impeachforpeace.org
by IFP co-founder Mikael Rudolph
For centuries the flying of a flag upside down has been a nautical way to communicate that “our vessel is in distress”. It is, in effect, an S.O.S. signal.
Flags have occasionally been flown upside down over the past few years in America and have been seen on many vehicles – often accompanied by a sticker identifying the vehicle as owned by a member of Veterans for Peace. VFP has called early and often for impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney as well as full accountability of their cabinets and staff. We of Impeach for Peace are in full agreement with their stands as well as their call to support the troops by bringing them safely home from their Bush Administration delegated task of supporting the corporate occupation of Iraq.
Displaying an American flag upside down is a controversial move, inspiring a full range of emotional reactions from support to accusations of treason and calls to “love or leave” the country the flag represents.
What do you think? Please let us know how you feel. Has the country been misled and abused by the Bush Administration to such a degree that you think displaying this distress signal is warranted and to be encouraged?
Or do you feel it is unwise, not called for or worse?
Please add your comments below. As always, we reserve the right to edit or delete any comments that contain threats of physical violence, are slanderous of individuals or are otherwise beneath the tone of public discourse we hope to entertain on this website.
Thanks for letting us know how you feel.
Please add a flag sticker to your vehicle for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations and be ready to rationally and reasonably explain why it is facing the way it is facing – either right-side-up or upside down.
Comments are closed.
Mikael,
Yes, good idea! Interleave the messaged into the stripes. Red lettering on the white stripes. If others can legally get away with burning flags and it has already been inverted, no one could have grounds to claim writing on it could do any harm.
Al K.
It’s over folks. The American people are too broke, too tired and too apathetic to ever hit the streets or to start a revolution in protest as they do in other countries. until it really hits our pocket books (upper middle and upper class), no one is going to do anything. And isn’t it sad that it always takes money (the bottom line) to get us motivated when we all have blood on our hands because of the war in Iraq that we are complicit to because of our apathy, our inhumanity, our lack of consciusness. It sickens me and saddens me that it has come to this. On the other hand, I know there is a power greater than ourselves and that everything happens for a reason. I think the reason is that we have lost our hearts, our souls, our human beingness and when everything gets taken away, we are beggars. Beggars for mercy. It is terribly sad that it takes so much pain and injustice for us to even begin to wake up to the fact that we are all in this boat together, we are all connected together and one injustice affects all of us and that all of us need to take a stand for what is right and good-not politics, not a different social order, not anything on the outside. We have to change our hearts, change on the inside. We need to get in touch with what we have so grieviously lost-the love. and that is all it is really about is the love. Sounds simplistic, idealistic, unrealistic but in our heart of hearts we all know that is the truth. Obama will not save us, no one will save us. Only each individual (in the world)can save us by looking into their own heart and fixing what is broken for we are all dying of a broken heart. I have great hope for the future-not for our country, or your country but for mankind. There is a reason for everything.
Dennis & Al,
Maybe a message could be layered over the top of the upside down flag? Or would that be too abrasive for you?
Mikael
I interpret it as a scream in pain. It doesn’t identify what hurts. I would rather see something specific like the bumper sticker I had on my car for a while that said “Support our troops, IMPEACH BUSH”. It came off to make room for one that said “Kucninich 08”. That is now gone, unfortunately. Now it says “Nader / Gonzalas 08”.
Al K.
Let me tell you,if your talkin’,impeachment!
your talkin’,piece,lets get a big slice.
Dennis M Mccullough