I Wedge Allegiance

Trolling through today's reliably insane ramblings in the Arizona Republic's editorial page, I had to set down my coffee and think for a moment after reading this:

"However, let's be clear about something:

The schools and the classrooms belong to the taxpayers of this country. It is not the letter writer's classroom."

Hmmm... Well, I am certainly a taxpayer. So I guess I'm a shareholder in this classroom business. But supposing that the original letter writer also is a taxpayer. That seems likely. So though all taxpayers have an interest in public classrooms, it seems not all taxpayers agree on the appropriate expression of mandatory flag-worship in the school setting.

But he wanted to be clear about something. I wonder what?

Rhut-rho, Rheorge.

Conflict. Perfectly expressed in the ironically fumbling rant of praise for the flag-idol.

But wait, there's even more on the same page:

"If the letter writer disagrees with a requirement that a flag be displayed in the classroom, then he should exercise his right to dissent by resigning his position as a teacher."

That's right, dude. Bow to the flag, or move your sorry butt to Iran.

Those clever Republican political geniuses just can't ever pass up an opportunity to find a stupid and irrevelevant but intensely divisive wedge issue to motivate the mouth-breathing red-staters and their fabulous regimentarians of the 101st Fighting Keyboarders.

This has nothing to do with the flag. Bush and Cheney, having never served, really don't give a damn about some stupid piece of cloth, just as they have little use for that "it's just a piece of paper" old Constitution of ours.

This is about dividing America.

If the kids are kept busy spitting at one another then they won't notice that daddy has robbed their piggy banks and he's out on another drunken spree. Again.