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Our town may have the oldest and largest July 4 parade west of the Mississippi (we do) but Huntington Beach’s progressive patriots consider it disrespectful and unAmerican to hit the parade before doing a little Freeway Blogging!
(We put up about ten of these peace flags, made from butcher paper reinforced with packing tape, first thing July 4 morning, all up and down the 405 – the above, I think, is the Edwards bridge near the Westminster Mall.)
It figures though, that somebody beat us to the grand Red Hill overpass. As a connoisseur, I would identify this monstrosity as a Gugino on vinyl.
(Damn you, Marty!)
FASHION TIPS for the HB Parade: Carol sports a classic George Washington quotation on her back (“My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, War, banished from the planet.”) while Vern makes do with a simple Constitution Preamble on his chest. All accoutrements by American, union labor.
Sharon as Lady Liberty at the Pier – not a look for just anybody,
but does Sharon wear it well or what!
Carol front view, all dressed up and ready for the parade…
and we’re off!
Well, nobody could tell Marselle what photos to get once the parade started. She missed Dana’s armored Humvee (which he fell on his butt first trying to get into), she missed the Democrats’ rockabilly float with dozens of us marching in front, she missed the quaint little Republican float with its old Huntington Harbour ladies lipsynching Celine Dion patriotic songs, and she missed the truly terrifying Falun Gong procession, but she JUST HAD to get the above cool cowgirl…
…and THIS way-cool soldier (with the WWII vets) responding to our peace signs!
And FINALLY, the Congressional candidate we ALL have a crush on,
a signatory of the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq!
Vern,
You forgot to mention the communing with critters clandestine night-time freeway blogging allows! Even the bunnies came out to support our efforts as we traipsed toward the Red Hill bridge to leave the indelible sign of peace!
Marselle,
the pix of the soldier is the BEST!
I consider the use of the US flag in that manner to be disrespectful.
Junior –
Are you joking? Why do people put so much reverence in the flag? It’s just a piece of cloth. America is so much more than a piece of cloth. If we changed the flag tomorrow, how would your life as an American be any different?
SMS
Sarah,
The flag is a symbol. I hold a deep respect for that symbol; it symbolizes the best of what this country is all about and reminds us of those who have sacrificed that we may live in freedom.
I am opposed to forced respect for the flag. I do not support any proposed flag protection law or amendment. I have too much respect for the First Amendment.
I believe that people have the right to act disrespectfully and stupidly.
Like Junior, I have great respect for the flag. I don’t know what he finds so offensive about the peace sign on it. Actually it looks a lot better than the fifty stars, and gives it a new, positive meaning.
Vern,
We have differing opinions of what constitutes respect for the flag. I find the superimposed images of eagles, motorcycles, Elvis and such to be disrespectful of the flag.
In my opinion the flag is the flag – don’t mess with it. It is the flag that flies over the US Capitol and the White House. It is the flag that our troops carried into battle at Gettysburg and at Normandy. You are entitled to your opinion of respect for the flag.
Looks like it was a great parade. Great pictures.
Maybe next year we will come for the parade and bring our Indian flag.
Warning Cook! Don’t let Junior see THAT flag! 😛
The Federal Flag Code prescribes the proper display of and respect for the United States Flag.
From the United States Department of State Federal Flag Code; Sec. 4 (g):
g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
Well then I’m off the hook! I didn’t place anything on a US flag, I created these ones from scratch! (If you count the stripes too, there’s only 9 instead of 13 — we were in a hurry!)
Vern,
Puerile semantic games aside; I am sure that you get the point.
Not being puerile or semantic. I would not have taken a US flag and pasted something over it. I made a new creation which is both patriotic and anti-war.
Let’s drop it.
Well said, Junior! That flag, whether made with 9, 10,or 13 stripes, whether on a sheet of cloth or printed in the funny papers, represents 233 yrs of uncountable sacrifice to give us all the freedoms to do puerile, stupid, or disrespectful things without fear of governmental sanction, and, if we don’t exercise those freedoms, we’ll lose them. I’m going right out this afternoon and do something puerile.
While the Code empowers the President of the United States to alter, modify, repeal or prescribe additional rules regarding the Flag, no federal agency has the authority to issue ‘official’ rulings legally binding on civilians or civilian groups.
Criminal penalties for certain acts of desecration to the flag were contained in Title 18 of the United States Code prior to 1989. The Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson; June 21, 1989, held the statute unconstitutional. This statute was amended when the Flag Protection Act of 1989 (Oct. 28, 1989) imposed a fine and/or up to I year in prison for knowingly mutilating, defacing, physically defiling, maintaining on the floor or trampling upon any flag of the United States. The Flag Protection Act of 1989 was struck down by the Supreme Court decision, United States vs. Eichman, decided on June 11, 1990.
Interesting stuff.