The derangement that is Michelle Malkin and the right wing bloggers (here, here, and here) are up in arms over people “defacing” the flag in honor of the inauguration. It might be better to put this in picture form:
Malkin even goes as far as to recite the flag code:
“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.”
Now let’s use something that is in short supply on the right – common sense. Would that really be considered a flag or a novelty item? If it’s a flag, then perhaps we should go after Mitt Romney right now:
Look at the Mittster signing an American flag! Actually he is signing a flag t-shirt, which is a double whammy. First they defaced the flag by making it into a t-shirt:
(d)The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker’s desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
And then Mitt jumped in by putting his John Hancock on it, violating the part of the flag code that Malkin highlights.
Ok – how about another example.
You too can own one of these shorts, available at the Republican Party’s store. Hmm – but what does the flag code say about that?
(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
DOH! That RNC – nothing but a bunch of flag hating pinkos!
But wouldn’t that same section also make those flag lapel pins improper? That would mean that when Malkin and the right was going after Obama for not wearing one, he was actually upholding the flag code, while a majority of our elected officials were violating it.
Making an educated guess here, I would say that 99.99% of this country has at one time or another violated some part of the flag code. I guess we should start going after all those people too and declare that America is unpatriotic.