to the destruction of neoconservatism using truth and the Internet as WMDs.

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To me, not putting your flag on display says no one's paying attention enough to care. I fly mine in remembrance and respect for those who served, past and present, and who have given their lives, limbs or minds, or both, as asked by our government. I'm from a military family. It is not in support of our government at all. I do not agree with our government. Our government has become so corrupt, it makes me want to leave this country, and have actually applied to do so. I have not been accepted, as I have no money, no college degree, none of the skills that are requested by those countries at this time. I am sure they are being inundated with applications. It is still in my plans, though. As far as I am concerned, this administration, and any other in the past, that bombed innocent people based on a lot of lies, are the terrorists that we should be afraid of. They really want to colonize those countries, steal their goods and keep them poor. The fact that I see very few flags flown in my neighborhood should make you feel better. My flag says, I am an American and I have freedom of speech and make my voice heard whenever possible, to try and wake up these drug-infested sheeple I see all around me. The last two blatantly stolen elections woke me up quick. Our votes must be counted. America has to learn that setting a good example is the first step. And that helping people in this and other countries is the way to admiration, respect and greatness. Killing only makes others kill, too. Hate is the residue that is left. There are alot of good people in this country. If these people will stand together, the ideals this country adopted long ago, can be realized once more. Truth comes out in the end. I just hope our servicemen and women can forgive us for not speaking out sooner. God bless America. We need all of the help we can get right now.

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Howard for me the hight of intellectual dishonesty is when History is taken out of the context of it's times..

As a matter of fact those who can not contextualize history within it's time, era or epoch have no business presenting themselves as historians..but mere propagandists..

I myself believe that those such as yourself or Cornell West, Chomsky, Joel Kovel et al do more harm to any cause to correct this Administrations repeatedly wrongs and violations than they do good..

Also you do not expand those who would oppose this criminal Administration for the sake of the Republic but constrict it's numbers by advocating and practicing ideological purification that can only limit and keep exclusive the numbers of those who will be necessary to turn things around before we face real ruin with an attack upon Iran or the enactment of NSPD-51 and HSPD-20..and true full Dictatorship, which your kind would most likely prefer as it will help bring down this great experiment which for all it's fault is and as been to date the greatest hope of man..!

The old Stalinist shows through your tired perpetual rant and whether it is wrapped in the guise of utopianism there are those of us who are skilled and schooled beyond that of your normal audience and know that balance and order and tradition and hope have it's place and egalitarianism must be restored not a professional privileged revolutionary class polit bureau or one world government which would be nothing less than the subjugation of mankind..

As I along with Our Founding Fathers along with those others of The Age of Enlightenment who you so detest Trust no Government..least of all a one world entity..

Jefferson said: "Ours is not a System based upon Trust but one of Suspicion..!"

We have trusted to much for to long..neglected our duties as Citizens of this country this nation this government made lazy and weak by our comforts and now threatened like never before by NSPD-51 and HSPD-20 and a true full Dictatorship..even the left for the most part fears to address..!

A world without a strong free independent America is something most of you cannot comprehend but it is coming and soon due to our elected officials failing to address these dangerous new Presidential Directives signed May 9th by G.W. Bush and dream't up in and darkest caverns of the dreaded Troy usurper pernicious Federalist Society..

Happy 4th of July..remember it celebrates The Declaration of Independence and not pusillanimous servility and timidity..!

TJ Colatrella

Stars4Peace..Google that it's a flag you can be proud of..!

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You gave me a great idea. Today I planted a big fat peace flag in my yard. I made it myself out of piece of muslin that use to be a curtain. I took some crayons I keep around for when my grandbabies come over and drew a big ole peace sign on it. Then I asked the Goddess of Love to use Her Powers of Goodness and Peace to end all the hostilities and restore Harmony to all that wishes it to be and planted that flag right next to one of the sunflowers just about to bloom. I love peace. I hope peace reseeds itself and takes over the world.

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had mr. zinn supplanted 'nationalism' with 'religionsim' his hammer would have come closer to the head of the nail.

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same thing

un patriota = un idiota

is it retardation or is it empty lives?
who needs symbols?

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same thing

un patriota = un idiota

is it retardation or is it empty lives?
who needs symbols?

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Just like the flag of the former Soviet Union has been put away in history so should that of the former United States this country is not united or does it represent that which it did. We are living in a ghost house!

"This isn't Kansas any more Toto!"
This is the Corporate workings of a corrupt economic model bent on totalitarian control over all people places and activity of mankind. But no one wants to believe it or just plain hides in decent.

These pirates that have seized control of our country must be punished, all of them. Otherwise the illusion of what is still called America is not any longer.

If they all are not made accountable by congress then all of Congress can only be called a cohort in the undermining of these not-so United States.

It has become obvious that the whole model of the idea of democracy is a failed experiment and fascism has taken over. Talk about a vote of No Confidence. It is plain to see the words that we should take to mean sometihing in truth have no meaning at all in our country. When the language of truth and meaning of words become meaningless only a complete failure of civilization can follow.

The "forth of july" is the nastiest carbon foot print of all, as the nation is now. We have nothing to cellabrate. For just as the decent americans are, they are not speaking their hearts but allow themselves to be messmerized to the romantic sound of John Phllip Sussas redundant call to arms, of which we have none, and the site of "bombs bursting in air".
How absolutely violent a nation this is.
Self destructive, one and all, One nation in denial.

Selfish wasters of energy, resources, and abusers of each others spirits in the name of capitalism. An unattainable dream of debit only to the demise of the rest of the world.
"Give us you poor your tired and hungry", for we will enslave them in debt and use them till they can give no longer.

So on July 5th Go back to your justifcation to live...Work for your cars and insurance premiums that you will get no benefit from when the going gets tougher! And it will.

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Even the most drugged out eco-yuppy among you must acknowledge the ruthless efficiency of America. It's quite a beautiful thing to watch the U.S. impose its will upon the world for several centuries.

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They are deceived into thinking that they are "patriotic" when in reality they are "nationalistic." Germans, who are very careful not to cross the line from patriotism to nationalism, look at us Americans as nationalistic, not patriotic. They are very ashamedly aware of their nationalistic (Nazi) past.

You are nationalistic if you have any arrogance or hegemonistic feelings about your country over other countries, cultures or races.

Proudly flying the flag is almost always misinterpreted by non-Americans as being nationalistic, not patriotic.

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Not to mention....our national song should be, "America, the Beautiful", not the "Star Spangled Banner". If we want the world to see we really believe ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, we should start acting it. How do we petition to change it? I'll sign asap.

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In "July 4, Put Away All Flags," Howard Zinn suggests that all "patriotic" symbols are part of a misguided effort to instill nationalistic fervor in the citizenry and to make it have a sense of superiority over other countries as well as a belief that the Deity has selected the USA for particular favor. I believe he has gone too far. I've read Zinn's "Peoples History" and support much of his thinking. Nonetheless, I had pride putting out my flag today, and I still get goosebumps singing "The National Anthem." And I fly the flag to protest what is happening to our country in recent years and to honor those hapless women and men who have fought and died because of the Bush Administration's evil. It is not wrong to be proud of what this nation HAS stood for in its less than perfect evolution.

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I am sickened by the actions of this writer as well as those of the administartion. On July Fourth when we first claimed our independence from the Crown, it was for us to have a chance to practice personal freedoms and beliefs. The United States Legacy has been smeared by slavery, racism, corporations, etc.... But let us not forget whe the Union fought the Confederates to free blacks, and when America entered World War Two and liberated the Jews from the concentration camps. Let us not forget that our Flag represents the hopes and ideals of equality and personal freedom. We need to take the ideas of Lincoln, and the Founding Fathers and reclaim what America and the American Flag stands for. Please don't give up on America and further slant the view that it represents mass murder, instead research our history and understand the true meaning, the right to be free and happy.

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Went to the nearly empty theater last night to see "Sicko" and emerged with an emboldened and refortified contempt for this country and much of what it stands for. I implore all you rabid flag wavers to reassess exactly what it is about this country that you think makes it so great.

The fact of the matter is, this country has never been as great as it purports to be. Are we so great because we have achieved such overwhelming levels of conspicuous consumption, and consequently, such horrific levels of pollution and truly awe-inspiring debt? Is it so great because it was built on the backs of enslaved peoples? Does serial Paris Hilton worship make the US the dreamy outpost of pure democracy it is today? I know I can't think of any other more meaningful topic to explore than her *sigh - I'm feeling faint* jail sentence.

The fact is, this country has done everything in its means to strip you of your dignity, resourcefulness and self-determination. This administration and its corporate associates in high crimes and treason are busy transferring your wealth to big business. They want nothing more than to see you buried under mountains of debt, be it medical bills, college loans or credit cards. Keep buying into the "we're the greatest country on earth" mantra which, if repeated often and loudly enough, will eventually compel the weak-minded individuals in this country to truly buy into it. Viewed from a historical perspective, this country is no better or no worse than any other. We are simply the latest in a very long line of peoples who are making the fatal error of believing that we can truly conquer the world. Time will once again demonstrate that this is a foolish pursuit which can only end in rivers of bloodshed and pain, but we'll play it out to the end nonetheless.

We are all in this together. The vast majority of Dems, Republicans, Greens and Libertarians are struggling to get by in the face of overwhelming adversity in the form of their very own government. Unfortunately, the media/corporations working in concert with the government have succeeded in splintering us right down the middle. We are simply too busy being frightened or endebted into submission that we no longer see the situation clearly.

Please keep this in mind while you behold the rockets red glare tonight.

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pissing and moaning.

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I don't fly a flag on July 4th, nor do I go to the church sponsored picnic. They worship the flag above God. It's idolatry, IMHO.

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and a Vietnam vet put up his flag every Memorial Day and Fourth of July. I say "his" flag because I was never a flag-waver nor did I care much for pledging the allegiance. I believe there is a natural rebellion in some people against symbolism and nationalism. But for my husband the flag seemed to help him reaffirm what he thought his country had the potential to be. I know for a fact if he were alive today he would be horrified by what is happening to his country, but still flying his flag.

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As an Air Force veteran, I flew my small flag proudly today. As Howard Zinn points out, our history has not been without blemishes. Yet we live in a country in which we can point to its defects and strive to correct them. The warmongers pin that flag in their lapels, hiding behind it so that they can more easily besmirch it with illegal invasions, torture, and the curtailment of our liberties. I won't let them have that flag. To me it represents the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. May it wave long after the false patriots who now use it for their own ends have turned to dust.

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Don't let the Neocons co-opt the flag. A fellow blogger and I were talking about how we did not feel that we wanted to fly the flag. She came up with the idea of tying black ribbons on it to mourn the dismantling of the Constitution and the rule of law and the dead and wounded troops. I'm not a yellow ribbon person despite the fact that we are a retired military family. I like this idea so if you happen to see flags flying with black ribbons, you'll know where it started.

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Along with "free trade," outsourcing, large scale immigration, and multi-national corporations, the nation-state is really a thing of the past. Information, money, ideas, etc., all travel at the speed of light across the planet. Therefore, the clinging to nationalism and the idea of a "nation-state," is just leftover 20th century thinking. Look at the multi-national corporation, it might actually be headquarted in 2 or 3 countries nowadays, have it's workers and assembly plants in India or China, and be incorporated in the Cayman Islands or the Bahamas (to avoid taxes). And yet, here we are, pretending that we are still somehow the old British Empire with little garrisons around the world. But, the fact is, the world no longer operates in the old ways. People, capital, ideas, all need to move about freely, without the constraint of the old boundaries and "nations," that once were relevent.

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I'm not a patriotic American. Maybe I will be when we have "liberty and justice for all" like it says in the stupid Pledge of Allegiance which we were forced to recite in school whether we wanted to or not. I refuse to be patriotic to a country that tries to force me to be patriotic.

Patriotism separates the people of the world, and allows for wars like the one in Iraq. Chris Hedges (author of "War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning") calls patriotism "thinly-veiled self-glorification." How true!

When will Americans finally wake up and realize that the rest of the world is equally as important as our country is? The goodness we once believed this country stood for has been wiped out by the fascists that rule our country now.

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by now the american flag, at least for those of us who are NOT americans is as vile a symbol as the Nazi's flag - and the blood that has been spilled in its name covertly and overtly is more than was spilled in the reign of hitler - don't believe me - go do some real research and discover the true history of the US government that the rest of the worlds citizens have lived through first hand - the lies have been the MO for the last century

I have never been to any country in the world that has flags drapped everywhere - so many flags, its insane why the need for some many flags?

America is NO super power it shows little intelligence to be one, instead it only attacks and history shows this, defenseless nations - Zinn is right in every thing he says, America is a cult of death a bully of the global playground and the flag, your flag, the stars and stripes will foreve stand as a reminder of a country paranoid and ego manics who see themselves as not ony the superior race ( agian like hitler) but as the entire world making eveyone else by definition inferior and lessor

say what you like this is a truth felt by billions of people around the globe by the actions of the ameircan government the most evil empire ever to arise on this planet

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Nationalism is often tied to a belief that "God is on your side"

A relative sent me some poignant photos of americans in uniform praying. But I just watched "Letters from Iowa Jima" tonight which drove home to me once more the futility of war.

I guess I have stated this before. I can't wrap my admittedly liberal brain around the links between religion/spirituality and the military or war.

I think the opposite of war is not peace but the creative process.

I also believe the most dangerous words is ANY language is "God is on our side".That belief system has resulted in more human sufferring and death than any other spoken or written words that I can possible imagine?

Be Well,

Dr. Rick Lippin
http://medical crises.blogspot.com

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The following, written by a Spanish journalist, at the beginning of Bush´s invasion of Iraq, goes into how media-provoked fanatical nationalism set the stage for the U.S. war with Spain, and the supposed sinking of the Maine by the "diabolical Spanish":

Friday, February 7th, 2003
Heraldo de Aragon
For months, the invented horrors about Spanish oppression incited public opinion. Headlines of untold atrocities, cannibalism, torturing of priests, mass rape. By Miguel Ángel Hidalgo.

REMEMBER THE MAINE!

Late afternoon, Februrary 15th, 1898: A terrible explosion split the battleship Maine, anchored at the Port of Havana, in two. The Maine was in Cuba officially on a mission of courtesy, but the visit was neither altruistic nor spontaneous.
With the Mexican War ended, the economic effervescence of the States converts many adventurers in authentic potentates and directors of great financial “trusts”. So, as plans for connecting the two ocean´s shores through a Central American canal advanced feverishly, control of Cuba became increasingly necessary for the security of “big business”. The only problem was how to convince a public that was still steeped in the ideals of the American Revolution and the Civil War against slavery that the forced annexation of the Spanish colonies was in accordance with democratic principles and the doctrine of the founding fathers.
In this setting, two men appear: William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, who are to be in charge of this undertaking. In a wild race to achieve a circulation of one million for their respective media empires, the New York “Journal” and the “World”, they were the protagonists of the darkest and most shameful hour of journalism. Lies, scandals, deformation and falsehood were an everyday occurrence with the “yellow press”, a phrase coined with a successful comic strip - “The boy in the yellow suit” - which was furiously copied by both, and on rainy days, stained both their newspapers with this color. The first incidents of rebellion on the island of Cuba supplied the pretext.
For months, the invented horrors about Spanish oppression incited public opinion. Headlines of untold atrocities by the Spaniards: cannibalism, torturing of priests, mass rape, death camps, etc. were later profusely illustrated on the following pages. The Journal´s artist, sent to Cuba to illustrate these atrocities with his pencil, cabled back, saying that in Cuba there was no war , and asked permission to return. Hearst`s answer illustrates the moral wretchedness of the protagonists: “You stay where you are, send me drawings, and I´ll take care of the war.”
The unexpected explosion of the Maine was received with unconcealed joy. On the day following the explosion, without having a single piece of evidence, the Journal and the World condemned Spain. The headline “Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain!” incessantly repeated, was the war cry used to incur the wrath of the nation. People enlisted en masse. So as to pave the way, Congress approved the Teller Amendment, which rejected any disposition or intention to exercise sovereignty over the Island, and shortly thereafter, declared war on Spain.

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What happened after that is now history. After the sinking of the Spanish squadron in Cavite and Manila, Spain surrendered, and with the Platt Amendment, the USA goes back on what was said, claiming the right to intervene in the internal and external affairs of Cuba, which it continued to do for 35 years. A Spanish soldier who witnessed the explosion of the Maine, Antonio Castro, on discharge, decided to stay in Cuba and share, for years, the indignation and resistance of the Cubans. Years later, he had a son he named Fidel. In the Phillipines, the taking of Manila sees the start of 15 years of war: 500,000 Phillipines massacr ed, without quarter. Simultaneously, History recorded the birth of the term “imperialism”, an echo of the Maine´s explosion which continues to the present.

In 1971, Admiral H. Rickover, father of the American Navy Nuclear Fleet, decided to research the subject on his own. Bringing together a team of historians, scientists, and technicians, he came to the conclusion that the origin of the explosion of the Maine was self-deflagration of the coal stores, which was a frequent occurrence in those days. Rickover accompanied his conclusions with a reflection: “In the modern technological era, the war cry “Remember the Maine!” must have a special meaning for all of us. Given the immensity of government apparatus and the difficulty of controlling it, we must ensure that those in the highest decision-making posts do not use our prestige and power without the most careful consideration of the consequences. Such a use of our power can result in serious international action, at a great cost of lives, and be injurious to the interests and reputation of the USA.” On the dawn of the first war born of the aberrant theory of pre-emptive attack on the axis of evil, it should be remembered, as Admiral Rickover indicated, that that war-cry - Remember the Maine! - can only be seen today as an accusation and a cry of warning.

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Excessive nationalism breeds facism. Facism kills millions with stupifying brutality. The killing of 3,000 people on Sept. 11 in no way justifies the continued blood-letting of tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan and Iraq. The innumerable innocent children and civilians that have been killed clearly marks us as bestial dogs-of-war.

Our nationalism is not blessed by any God. We have a president who has pillaged two countries, killed over 3500 of our young soldiers, blown away a $Trillion of our money, and claims, in his anal way, that God speaks through him. Our nation is not different from, morally superior to, or uniquely blessed by God over any other nation of the world. We are at this time a morally degenerate and lost people and loathed by the rest of the world.

We desparately need again to assert our allegiance to the human race, the protection of humanity, and the installation of leaders who will promote human, not bestial, responses to travail. That is what will differentiate us from bestial dogs-of-war.

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Dear Howard Zinn . . .

I thank you for sharing this brilliant treatise.

I am honored to have this opportunity to write to you. I have long admired you and your work.

I marvel and concur. I nod and applaud as I read much of this text.
We need to refute the idea that our nation is different from, morally superior to, the other imperial powers of world history.

We need to assert our allegiance to the human race, and not to any one nation.

You mention the Bush belief; G-d speaks through our President. I am certain you recall Mister Bush has faith the Lord provided him with his current prominent position. I however, cannot imagine that the Almighty endorses killing. I thought the commandment explicitly expressed, “Thou shalt Not kill.”

I invite your thoughts on my missives. I too articulate my concern for this “celebration” and the groundless, condescending nationalism.
"What to the American Slave is Your Fourth of July?" Black America Grieves
Independence Day. Honoring Freedom and Justice for All in Every Land
America, World Superpower?

Betsy L. Angert
BeThink.org

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You'll only disturb their natural feeding habits.

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"Politics have no relation to morals" -- Niccolo Machiavelli

The current administration is living proof of this.

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The following quote from Zin.

"Today we have a president, invading two countries in four years, who announced on the campaign trail in 2004 that God speaks through him."

I think God would be very angry with this hypocritical liar.

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In the past there has been discussion of so-called "hate crimes", which in my opinion are simply thought crimes. In Europe, several countries have laws restricting free speech by condemning "holocaust denial".

Now a Japanese nationalist has made a film denying the Rape of Nanjing. The linked article is from a few months ago, but I just saw an interview with the director Mizushima on Al Jazeera English. Apparently the film is ready. (BTW, why doesn't Western television report on this?)

http://www.news.com.au/story /0,10117,21113291-1702,00.html?from=public_rss

(Eliminate the space after story to get the correct link)

"The film, tentatively called The Truth of Nanjing, will be directed by Satoru Mizushima, the head of a nationalist television satellite channel."

I am not at all saying that this guy should be censored, but this shows you where nationalism can lead. I am also waiting for critics of holocaust deniers to comment on this, or are they just a one-trick poney?

(Also BTW, Al Jazeera English has a program about the Japanese use of "comfort women" in China.)

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I can appreciate the feelings of disgust and outrage at the actions of the Bush administration, but please don't project the attitude of the administration onto the rest of the country. This nation is tired of Bush, tired of the war, tired of seeing people of any nationality tortured, kidnapped and killed. You can see for yourself the percentages in any number of polls; WE are not the culprits here, and America, our country, is not the perpetrator of those crimes. A handful of men and women are guilty of them. We can and should still fly our flag in remembrance of all of the men and women who have died since 1776 for our country, in remembrance of the highest ideals of many great men and women who have made this country their home, and in remembrance of an America without Bush and Cheney.

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The problems America has right now are deeply systemic and rooted in the very fabric of our culture. You might not recognize this unless you have another model to compare American culture to. I spend about half my year in Germany, living in a very open, free, environmentally sustainable and humane culture. People there just do a better job of taking care of themselves and each other.

I think the main differences between western Europe and America can be traced to the turning point of WWII. After the war, the European continent was completely ravaged and so many had lost so much. Meanwhile in America, the economy was booming because of the massive economic boom the war produced. Europeans have spend their time since then learning how build a society from rubble with a conscious understanding of the consequences of 'not getting along'. They also were forced to deal with the realities of more limited resources and management of those resources. Whereas. in America we were sparked by the cycle of consumerism and geopolitical domination. Oddly enough, these perspectives have developed into the cultures we see today.

I suppose the bigger point is this; as Americans we need to recognize the fact that our status quo political/economic/social structures (even before Bush and Cheney) are not as evolved or as humane as they could be. We need to bring this to the forefront of the national conscious so that the process of creating a more healthy and balanced society can begin in earnest.

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has anyone heard of this site: http://www.julib.com

i just subscribed and wanted some feedback. so far so good...

thanks,
stacy

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