It is where other politicians wear the American flag pin, a kitschy piece of empty symbolism that tells you nothing about that particular person except that he or she thinks like everyone else. Obama’s flag, invisible to the naked eye, is the Jolly Roger of a politician thinking for himself.

Well that's a nasty emotional hook isn't it? Ahh yes right at the beginning. So then Kitsch? The flag is not 'pretentious' or 'empty symbolism'. It's clearly and honestly the flag symbolic of the United States. Which, last time I checked, was a dinky die nation whether you loved it or not.

The rest of Kitsch is really about opinion and it's worthy to note Kitsch is actually in fashion in some ways. Maybe there's an argument there. Maybe something about wrapping one self in the flag or about non standard flags. Now if, as the author says in his article, Obama makes the argument about not wanting to show false patriotism like Nixon or others, and Obama is telling the truth there, then his action of removing the pin shows he is being true to himself and is not patriotic. Otherwise he'd leave it on and be true to the values the symbol represents. A bit disturbing for a Presidential Candidate IMO.

"tells you nothing about that particular person except that he or she thinks like everyone else"

Utter rubbish. Wearing a flag does indeed say very little except that one is trying to be associated with the symbolism. It says nothing about what a person thinks beyond that, for example their motivation for such association. But one can make educated guesses when politicians are involved. Even those that are wearing the symbol because they believe in it are only thinking along similar lines in the meaning of that symbolism. There's plenty more diversity of thought out there. And even if one does have the same thought as others it isn't always a bad thing.

I wear one with crossed US/NZ flags.

It saves telling people my political leanings.

Of course one idiot was silly enough to ask me why I wore it when I standing in front of the Marines memorial on waterfront in Wellington.

So much easier to just point than explain.

Shame in other copuntries they think I'm Australian.

...and wots de problim wit dat?

let's see.. No Helen, more sun, less cold, less wind, all the same companies and much better wine.

Of course free of charge special deal today only you get Mr Rudd, sunburn, heat exhaustion, all the same companies and inferior seafood.

Obama’s flag, invisible to the naked eye, is the Jolly Roger of a politician thinking for himself.

In Richard Cohen's world, pirates emulate Jack Sparrow (sorry -- *Captain* Jack Sparrow) and Singapore is, of course, located somewhere south of Santo Domingo. Cohen ignores the fact that those who flew the Jolly Roger did so because they thought more *of* themselves than *for* themselves...

Heh. My thought when I read Dusty's intro was... "oh, gad, the only thing more painful than a blowhard berating people for not wearing a flag pin is the earnest sophomoric explanation of why *not* wearing a flag is a more sublime form of self-expression."

Which is what Dusty said, essentially.

Heh. Like many of us here, I wore my flag on my sleeve.

I wear a Rotary, Soldier's Angels, or NRA pin on my lapel.

Is the American public now going to elect a pirate as their president?

God help us!

Frank, you poor deluded fool, sucked in by the Rethuglican Spin Machine.

We already have a pirate as President!

Bush invaded Iraq to loot their oil for his buddy (and sock-puppet master) Cheney.

And blew up the WTC so as to have an excuse to hoodwink the Congress.

Really. Get with the program fella.

Thanks, John, for enlightening me.

I was apparently confused by the helpful information presented by the Dems. Instead of being jolly pirates, I thought Bush and Cheney were hapless morons controlled by the evil Über-Führer Rove in the Illuminati / Babylonian Brotherhood conspiracy to give the world over to the reptile aliens from the 4th Dimension.

LOL

Da nada, buddy. No charge.

Flies.

When they're big enough to have squadron markings I draw the line!

For those of you who have just joined us, Murray's comment is a continuation of the Sur'n Hemispherical Discussion of Insular Oddities.

Time lapse between postings is due to the fact that it's Autumn down there and Murray's struggling against that hibernation thang...

Bill, thanks. I didn't wanna highlight my continued confusion by asking, "WTF?!"

BTW ... here in FL we have to evade palmetto bugs.

Hey if you guys choose to live at the bottom of the world thats your business.

I was refering to the down side of being Austalian (WHICH I'M NOT). Honking big flies and lots of them.

Hmmm. I don't think Argent is Austalian, either.

Now, AustRalian, that he is.

Weren't the Austalians a Star Trek species? Oh, wait, that was Thalian. Never mind.

Freak.