I'll bet I'm not the only school teacher who tries to catch up on doctors' appointments in the summertime. But I went to one appointment, and it led to tests, and now I need blood work and more tests, and in the meantime I scheduled other routine maintenance, plus I have teacher workshops all week. Any deity who's bored will need to lob some meteors or something, because things aren't looking good here for our daily little chit-chats.
My three readers know I stink at doing links (but take a snobby pride in it). So here's the URL for a cool site that reports "pings" every time there's a meteor passing over an observation site in Texas.
http://topaz.streamguys.tv/~spaceweather/index.html
Considering that this is the Perseids week, you might like the cool white noise, with an occasional "whoosh" of fireball. The Perseids will reach their peak in the wee hours of Friday morning, but any night this week, especially after midnight, you could spot Perseus streaking across the sky.
Perseus has stopped by here a few times -- never for a very long stay. He declares that he's never bored, because in August everyone starts looking for him.
I expect "The Gods Are Bored" will be back in business by Thursday. In the meantime, here's a philosophical question. Would you attend a rally at which someone burned the Confederate battle flag, otherwise known as the "Stars and Bars?" Would you be willing to burn a "Stars and Bars" yourself? If so, why? If not, why not?
(Damn, that does sound like a school teacher, doesn't it?)
10 comments:
Personally, I have no problem with burning flags. They are just symbols. I do have problems with burning or hanging someone in effigy because that implies doing physical violence to a person. (I know you didn't ask about that, but I am just going beyond the parameters of your question like a good student).
Hahahaha, my word verification is "grading!"
In blogger to add a link, you type the words first, and hten highlight them - then click on the the paper clip icon (near where the font, font color icons are) and enter the URL.
No, I wouldn't get into burning a flag. The Civil War is long over - the Stars and Bars is a historical relic - and nothing more. Besides, we really don't need the pollution.
Word Verification: acytorc
No, I wouldn't be interested in burning a flag. They just don't get me that excited.
flag burning is ugly..anybody's flag even the stars and bars.i'd rather spend some time convincing the person that owned it to put it away.
are you ok?...I'm lighting candles for you.
I hope it's nothing serious! May Asklepios and Hygeia attend you...
And no, burning the S&B would give the symbol too much additional attention and energy it doesn't need. I would likely throw one away, though, if I found it on the street or something.
I am, what my hubby lovingly refers to as, a history geek. It actually really gets me riled up when people objectify points in history down to one or two points and then make the entire period about those points. The civil war is one of those things that has been known to send me into a rant. I'm pretty sure if I saw someone burning a stars and bars I would probably slap them silly then deliver at least a 20 min lecture on why they are being stupid.
The "Stars and Bars" refers to the first Confederate national flag. It has three horizontal bars--red white red, and a blue canton displaying a circle of stars.
It's not the flag we associate with the South/Confederacy these days. That rectangular flag is derived from a square battle flag that also appeared as the canton of the second Confederate national flag. A white starred blue St. Andrew's Cross on an orange field.
That flag does display stars and bars, but it's not the official "stars and bars" flag.
Different flags got used to solve communication (on battlefields) and symbolism problems.
I might attend a rally at which flags were burned. But not to add my support to burning flags. I would not burn a flag myself.
I'm a Westerner, not a Southerner. But I don't think that burning a Confederate flag is likely to change Southern culture or folks much, if at all.
Burning someone else's flag is just plain ol' mean. There's enough meanness in the world as it is, so no, I wouldn't be attending any such rally nor would I ever be burning flags.
The "Southern" mindset is pretty much now what it was when that flag was last flown. It seems they had a whole different set of "founding fathers" than the rest of the country did, so I think we'll be seeing that flag flying alot more as time goes by. I just hope I can make it across the new border into the country I swore allegiance to before the bullets start flying again.
Alex, when did you last live in the South, or where in the South are you?
I generally love your comments but that is absolute B.S.
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