The Obama Flag

These two flags were recently spotted sharing a pole in front of Democratic headquarters in Lake County, Florida. A local veteran complained, and one of the flags was taken down. Guess which one.

The photograph above leads the story at FoxNews.com, where you can read about a predictable dust-up—and potential legal action—following the public display of President Obama’s menacing portrait on Old Glory.

Even in a culture where the stars and stripes function as design elements for everything from clothing to picnic blankets to napkins, the U.S. flag is still a quasi-religious symbol and widely worshipped as such. If we know anything about national and religious symbols, it’s that they operate as markers of group solidarity. Unless, of course, they don’t.

Ok, so the Obama flag looks a little creepy, especially up against the proper flag. For all the symbolic weight still invested in the Stars and Stripes, it’s easy to see how swapping out the fifty states with “The One” plays right into alarmist narratives about the European-style socialist Obama taking over. Be that as it may, one thing’s for sure: public display of the Obama flag sure says a lot about the changing face of the nation.

— Phil Perdue

(photo: Don Van Beck. caption: Lake County Democratic Party officials removed the flag on Tuesday following complaints by local veterans in Florida).