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Patriots and the lapel pin
Published: 5/18/2012 3:23 PM
Last Modified: 5/18/2012 3:23 PM

The Republicans are dredging up the worn-out Rev. Wright controversy of 2008 again this election year. Can birth certificates and religious choice be far behind?

Another of the oldie-but-no-so-goodies also has taken on life. Email accounts are being flooded, again, with the “story” of then-candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s alleged statement on “Meet the Press” in 2008 about not placing his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Alegiance , wanting to scrap the National Anthem and replace it with “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” and the popular rumor of his reluctance to wear an American flag lapel pin.

I won’t go into great detail about this email. It’s easily debunked at Snopes.com. You can check for yourself. I’ll simply say that it is a lie. Obama wasn’t even on “Meet the Press” on the Sunday the email says he was.

But, back to this lapel pin business.

When did wearing an American flag on your lapel become the litmus test for patriotism? Are we all supposed to wear them all the time?

I took a very unscientific, eyeball poll Friday during lunch at Billy’s on the Square. It was Mayfest and the place was crowded with folks other than downtown regulars. So, I figured it was a pretty good cross-section of the populace.

I didn’t see one, not one, American flag lapel pin in the joint. Oddly enough, I also didn’t see anyone wearing an American flag print shirt either. So maybe my poll sample was slightly skewed.

By the way, most of the folks who insist on lapel pins and rail about the flag being desecrated often are the very same people who wear those shirts or hats or pants or place in their rear car windows pillows with the flag on them.

Here is what flag etiquette says, in part:

• The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general.
•
• The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard
• The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
That seems to take in shirts, pants and pillows, but nothing about lapel pins.
Wearing a lapel pin is a nice gesture for those who want to wear one. I have no problem with that. But don’t insist that everyone wear one to prove his or her patriotism.
I don’t recall my dad, who fought in World War II in Gen. Patton’s 3rd Army, wearing one. No one ever questioned his patriotism.
Can’t we drop the pin, birth certificate, patriotism, etc debate and get on with more important issues?






Reader Comments 1 Total
228576 (4 months ago)
An observation from the last debate: Romney's flag lapel pin was at least twice as big as Obama's. A strategic subliminal message maybe? Or maybe he just had Tiffany's make him a gold-plated one in extra-large.

Flag lapel pins and bumper stickers seemed to have arisen during the Vietnam war. War-supporters and Chamber of Commerce types were given to wearing these pins. Maybe they were supposed to say, "Look at me. What a patriot I am!" What they said to me was "I'm a warmonger and proud of it."
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Jonezin

Mike Jones is a native Oklahoman (not an Okie), born and raised in Seminole, Okla. He began his career at the Tulsa World in 1971 as an oil writer for the late Riley Wilson. After three years as an oil writer, he became a copy editor on the national desk. He moved to the city desk in 1974 where he also worked as a general assignment reporter. After stints on the late city desk, he became assistant city editor and in 1979 succeeded longtime city editor John Gold, one of his mentors, as city editor. He served as city editor for almost four years before joining the editorial staff as a layout editor and editorial writer in 1985. He was named associate editor and has since written a Sunday column and daily editorials. He has a son, Sam, who is a local musician with the reggae band Sam and the Stylees. Jones is the honorary CEO of that group, a title of which he is most proud.

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