Venezuela gets a controversal new flag and seal. In the
words of Chavez:
"The white horse is now liberated, free, vigorous, trotting toward the left, representing the return of Bolivar and his dream. Long live the fatherland!" Of course, national flag controversies are nothing new, for example, in
Iraq, the
Confederate States,
Macedonia, and
Canada. If you want to stay current, there is
Flagwire, a site devoted only to flag news, and the extremely cool
flag identifier, for those times when you don't know which country you are in.
posted by blahblahblah
on Mar 14, 2006 -
56 comments
We all
know the Nazis picked, and ruined, a perfectly good
basic geometric symbol. But what about
other symbols of
fascism? Not as well known, not as demonized, but interting for students of symbolism.
Oldest, and among the most interesting and enduringly popular, is the
fasces, a bundle of sticks wrapped around an axe, from which
fascism gets its name.
It's pretty rare to see swastikas in public nowadays -- they're so associated with the Nazis that they were universally stripped off American
sports jerseys, soda pop promoting
watch fobs, and
first ladies. And yet, in the United States, fasces can still be found everywhere:
medals of honor,
the doors to the Nebraska Supreme Court, even
behind the president as he speaks at the U.S. House of Representatives.
posted by Astro Zombie
on Feb 16, 2006 -
45 comments
Girl Kicked Out Of Prom For Wearing Confederate Flag Sues A girl who says it was always her dream to wear a confederate-themed dress to her prom arrived in a self-designed gown which incorporated the Confederate battle flag into its design. The school promptly removed her, and she is suing. The fate of her suit is
somewhat uncertain. Lower federal courts have applied the
Tinker test, which says that a school may restrict student expression when that expression may be disruptive. To win her suit, the girl will need to show that wearing a Confederate flag to your high school prom is not a disruptive act.
posted by expriest
on Dec 21, 2004 -
172 comments
Dean can't carry the south. The New Republic's Jonathan Chait writes in response to Dean's flag gaffe: "What's alarming here is not that Dean wants to win votes from guys with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks. It's that he thinks he actually can... His aggressive secularism, association with civil unions, and antiwar stance all make him culturally anathema in the South. This is one of the many, many reasons Dean would be squashed like a bug in the general election if nominated: Bush could take the South for granted, and concentrate all his resources on battleground states like Pennsylvania. "
posted by gregb1007
on Nov 9, 2003 -
47 comments
The city of Peoria, Arizona has a problem with a car dealership flying too many American flags. They have threatened thousands of dollars in fines and even jail time if the flags aren't removed. The perpetrator pleads guilty of patriotism.
posted by MrAnonymous
on Apr 14, 2003 -
42 comments
The Flag of the Internet (net.flag) and other interesting web-only interactive works of art via the
guggenheim museum. i thought this was a really interesting flash project that contains quite a few flags of the world, then dissects them and explains the meaning behind every element, then allows you to add that element and others to create your own customized flag. (click on the "net.flag" link, then go to "change net.flag" to customize)
posted by sixtwenty3dc
on Apr 5, 2002 -
4 comments
What constitutes a catchy flag design? This site has assigned a letter grade to the flags of the world, with points taken off for bad color combos, trite slogans, and other flag faux pas. Which flags do you find eye-catching, and which are more appropriate as tea towels?
posted by Oriole Adams
on Mar 4, 2002 -
47 comments
India, Pakistan enjoy theatrical proxy war A ceremony to lower the flags of the two perennially hostile neighbours at Wagah, their only rail and road crossing point, has been transformed into a show of highly stylised aggression, and one which draws huge and noisy crowds to taunt each other.
Better than the real thing, I suppose.
posted by Rastafari
on Dec 25, 2001 -
26 comments
If you find that flags on SUVs or for sale in pop-under ads water
down the meaning of Old Glory, have I
got
some
flags
for
you.
Art's exploration of the flag as a symbol both strengthen it's value
as a powerful icon, and question our country's fallibility.
posted by machaus
on Oct 27, 2001 -
9 comments
Hey You! Stop, Drop and Roll Am I going to hell because this made me laugh--albeit briefly and with pangs of guilt? Was it schadenfreude? Frayed nerves? An inherent appreciation of irony where I can find it? Or something far worse? (Are these enough questions?)
posted by Kato
on Oct 9, 2001 -
16 comments
There are rules for flying the flag. Not that anyone is really following them. In our patriotic fervor, it seems to me that we as a nation are become very apathetic to handling the banner in ways that at other times gets people crying desecration. For those who find the formal flag too dry, the American Legion also provides this
handy FAQ. How many of you out there showing your patriotism are doing Ol' Glory justice?
posted by shagoth
on Oct 3, 2001 -
11 comments
American Flag Display Quiz and the
answers for all the ignorant folks out there.
When the American Flag is displayed on a wall, the canton (the blue field and stars) should be on the left as you face the wall. Am I the only one in America who knows this?
posted by canoeguide
on Sep 19, 2001 -
9 comments
Comstock offering free flag images "If you need an image of the American flag for your website or a print piece, please accept this gesture as our admittedly tiny effort to somehow help. You may use any of these images without charge. With all best wishes..."
posted by johnjreeve
on Sep 17, 2001 -
3 comments
New Mexico has the coolest flag. The North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members and the public to identify the best and the worst state and provincial flags. The New Mexico state flag came out on top. Georgia's brought up the rear.
[Link via Alex Beam's column in the Boston Globe.]
posted by idiolect
on Jun 21, 2001 -
48 comments
Mississippi Reaps What it Sews? Mississippi votes overwhelmingly to keep the Confederate flag as part of the state flag design. Is this democracy in action? This type of issue is usually decided by a state legislature. I understand the idea of heritage but surely there are ways to preserve it without having a banner on every corner widely seen as a symbol of slavery and racism. Even if you don't view the Southern cross as representing this, why hurt the people who do? The Nazi's built their power on the nationalistic idea of German "pride and heritage", but you don't see swastika flags flying today over Berlin. Does anyone think there should be an economic boycott of the State, like the one that was effective in getting North Carolina to remove the confederate symbol from its capital building? (Public buildings here in Texas now display the official Confederate State's flag when flying our "six flags" - not the Southern cross which was actually a battle flag.)
posted by sixdifferentways
on Apr 18, 2001 -
41 comments
.... AWAY, AWAY - site for what looks like an interesting film on the Confederate flag debate. Be sure to check out the video clip.
posted by subpixel
on Mar 8, 2001 -
4 comments
In an elaborate ceremony,
the confederate flag was removed from the South Carolina Statehouse dome where it had flown for 38 years by Citadel cadets - one white, one black - amid cheering flag supporters and jeering anti-Confederate flag demonstrators. A smaller, square version was raised moments later on 30-foot flag pole by Civil War re-enactors in front of Confederate soldier's monument on Statehouse grounds, part of the compromise reached by the Legislature in May. Gov. Jim Hodges, the only top official taking part in Saturday's flag relocation ceremony, said most South Carolinians support the compromise that plants the flag at the most visible spot on the Capitol grounds.
posted by palegirl
on Jul 1, 2000 -
22 comments
Yay! The flag burning amendment is dead , at least for another year. What offends me most is: why did 63 Senators vote for this? Second most: do these people actually believe themselves when they preach that people have fought and died for the flag? I *hope* that no soldiers have fought for the flag, per se; I would hope that our military fights for the ideals of which the flag is a nice, abstract representation.
I've put up
a short page with links to the official Congressional Record transcripts of the debate, for those who are interested. (It gives me reading for my plane ride tomorrow, if I can avoid the calling of my Sims family.)
posted by delfuego
on Mar 29, 2000 -
5 comments
