The American Standard Bearer

Europeans, as a rule, don’t go in for open displays of patriotism like we do here in America. And they are particularly averse to flying flags, unlike here where the American flag is displayed in some form or another practically anywhere you look.

So the current fad in England to display the Cross of St. George flag (it’s the true flag of England as opposed to the U.K. flag) in advance of the World Cup has raised some hackles for a reason that should be a warning to Americans.

The Headmistress of a “multi-cultural school,” for example, banned the England flag for fear that students might find it offensive. The term “multi-cultural” in Europe is code for the Muslim immigrant population, therefore, the Headmistress does not want to offend Muslim students. Nevermind the fact that the Muslims are trying to blow up the English natives.

This attitude of submission in the face of Muslim intimidation is of course, foolish in the extreme and it is pervasive throughout Europe and Canada. The worrisome thing is that it is forcing it’s way into our social dialogue little by little.

According to a Scripps-Howard story, the Motion Picture Association of America is actively promoting just such an agenda. The MPAA is the outfit that decides what rating a film will carry and they have just tagged a picture that should have received a “G” rating with a “PG.”

The reason? The title of the film is “Facing the Giants” and it is about a struggling football coach who finds faith in Jesus Christ and, well, that’s stuff that just might not be appropriate for the youngin’s.

Actually, and this is the whole point, the MPAA claims that the problem with the movie is that it’s obvious religious message might be offensive to people of other religions. Aside from Abe Foxman and the ADL, the one religion in America (and Europe) that finds Christianity offensive is Islam.

In England and Canada, where there has been veritable fountains of largesse showered on the Muslim communities, Muslim radicals continue to plan the destruction of their hosts and the rest of the Muslim communities remain silent. We simply can’t allow that to happen here.

When so many intelligent and respected scientists take issue with the global warming scare-mongers, why is it that we don’t often hear their side?

In simple terms, when people who have no actual knowledge of a subject yet believe themselves to be experts (reporters and media types in general) fraternize with people who pretend to be experts when they are not and who also happen to be famous (Al Gore, for example), the result is often a collossal explosion of complete nonsense.

Even folks we know and would ordinarily trust (Rick Warren, author of “A Purpose Driven Life” for example) have jumped on board this one, evidently afraid of being odd man out if all the dire global warming predictions should turn out to be true.

Dr. William M. “Bill” Gray is the famous climatologist from Colorado State University. He is truly an expert in his field and specializes in Atlantic hurricanes and he thinks the globe is in for a cooling spell.  According to a column by David Harsanyi of the Denver Post, he also has little patience for the hype from Gore and the environmental crazies, “They’ve been brainwashing us for 20 years,” he says. “Starting with the nuclear winter and now with the global warming. This scare will also run its course. In 15-20 years, we’ll look back and see what a hoax this was.”

Personally, I’m a big fan of snow, so I’m looking forward to the cool-down.

In the very bastion of the politically correct comes news that it’s not acceptable to desecrate the American flag in all cases. If for example, you hate the President, hate America, subscribe to Rolling Stone or Mother Jones and have just stolen the American flag you are burning from the VFW hall, you are well within your constitutional rights to lay waste to the flag.

However, if you’re a drunken lout like Michael Higbie of New Haven, Connecticut, who while in the alleged act of desecrating an American flag at the Sailor’s Monument in West Haven, made the unforgivable blunder of using the “N” word in addressing a black man who was attempting to rescue the flag, you are in some serious trouble.

Higbie’s big mistake, besides his bad attitude, was assuming that the First Amendment protects all speech, regardless of how offensive said speech might be to others. The truth is, it’s not what is said but who says it. The rule of thumb is this – if you wouldn’t feel comfortable at an ACLU meeting, then you’ld best be careful what you say.

While illegal Mexicans waving Mexican flags in our streets have captured the attention of Americans, and indeed the world, the long border between the U.S. and Canada has been largely ignored. It shouldn’t be.

After the 9/11 attacks, speculation circulated that some of the hijackers had entered the U.S. through Canada. The 9/11 Commission disputed that claim and Canadian officials latched on to the findings as proof that none of the terrorists had been in Canada.

It may be true that none of the hijackers crossed our border with Canada or it may have been a diplomatic concession on the part of U.S. officials to maintain friendly relations with our neighbor to the north. We do know that money was being funneled from al-Quida operatives in Canada to hijackers in the U.S. One such transaction involved Canadian welfare receipient Nabil al-Marabh who wired a total of $15,000 to three of the 9/11 hijackers.

Now the Associated Press reports that a plot to bomb several buildings in Canada has been uncovered in a raid involving somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 of Canada’s finest. Twelve men of presumably middle-eastern descent were arrested for possesing enough explosive for three Oklahoma Cities.

Canada has anti-terrorism laws on the books but they lack the resources and the inclination to hunt down possible terrorist candidates who have entered the country, then disappeared. Various intelligence agencies estimate that there are dozens of seperate terrorist organizations already firmly established within Canada’s borders.

According to the A.P. story, the Toronto Star suggested a possible motive saying that the suspects were “upset at the treatment of Muslims worldwide.” If Canada continues to ignore the problem, instead choosing to be guided by “tolerance,” they will sooner or later face the terrible realities of a major terrorist attack carried out by young men who claim they are upset at the treatment of Muslims.

Columnist Peggy Noonan, although not my favorite because she too often hops the fence to the liberal side, has written an interesting piece appearing in today’s Wall Street Journal. I say interesting because she speculates that the time may be ripe for American politics to finally break out of the two-party mold.

While reading it, I was forced to admit that my perspectives on political issues are often too narrow. Millions of us participated in Memorial Day festivities this past weekend – waving our American flags, firing up the gas grills and taking a moment to reflect on the sacrifices that have made this abundance possible. Yet, if you ask a sample of Americans what the American flag symbolizes, you will invariably get answers that are in sharp conflict.

However, regardless of where along the political spectrum you happen to have planted your own American flag, the odds are that your satisfaction level with our elected representatives has been heading south. Noonan counts off a number of hot button issues that matter only to segments of our increasingly fragmented electorate but the one common thread that binds us all is the sense that the political class has crossed a line.

Where your friendly neighborhood Senator or Representative or Governor at one time would at least feign a principled stand now and then, they mostly now seem to be unashamed to use power and influence to buy votes without concern for the consequences.

Meanwhile, political parties that once were regarded as fringe are now gaining steam and will soon be on the ballots of every state. The Green Party, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party are all attracting a lot more attention of late. The Mexican vote that both Republican and Democrat Senators hope to garner through their participation in an amnesty program may end up not delivering the goods as expected if disgruntled voters abandon ship.