Tom may exhibit sexism. Comments about "good old boys" is agism.

Ask my late father-in-law, a proud World War II, vet who proudly flew a flag every day about whether it is meaningful.

As for justifying comments, I didn't ask anyone to do that. I gave my opinion. You can disagree if you care to.

As for "having fun," be my guest. Our definition of fun differs when it gets to the point of attack.

Thank you very much for your comments. I'm going to work.

Again, your father was a vet. He did something for the country and the troops.

There are 20 year olds on here who I would group into the good ole boys. It has nothing to do with age and everything to do with how you always take whatever viewpoint is contrary to the women and stick up for the other guys. The commonplace term "good ole boys" really has nothing to do with age. And yeah, you got "ageism" from BA, great source there.

I'm still curious as to how flying a flag is supporting the troops.

As I said above,

"He may not be a veteran, but did serve his community as a police officer, and I for one am ready to believe that his flag pole and the flag flying from it was an honest attempt to honor our veterans and our country."

By the way, a lot of the rest of us served as well. The former Royal Canadian Air Force pilot who lives across the street from us flies the American Flag daily. I'll not take him to task for it.

I don't think you should assume that people who are presently serving don't appreciate a show of support by flying The Colors. They do it themselves with the patch of the shoulder of their uniform.

Off to work. Have a good day.

I respect the fact that your late father-in-law was a WWII vet, but I wouldn't need to ask him; I could ask my own father (a proud Vietnam vet), who, for the record, also flies the flag outside my parents' home.

You're entitled to your opinions, just as we're entitled to ours. If you're going to call people to task for behavior, most likely you'll get some responses.

Again, I was not (nor were others here) ridiculing the flag and what it stands for.

The same way that wearing a Livestrong wristband is supporting cancer research and patients.

At least with some of those charities that do the bracelet thing, SOME of the money is going to the charity. You buy a flag, and not a penny goes to the troops.

Quick question...I work as an EMT. For some reason people don't regard us as public service employees which frankly I find quite insulting. I don't have an American flag on my uniform...am I in any way serving my country less than someone who does wear a flag on their uniform?
The good ole boys club refers to backing up and helping out other men, nothing to do with age. My 21 year old boyf used the term the other week.
When you say, "my flagpole is down", you're asking for ridicule. He could have written the title differently but he did. Hilarity ensued. The end.

Some, but not a lot. It's only for show, really. The only wristband that I wear is a Meningitis one, but I actually do stuff to support the MFA that goes beyond wearing a wristband.

What you say is certainly true. My BF is a volunteer firefighter and puts his life on the line constantly, but yeah, you never really hear someone say that firefighters or EMTs are serving their country... Hell, he doesn't even paid for it!

This is one of the most posted trash I have ever seen in my life.

I was upset as My Flag Pole was blown down with the American Flag flying proudly in support of My fellow Americans who are fighting in harms way. Maybe I did not post it as some seem to think and nothing SEXUAL about it. That is some sick minded ass wholes who feel so inclined to think that!

These are My Brothers and Sisters of Greek Life who are losing their lives for us to try to do something good whether you beleive it or not.

Yes, My Father fought in the Pacific and My Uncle got 13 Purple Hearts in the same theater. So according to some they are not good enough to Honor?

I did not searve in the Military as had bad knees, but as DeltAlum pointed out, I was a Police Officer for 7 Years. So, who did you call when you had problems, A COP!

So, I did not buy a wrist band, but I fly a Flag of This Country Proudly in support. Just what the hell do you do?

You may sit on your fat assed liberal asses and so do nothing.

Some of the naysayers and liberals may kiss the fatest part of my rear.:mad:

You show your selves for what you are.:rolleyes:

I went out and got another Flag Pole to replace the one that I can show support and Flag for My Country and My Fellow American and Greek Members who are protecting you asses to say and post what you do.

So, My question is just what have you done?

I know this is going to fall on deaf ears (as Tom continues to avoid my question to show me WHERE any of us have said that we are 100% against AI in any way, shape or form) -- but Tom is MAKING an issue that isn't here.

Where did ANYONE say:

a) the men & women are NOT trying to do something good

or

b) Some are not good enough to honor?

Okay, Tom & DA - get on it... please post the thread replies where anyone said either of these two things.

Otherwise, TOM, stop starting stupid SHIT and making a problem where there is none!!

And I am SO freaking glad that I'm not a liberal - no ass kissing for me :cool:

Uh, not flown my flag when it's crappy outside since that's disrespectful? :confused: :confused:

Tom, you posted a thread that had a double entendre in it. Even if you didn't realize it at the time. It happens. Most people accept the mocking and move on. Your history of misogynistic comments makes it difficult to believe that you meant nothing more than sadness at your flag pole's untimely demise.

For example why would you say: I mean hey, yeah, your American Flag blew down (not that you mentioned the flag's death either) it's sad, but you don't have to burn it. And since no one here would have known without your posting, no one was going to think less of you for it either.

You thought that you had to defend the fact that you do not currently have a flag flying? WTF?

No one is disrespecting our troops, past or present, in this thread. Yet you take the attack on you and try to turn it into a attack on America :rolleyes:
Because liberals hate America right?

Wrong

They just don't seem to like you.

And an attack on Earp does not equal an attack on America or her troops, nor does it show any lack of patriotism.

THAT is the "most posted trash" I've ever seen in my life.

Touché.

I've read more of the flag code than anyone should have to and you're exactly right :)

/Stupid department store job

Tom, like I said, the only wristband that I wear is for the Meningitis Foundation of America. And I do more for the Foundation than just that. I have donated money on several occasions and am organizing a fundraising event for them. So nice try.

Hold on a moment...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I cannot believe that you just resorted to 'if you don't agree with me you're against America traitor'. Holeeee shit.
It's soooo unpatriotic to make fun of you. WTF?
For the record, two of my really good friends just came home from Iraq, kthx. So I have personal connections with the war and that's what I'm doing. Supporting people I know and love.
I still have no clue why the hell you posted this thread. Was it really necessary to tell everyone that your flagpole was down? You couldn't just go deal with it and no one would ever know? Typical republican't :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: :mad:

I'm sorry, but you did not just Liberals do nothing? how DARE you clump everyone into one category? I have not posted in this thread, until now, because while I have followed it and found it amusing I had a feeling it was going to turn into a "You-don't-like-this-thread-so-you-hate-America-and-the-troops" nonsense. And it has. And I still would have not posted until you brought out the Liberal card. You have a different political opnion that I do. That does NOT mean I do not support the troops. I may completely disagree with why they are over there, but I support the troops. I have sent off friends to the current war and prayed for their safe return every night. I have participated in drives for various things they might need or want (coffee, games, dvds, phone cards, etc).

How DARE you say just because I'm a Liberal that I don't give a shit. You know what, I have not said this to anyone on this board, but now I feel as if you deserve it: FUCK OFF

You may play sweet and innocent but you knew exacutly what was going to happen when you started this thread. Don't bullshit. I teach high school, I can read, smell, and see it from a mile away.

Ok...so I'll take this one point at a time. First, I'm not liberal; I'm a registered Republican, quite conservative in some ways.

Next, as I've mentioned several times in the thread (but people don't seem capable of reading), my father is a Vietnam vet, and my grandfathers were both WWII vets. Others in the thread (including GP) have posted about similar family involvement. I don't think you or anyone has the place to be lecturing me (or anyone) on what I should and should not appreciate.

This thread has gotten downright ridiculous, but the holier than thou tone that has been taken by some is slightly annoying. Please don't presume to know anything about mine (or anyone else's) respect for the flag or veterans.

ETA: I haven't seen anyone question your service as a police officer in this thread; it's not like those rants you get on about other people's professions.

Agreed. If I'm at home and it's raining, I take it down. If it's really windy outside, I roll it around the post and tie it so that it doesn't get tattered.

Oh, I forgot to mention...in case YOU forgot, being that you are senile and an alcoholic, a Sigma Kappa was the first sorority casualty in Iraq. So you can bite me.

If you don't agree with Tom Earp, the terrorists will win!

That's about the gist of what Earp's post seemed to say.

Question: Since your flag pole was blown down and your flag presumably touched the ground; are you burning the flag yourself or having a local Boy Scout Troop do it? You're not putting that same flag back up right?

That's pretty respectful. As I said, is our flag equal to a condom?

A few other points.

Who is BA? Perhaps Ageism is in the eye of the beholder. Like a lot of other "isms". I'm offended by the term "Good old boys" which brings to my mind vision of a bunch of fat old men with cigars in a back room figuring out how to cheat. The term did not originate around a group of twenty year olds. I'm not fat, have never smoked cigars or cigarettes and am a pretty straight shooter when it comes to other people. I'm also not senile (yet, at least) and haven't been drunk in many years. Perhaps what some of you can't understand and/or deal with is a difference in perspective.

I won't try to tell you what you should believe is sexist or racist or whatever, and I don't expect you to tell me what is ageist. Now, you show me something that I've posted to support sexism, racism, homophobia or anything of the type, and I will appologize.

What I can do is form my own opinion about just about anyone or anything and not join a bunch of bandwagoning and/or piling on someone I don't like whenever or whatever he/she says. The other thing I can do is try to be civil in my posts whether they're popular or not.

I don't use vulgar language in posts either. That IS against the TOS. So are personal attacks, by the way. That goes to Tom and everyone else.

My best friend is a volunteer firefighter (a lieutenant) and I know they do a tremendous community service whether their uniform has a flag on it or not. It just so happens that our soldiers and Marines fighting today have flag patches on their uniforms. A lot of cops do, too.

If you all don't think that a member of my and older generations think they're honoring our country and armed forces by flying the flag, you don't know much about us. Particularly those of us who have served. My best guess is that I know or have known more service members than most on this board. Or have all of you been members of a military unit as well?

There are some "holier than thou" attitudes in this thread. Read it over again. Look at it from both sides.

The title of this thread is "My flagpole is down." That's a simple, declarative sentence. That doesn't necessarily mean that Tom had anything in mind except to say that the pole in his yard, holding a flag fell down for whatever reason. Maybe he's not the one considering it inuendo in this case. Or maybe he is. I'll go with the innocent until proven guilty.

Some tones of smuggness and moral superiority gets pretty old. Maybe some will grow out of that. I understand that some people are smarter and/or more intelligent than I am. That doesn't go for everyone on this thread -- although it may for some. I don't know all of you personally, nor do you know me.

Finally.

Whether you like Tom Earp or not, or whether he likes you, I would mention two other things to both:

Judge ye not, lest ye be judged, and something about Do Unto Others...

My initial comments, asked in the form of a question, weren't met with a lot of civility. That's a disappointment to me.

Good night.

It's called Freedom of Speech/Freedom of Expression. Granted GC isn't the government, but speech involving the flag is one of the ultimate examples of protected speech. And what's more- no one said it was an American Flag. It could've been a McDonalds flag for all we know!

That's because it was a humorous thread and then you came in and tried to scold and lecture people. Of course people aren't going to like that. People don't like to be lectured, nor was there any need to deliver a lecture here. You're not anyone on this board's father, clergy or teacher.

I'll respect your opinion, but I would ask that you respect some of the other opinions expressed as well...

Your comments, as "civil" as you claim that they were, still came off as scolding. My response is, I'd rather not be scolded by someone on a message board especially when I don't see anything terribly wrong with my own comments.

Also, please do not pull the "I know more service members than you" card. I could go through the list: my father, grandfathers, friends from high school and college, work friends, and many others who have served, from WWII, to Vietnam, through the Gulf War and those who are overseas now. To presume that the those realities haven't affected us, or that they've affected us less than you, is taking quite a leap.

I realize you were ROTC, and I respect that; but please respect that the rest of us may not be ignorant to the thoughts and feelings of those who have served. No, I did not serve, for reasons that are really none of your business or anyone else's business on this board (besides maybe KSigRC, and that's only because he's a friend and pledge brother).

Finally, my comments were not motivated by hate/dislike/whatever for Tom or anyone. I have no reason for me to "like" or not "like" him or anyone else on this board. I have met three members of the board in real life (one who no longer posts), and had extended conversations with a handful of others, all of whom I liked very much. As to everyone else, I wouldn't presume to know enough about them to form an opinion.

I've sent you a PM for further talk on this, since this thread is a mess anyway.

Jeeze guys, settle down a little bit. I can hear you all bickering from over here in Australia. :p :rolleyes:

I have 2 friends over in the Middle East, another in Afghanistan and another who is in East Timor atm. All 4 of them are in Royal Australian Army infantry positions and all of them in harms way. I'll admit that while our flag is pretty important to them, its not the be all and end all that you guys are worrying about. If anything, they view humour and the ability to occasionally laugh and unwind more important than any petty politics, due to the simple truth that bullets don't care what beliefs you have.

So if you all want to do honour to your troops or service people of any kind and give them some real support, quit the petty bullshit thats been present in this thread and give them something that will bring a genuine smile to their faces. Believe me, it'ld help the service people that are here in these forums a lot more than the majority of the posts made in this thread by certain members (Mods included) so far.

Definitely - at the end of the day there are some great programs to support the troops beyond flying the flag.

No matter what others may be saying in the thread, I don't think (on either side) this comes down to a lack of support for the troops who are currently fighting, or those who have served in previous situations.

Absolutely. This thread had nothing to do with that at all. The OP tried to throw that attack in our faces and successfully deflected the attention from his own missteps and then all these posters started a pissing contest about who is related to the most military men and women.

Which, admittedly, while I was one who entered into the contest, doesn't really matter. We really don't know each person's experiences, so no one on EITHER side should be making judgments on the other side.

I personally think that if they read this thread they'd laugh their asses off like I did. Here's to you military personnel...at this point anything goes for a laugh over there, so this thread is dedicated to you and other people who like wiping their asses on the american flag!

Several of you have commented that this is a humerous thread.

Look back at its origin.

I don't think it was meant to be.

I don't believe that the originator of the thread was making a joke.

I think that some were trying to make a joke at Tom's expense.

That's my real problem here.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Thank you DeltAlum.

It was posted as I was very upset about My Flag Pole with My and Our Flag flying on it representing Our Country and the Men and Women who are in Harms Way for us to give You the right to make posts such as some have.

Is the Flag that touched the ground going to be destroyed, yes it is as perscribed by Tradition. I have always had My Flags destroyed in the proper manner as a member of My Country. Do any of you or do you even feel it is proper to fly the outward symbol of Your Country!

I get belittled, berated, and make fun of as like it was a sexual conotation. But it seems to be in many of the minds of some of the posters.

So, why should I get upset with some of the pettiness of some who post that flying My Flag showing my support for our troops?

You people are out of line and while I do not wear a bracelet on my wrist, I send things to My fellow Brothers who are over there fighting for me and you to give you the right to say things like this.

DeltAlum, You have a great Thanksgiving also!

In case you haven't noticed, no one is trying to take away our freedom to say what we want (other than the government). The soldiers are not fighting so we can sit here and say these things. They're fighting because Bush told them to. This whole 'fighting for America's freedom' thing is old and redundant. Stop saying it.

Oh, come on, counselor. There's no attempt to censor anyone here, and as you point out there's no First Amendment issue anyway. I didn't ask for the post to be removed or changed in any way.

I gave an opinion that the comment is disrespectful, and I still think it is.

[QUOTE=kddani;1361692]It's called Freedom of Speech/Freedom of Expression. Granted GC isn't the government, but speech involving the flag is one of the ultimate examples of protected speech. And what's more- no one said it was an American Flag. "It could've been a McDonalds flag for all we know"!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then you must have no clue to life.

If this is your way of making a joke, it is damn poor way to do it.

It seems if anyone says anything that you and others do not like or want to accept then you will belittle them but not vice versa.
:(

Tom, DeltAlum.... anyone.... still waiting on an answer here...

(and Tom, if you don't like the direction this thread has gone, then by all means, DELETE IT entirely as you are the OP...)

Perhaps this post will get this whole thread deleted or at least locked down.

And I have been thnking of this for awhile now, so all this thread did was bring it to the fore front.

And several people, some not posting on this thread, caused me to even think of it.

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/moderator.html

http://encarta.msn.com/thesaurus_/moderator.html

Are we really going to down the "Mods should not have post anything that might show their opnions" road? Or is this a "Mods should know better because they are all knowing and powerful and should have a higher moral standard because they have the title of moderator" road?

Just wondering what you are trying to say here.

I guess he couldn't find a political cartoon to post from that site he always pimps out.