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About The North Coast times-eagle. (Wheeler, Oregon) 1971-2007 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1989)
™EI)OHTH lO B lI u m ts EACH VOL11NO4 5OCENTS NO VEM BER 1989 1 ............. A A A A In a dark time the eye heyins rosee. - Theodore Koethlt/ A ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A ★ A ★ ★ ★ A ★ ★ A ★ A ★ A ★ A ★ A ★ A ★ A ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ■HHI ■ ■ ■ ■ I V/SA V/SA ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■ ■ ■ ■ I WS4 V/SA ■ ■ ■ M i ■■■HR HHHHH VISA V/SA ■■■■ ■ ■ ■ VISA ■ H H 1 V/S4 ■■HB VISA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 1------------- 1 H H H i ■ ■ U H I V/SA ■■■H i V/SA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■■■■ VISA ■■■■■ ■■■■H V/SA ■ ■ H B V/SA VISA ■■■■■ ■■■■■ VISA ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■ M VISA ■■■■■ ■■■ VISA ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I ■■■■■ V/SA ■■■■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I V/SA ■■■■H VISA ■ ■ ■ ■ B U R N T H IS ! " P a trio tis m is th e l a s t r e fu g e of a s c o u n d r a l." — S a m u e l J o h n s o n (1 7 0 9 -1 7 8 4 ) " W ith a l l d u e r e s p e c t ( to D r . J o h n s o n ) , I b e g to s u b m it th a t it is th e f i r s t . " — A m b r o s e B ie r c e ( 1 8 4 J ? - 1914) T h e b o o k b u r n e r s d o n 't w a n t t h e F l a g b u r n e d . J u s t w h e n i t s e e m e d th e n a t i o n w a s r e c o v e r in g f r o m o n e o f its p e r io d ic in F la g e n z a e p i d e m i c s , c a r r i e r s o f th e v i r u s in C o n g r e s s a n d t h e W h ite H o u s e r e i n f e c t th e p o p u l a t i o n . T h e P r e s i d e n t , w h o m it i s d i f f i c u l t t o n o t r e f e r to a s G e o r g i e P o r g i e , t h i n k s h e c a n c o v e r h is l a c k of a n y t h i n g t o s a y b y c u t t i n g a c lo t h of S ta rs an d S trip e s fo r a p r ie s tly gow n. The i n s p i r e d l e g i s l a t o r s o n C a p i t o l H ill c o m m i t t h e i r ow n f o r m o f F la g e lla tio n by p a s s in g a l a w p r o h i b i t i n g c o n F l a g r a t i o n w h ile b e l a t e d l y s h u d d e r i n g a t th e s h a d o w o f th e B i l l o f R i g h t s : th e y d e c lin e d a c o n s titu tio n a l a m e n d m e n t a s to o d r a s t i c , th o u g h s o m e of th e m a r g u e d th a t t h e F i r s t A m e n d m e n t o n ly p r o t e c t s " e x p r e s s i o n , " n o t th e " c o n d u c t " o f e x p r e s s i o n . T h a t is lik e s a y in g y o u h a v e a s m a n y r ig h ts a s you c h o o s e t o h a v e u n l e s s y o u u s e t h e m , w h ic h i m m e d ia te ly c o n s ti tu t e s t h e i r a b u s e . B u t i t 's a t o p s y t u r v y w o r l d . T h e v e r y p e o p le w h o d e m a n d o b s e q u i o u s o b e i s a n c e to th e F l a g a r e b u s i l y t r a m p l i n g on th e r i g h t s a n d f r e e d o m s f o r w h ic h i t s t a n d s . F l a g s a r e e v e r y w h e r e . In p u b lic p l a c e s , o f c o u r s e , b u t t h e y b lo o m a l s o f r o m h o u s e s , o f f i c e s , a u to m o b ile s , s te n c ile d on t - s h i r t s and w o rn a s la p e l p in s . T h e s e p e r s i s te n t an d n a g g in g p r o c l a m a t i o n s o f A m e r i c a n h o o d , w h ic h m i g h t b e r e a s o n a b l e th o u g h r u d e w h e n in a f o re ig n c o u n try , s e e m d is c r im in a to r y an d s h a b b ily n e u ro tic h e r e at h o m e . T h e F l a g c o n c e a l s m o r e t h a n it i l l u m i n a t e s . I t s r e d s t r i p e s r e p r e s e n t th e b lo o d s h e d by t h e e a r l y p a t r i o t s , w h o , if o n e n e e d s r e m i n d i n g , w e r e t r a i t o r s . T h e s t a r s a r e s y m b o l s of c o n q u e s t, th e b r u t a l d is p la c e m e n t of o ne c iv i li z a - tio n b y a n o th e r . S o m e c it iz e n s v e il th e m s e lv e s w ith f l a g s , m e r g i n g s e l f - p e r c e i v e d i n a d e q u a c i e s w ith th e c iv i c i n e q u i t i e s a n d e m p i r i c a l a m b i tio n s d is g u is e d by f e r v e n t n a tio n a lis m . U n d e r n e a t h t h e p a t r i o t i c b u n t in g c a n b e s e n s e d th e g r im f r e n z y a n d u n fo rg iv in g in to le r a n c e fo r n e w i d e a s a n d t h o s e w h o e n g a g e in t h e m . T h e P l e d g e o f A l l i a n c e t o th e F l a g t h a t A m e r i c a n c h i l d r e n m u s t s a y in p u b l ic s c h o o l s e v e r d a y , w h ic h f o r m o r e th a n t h i r t y y e a r s h a s i n c l u d e d th e p h r a s e " o n e n a t i o n u n d e r G o d ," i s th e n a t i o n a l p r a y e r . W r a p p in g G o d in t h e F l a g is a s i n a p p r o p r i a t e a s c l a i m i n g a n a t i o n u n d e r G o d . W o r h ip o f th e N a tio n s u p p l a n t s G o d , a n d in v o k in g a v a n i s h i n g d i e t y is a l m o s t b e g g in g f o r g i v e n e s s f o r t r a n s c e n d i n g a s p i r i t u a l a l l - f a t h e r w ith s a n c t i f i c a t i o n of e n ti r e l y h u m a n in s titu tio n s — n o t q u ite r e a d y to s h e d a d o l e s c e n c e a n d t h r o w o ff d e p e n d a n c e on a fa d in g p a r e n t. T h e p r o b l e m i s t h a t r e l i g i o u s f e r v o r is t r a n s f e r r e d to th e s e c u l a r n a t i o n . T h e N a z i s ' f a v o r i t e p h i l o s o p h e r , H e g e l , th o u g h t p e o p le s h o u l d o n ly b e s l a v e s to th e s t a t e . T h e F l a g , a s t h e s t a t e ' s h o ly i c o n , m u s t b e s a n c t i f i e d a n d d e a th to w h o e v e r s u l l i e s it — n o t d e a t h y e t, but o n c e d e n o u n c e d a s a c r i m in a l a c t, d e f i l i n g th e F l a g m o v e s in to s i m i l a r r e a l m s of p u n is h m e n t a n d c o n tr o l. F l a g w o r s h i p i s a s p i r i t u a l d e f e c t o f th e m o d e r n w o r l d , a n a b s t r a c t i o n t h a t p u r p o r t s to r e p r e s e n t s o m e d im p e r c e p tio n of t r a d i ti o n a n d p u r p o s e , m a n i f e s t e d a s it i s n o w a s a c o n tr a d ic tio n of its u n d e rly in g a s s u m p tio n s of h u m a n w o rth a n d l ib e r ty . C o n g r e s s e c h o e s t h i s c o n f u s i o n by c r o w d i n g to b a s k in i t s b l e s s e d g lo w , s i g n i f y i n g i t s c o l l e c t i v e i n c a p a c i t y to d e a l w ith w h a t i s r e a l . T h e c o u n t r y i s f a l l i n g a p a r t . It i s m o r t g a g e d to o t h e r n a t i o n s a n d i t s a s s e t s a r e f o r s a l e t o w h o e v e r h a s th e c a s h o r c r e d i t . T h e n a t i o n 's i n d u s t r y is c o l l a p s e d , m u c h o f i t b r o k e n a p a r t a n d s o ld o ff p ie c e m e a l to fin a n c e th e c o r p o r a te t a k e o v e r s th a t g u tte d th e m . P o v e r ty an d h o m e l e s s n e s s c a u s e a n d c o m p e te w ith th e d r u g e p i d e m i c , r a v a g i n g th e c o u n t r y 's h e a lth a n d s a n ity . D o m e s tic a n d f o r e ig n d r u g l o r d s c o r r u p t p o l i c e a n d p o l i t i c i a n s w h ile t h e i r g a n g s t e r r o r i z e n e i g h b o r h o o d s lik e l ik e f e u d a l b a r o n s a n d g u n e a c h o t h e r d o w n in o u r s t r e e t s . In th e m e a n t i m e th e o u t s i d e w o r l d is c h a n g in g a r o u n d u s be w i l d e r in g ly f a s t — th e d e m o c r a c y o u r l e a d e r s h a v e lo n g d e m a n d e d o f th e I r o n C u r t a i n c o u n t r i e s i s s u d d e n l y o c c u r r i n g in E a s t e r n E u r o p e . T h e W h ite H o u s e a n d C o n g r e s s r e s p o n d w ith p a r a l y s i s a n d n o s t a l g i a f o r th e c e r t a i n t i e s o f th e C o ld W a r , p r e p o s t e r o u s l y c l a i m i n g c r e d i t f o r w in n in g it w h ile d i s m a n t l i n g a s m u c h of t h e B ill o f R i g h t s a s th e y c a n g e t a w a y w i t h . T h e s e a r e th e r e a s o n s th e s a n c t i t y of th e f l a g h a s b e c o m e s u c h a b u rn in g i s s u e . — M IC H A E L P A U L M c C U S K E R