Well great. Space is all gay now too.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Now there’s a new reason to seriously start investigating the possibility of civilian space travel: one of our favorite non-profit organizations just declared the universe LGBT-friendly. 

Planting Peace’s latest display of solidarity with the queer community involves a Pride flag, a high altitude balloon and a GoPro camera. The group, which regularly launches social activism campaigns to raise awareness about issues like LGBT rights and deworming children in developing countries, used the balloon to elevate a rainbow flag up through the Earth’s atmosphere. It eventually reached its peak altitude approximately 21.1 miles above the planet. 

The flag remained airborne, floating in outer space for just over three hours before making its descent back to Earth, in what Planting Peace says is a symbolic declaration of the universe as an LGBT-friendly space.

In all seriousness it has been one of the great joys of my life to watch the progress we have made as a people in these last eight years now. 

In 2000 George W. Bush ran on conservative "morality" issues and in 2004 supported an amendment to ban gay marriage. Today we see wide acceptance of the LGBTQ community, and same sex marriage is legal in all states.

We see gay couples in advertisements, on TV shows, and quite frequently in our own families.

So why not alert the universe to how far we have come?

Maybe an alien race will decide that we are finally evolved enough to deserve a visit.

And wouldn't THAT put a lot of things into a different perspective? 

Sarah Palin attacks President Obama over flags, but it turns out simply to be a trick for SarahPAC to gather more e-mail addresses. Update!

"See? My flag pillow is at half sofa in honor of the murdered military members."

Courtesy of False Flag Attack Palin's Facebook page: 

If you follow Obama administration actions this summer, you see it's their "Summer of the Flag". They seek to ban some flags (Confederate battle flag.), light up our White House in controversial colors of others (LGBT flag.), inexplicably wave the white flag retreating from Iran's terrorist regime, and today actually raised the flag of a communist nation in the halls of our US State Department (Cuba's flag.). Why then is it impossible for this Commander in Chief to honor our fallen military heroes following last week's terrorist murder spree in Chattanooga? He did so after evil attacks on Americans in Aurora, CO and New Town, CT - so why not now, Mr. President? Why not our troops? 

Demand he do so! Whether you agree with me or not on other issues, please join this effort. If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything, and this IS something to stand for! (Actually not really.)

President Obama - we shouldn't even have to tell you, but lower the flags. It is the sign of respect. Include our White House flag, for honoring our fallen who were killed on their Chattanooga base where they're working and sacrificing for all of us - including you. (How is luring young men and women into the military with false promises helping all of us again?)

After this rant Palin provides a link to a petition on SarahPAC which requires a first and last name, and of course an e-mail address to help "send a message."

Of course the message you will be sending is that you are dumb enough to share your e-mail address with them and now want to receive fundraising letters from SarahPAC ad nauseum.

As it turns out this is not a crusade of Palin's making, as other conservative outlets are also bitching about it. Including Palin's favorite porcine Christmas defender Todd Starnes.

However Snopes looked into this and there are a couple of reasons why the President may not have issued a proclamation to have the flags lowered:

Some have speculated that the lack of a presidential proclamation might be because as tragic and senseless as they were, the Chattanooga deaths involved members of the U.S. armed forces who are considered to have been killed in the line of duty (unlike the other mass shooting events referenced above, which involved civilian deaths), and while individual states often lower their flags to honor local natives or residents who die in the service of their country, doing so at a national level would require the President to pick and choose among service deaths to decide which to so honor. 

Sounds reasonable.

Actually this is a complete nonissue that ONLY the most anti-Obama zealots would even give two shits about.

After all how many people are spending their days staring at the D.C. flagpoles and losing their minds when the flags are not lowered when THEY think they should be lowered?

If this is pissing these conservatives off this much, just wait until the next story I post. THAT will make their little pointy heads explode.

Update: Okay so the flags have actually been lowered so Palin should feel pretty stupid, except knowing her she will simply assume she is responsible for it. 

Sarah Palin is getting a head start on celebrating Flag Day by asking people to send pictures of flags. Totally coincidental that you will be giving SarahPAC your email address by doing so.

Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue Manipulator's Facebook page:

On June 14th, America celebrates Flag Day. We’re celebrating more than just a bolt of cloth with stripes and stars. Our flag was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in the middle of the American Revolution, and it symbolizes the hope of our nation! 

At a time when some are purposefully pushing so many things to divide our country, we can gather around our shared symbols and stand strong through unity – especially embracing that which represents our American soul. (Wait a minute, is there ANYBODY trying to divide this country as aggressively as Sarah Palin? I think not.) Every day should be Flag Day! On June 14th, let’s display the red, white, and blue with honor and pride; and together, we can marvel at this “emblem of the land we love, the home of the free and the brave.” 

Please share photos of the celebration that is Flag Day – whether it’s respectfully draping the flag over your front porch, wearing flag t-shirts or pins, waving it from your car, truck, boat or bike, displaying it in the garden or office cubicle, maybe decorating a cake in our colors... however you want to show your pride in ol' Glory! It will do our country's soul well to celebrate together! 

- Sarah Palin

Perhaps you could wear the flag as a shirt.

 Or on your feet.

Or use it as a decorative throw pillow.

 Or simply use it as a backdrop while you are attacking our President. 

Can't you just feel the honor?

 At the end of Palin's post she then links to SarahPAC's Facebook page where you can send your flag pictures IF you are willing to leave your first and last name and your e-mail address that is.

Just makes it easier for SarahPAC to send you never ending requests for donations that way. Don'tcha know.

I bet when Betsy Ross was sewing the first flag that she thought "Boy someday this will really come in handy for some manipulative bitch to use to convince her ignorant followers to send her their hard earned money."

Or, maybe not.

Dakota Meyers speaks out against stepping on the flag, and for embedding product placement in your supposedly patriotic messages.

RT to show those who disrespect the flag that 'we are louder, than they'll ever be' #NeverOutGunned @Dakota_Meyer https://t.co/bO1rkWQU5S

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 5, 2015

“Hey everyone, my name's Dakota Meyer. You know with all of this negativity, and people stomping on the flag, and people going out and disgracing what this country stands for, you know what I decided to do? I want to start our own campaign. A campaign that shows people...that shows the..the..these levels of ignorance that...you know what? That we love our country. We love our country, and we love it more than anything in the world. And I want you to go out and show your patriotism, and take a picture of something that means something to you that represents this country, whether it’s the flag, whether it’s the Constitution, whatever it is. Whatever you think of when you think of...of..this great country that we live in. Uh...United States of America. (Whew! I wasn't sure he was going to remember.)You take that picture and hashtag it as #neveroutgunned. (And hey kids we have t-shirts too!) And let's send it out and show...show them that we're stronger than they'll ever be, we're louder than they'll ever be, And you know what, if they don't want to be here they can leave.”

Yes because if you don't think like we do then get the hell out. Merica!

Damn does this guy have the Palin-speak down or what?

Now if you are wondering just what in the hell has Meyer so twisted up that he is willing to go on social media and hawk some of his products in order to fight back.

Well that would be a campaign called the "Eric Sheppard Challenge" which encourages young people to record themselves stepping on the flag to protest what they see as an overreach by the police.

You see Eric Sheppard has gone into hiding after police found a gun that belongs to him while searching the Valdosta campus in response to this incident last month. 

And if you guessed that Eric Sheppard was black, well go ahead and give yourself a gold star.

Clearly Meyers, and a number of other conservatives, seem to believe that disrespecting the flag is the same thing as disrespecting the country. It's not, it's just a symbol typically manufactured in China.

And while I do not condone people acting in this manner, being an American means I must support their right to do it.

I also support Meyer's right to stage his own hackneyed attempt to make a buck while feigning indignation at their "disrespect."  After all what could we expect from a guy marrying into the Palin family?

Woman takes flag from protesters because she feels they are desecrating it, then fights with police who try to return it. Update!

Courtesy of The Valedosta Daily Times: 

A military veteran was detained but not charged by Valdosta State University police after she approached a group of protesters on campus who were walking on an American flag and took it from them. 

Michelle Manhart, an Air Force veteran, said she was not planning to take the flag from the group, but she had heard about the group’s recent campus demonstrations and wanted to take action. 

“I did not want anything like this, but I got a call from a student who told me that the flag was on the ground, and they were walking on it,” said Manhart. “I was just going over there to pick up the flag off the ground. I don’t know what their cause is, but I went to pick it up because it doesn’t deserve to be on the ground.” 

Manhart said she was taken into custody by VSU police officers who then returned the flag to the demonstrators. She admitted to The Valdosta Daily Times that she resisted arrest after seeing the flag being returned. 

The group reportedly declined to press charges against Manhart. The officers attempting to detain her also declined to press charges for resisting.

The minute I saw the video up above I thought, "publicity stunt."

And I think my instincts are probably right, because as it turns out this "military veteran" is also a former Playboy model.

She is already getting quite a bit of coverage, and I have little doubt that Fox News is reaching out to her right now.

Like I said I highly doubt that her response to the protesters was fueled by patriotism, but if somebody was offended by what they saw the proper thing to do would be to file a complaint or even respectfully express your feelings to the protesters themselves.

But stealing the flag from them and then fighting with the cops who are simply trying to defuse the situation is ridiculous.

But like I said it will play well with the Fox News crowd who will undoubtedly be sufficiently outraged.

(H/T to Raw Story.)

Update: Well it looks as it Manhart has a history of disrespecting the flag, and her uniform, as well:  

Manhart, a sergeant in the Air Force at the time, appeared in Playboy in 2007, posing in uniform, out of uniform and while draped with the American flag. She was reprimanded and demoted and quit the military the next year.

Can you say "hypocrisy?"

Well look who has finally decided to come out of hiding to allow her ghostwriter to put up a Facebook post.

Courtesy of the matriarch of the Wasilla Brawlers Facebook page:

Following a night filled with rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air, Francis Scott Key awoke 200 years ago this morning to see our beautiful flag still flying over Baltimore Harbor at dawn's early light. The stunning sight of the red, white, and blue banner calmly waving in the wind following a night of fierce battle inspired Key to pen the poem “The Star Spangled Banner,” which later became our national anthem and my personal favorite song. My family and I were fortunate to visit Fort McHenry in Baltimore during our 2011 "One Nation" bus tour – a truly memorable stop! Every time I hear this beautiful song and place my hand over my heart, I feel it bursting with pride to be an American, and I’m thankful to vets – like my son and others – who have fought hard to keep us the land of the free and the home of the brave! Thank a vet today for their sacrifices to keep us free, and to keep that Star Spangled Banner waving over an America where we can trust that truth and justice will always ultimately prevail. 

- Sarah Palin

Pretty generic and non-controversial don'tcha think?

Almost as if somebody wanted people to know that she was still around but did not want to draw too much undue attention to herself.

As for our freedom being the result of any hard fighting by her son Track, from what I hear if our freedom were contingent on his fighting abilities we would all be standing in front of the Union Jack and singing "God Save the Queen."

By the way let me take a moment to clear up a misconception about the night of the fight.

I have been trying to figure out if Tripp witnessed the fight as was reported here on IM, or if he was indeed in the stretch Hummer when the fists started flying. And finally I can report with absolute certainty that he was in the vehicle during the brawl.

He was indeed at the party when the family first arrived, but apparently got tired and was escorted to the Hummer before his mom, uncle, and grandfather started picking fights and getting their asses kicked. 

There is no indication that anything about the incident would have turned out any differently if he WAS there, but as it turned out he just wasn't.

I can also report that some of the family members who joined him afterward were still bleeding and that he was not spared the details of the fight.

I know that a lot of people, myself included, thought that perhaps the story of Tripp being in the Humvee was a Palin plant, but as it turns out it is accurate. And this source is ironclad, believe me it would take an incredibly trustworthy source for me to accept this correction.

P.S. Before anybody asks I do not know who took Tripp back to the vehicle, nor do I know if anybody stayed there with him.

Too perfect.

In light of the lunatics Tea Party and the pathetic showing by the so-called Operation American Spring folks, I think this flag should be flown at every future gathering of the Teabaggers.

Porky Pig is a Communist? Who knew?

From the Religious Tolerance website:

Between 1924 and 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance was worded:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1954, during the McCarthy era and communism scare, Congress passed a bill, which was signed into law, to add the words "under God." The current Pledge reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The Pledge is recited, on average, tens of millions of times a day -- largely by students in schools across America.

As many of you know I worked in the Anchorage School District for a number of years.

Personally I was always very uncomfortable leading the children through the Pledge of Allegiance in the mornings.  In fact when I was not in front of the class I would simply place my hand over my heart and move my lips silently because I find the whole thing a little fascist for my tastes.  After all simply demanding that children recite a pledge of allegiance to a flag every morning does NOT instill a respect and love of their country. What makes this country great is the freedom to disagree with it's policies and the leaders who implement them.

Of course that is simply my opinion, and I kept my mouth shut and went through the motions for the benefit of the schoolchildren who are not yet ready to deal with such complex issues.

However I think the one part of the Pledge that seems like a no brainer to remove is the "under God" portion.  In this day and age with SO many diverse religious beliefs mingling in the public school setting it is very disrespectful to demand that children pledge allegiance to a God that their religious tradition does not accept.

I had Hindu children, Muslim children, and even on a Jehovah's Witness come through my classrooms.  And every single one of them were instructed to stand up, place their hand over their heart, and pledge their allegiance to a piece of cloth on the wall and a Christian god. I don't think I will ever forget the confused look on that little Hindu girl's face the first time she was asked to do that.

(By the way the one child who had the most difficult time assimilating into the public school system, was not the Muslim boy or Hindu girl, it was the pupil whose family were practicing Jehovah's Witnesses.  They do not believe in ANY holidays (even the watered down "holiday celebration" that replaced Christmas in the public schools) or birthdays.  I remember watching this little girl sitting by herself in a corner while the rest of the children enjoyed cupcakes brought in by a mother to celebrate her child's birthday.  The little girl was simply not allowed to participate.  All I could think at the time was what a shame that after we have achieved so much success in teaching children that we are not identified by the color of our skin that religion can still separate us so dramatically.)

Well I have told you my feelings on the Pledge of Allegiance and the "under God" portion, and since I know that many of you are bright opinionated people I have no doubt that there are those who will not agree with my opinion, so I invite you to tell me what YOU think of the Pledge, and of the portion added in 1954 to frighten away the Commies.

My only request is that we NOT insult people based on their religious, or lack or religious, beliefs.  I am all about openly expressing our opinions but let us remember that some people have very strong beliefs that are very important to them.  No need to make anybody feel unnecessarily defensive.