Patriotism = Lapel Pin

I've been meaning to post more on the subject of how we have come to gauge patriotism on whether someone wears a lapel pin. Barack Obama has been savaged by the Right because he doesn't always wear a flag pin on his lapel. This is one of those dumb, really dumb manufactured issues that has nothing to do with one's love of country.

During that ABC "debate" a voter asked why Obama didn't wear a pin. The voter mentioned that first responders and soldiers wear one on their uniforms, why not the Senator? ABC's moderators also wanted to know why. That was a curious sort of hypocrisy considering no one on that stage was wearing one. But, here's my thoughts on that issue:

Soldiers and First Responders wear the US Flag as part of a uniform- they do not have the right to opt out of having that flag there. My question is does that flag make them any braver? Do Firefighters run faster into a burning building knowing they have the flag on their unis? Does the flag help a cop stop a crime when she is off duty and out of uniform? Is a soldier less brave if the flag is torn from his BDUs?

We have members of Congress that place a flag pin on their lapels daily. They then proceed to cut funding to vital US interests, like education and the VA. They block voting on important legislation and point the finger across the aisle. They give watch companies move offshore, then help lobby for those same companies to get vital government contracts.

I don't wear a lapel pin, yet I pay my taxes and do my best to educate the next generation of Americans. I love my country, and that love is not diminished on bit by my not wearing a pin.

We need to move past symbols, and get back to asking questions that really matter.