Uh, sure it does. And there's nothing wrong with it. WordNet - nationalist adj : devotion to the interests or culture of a particular nation including promoting the interests of one country over those of others; "nationalist aspirations"; "minor nationalistic differences" [syn: nationalistic] n 1: one who loves and defends his or her country [syn: patriot] 2: an advocate of national independence of or a strong national government I can understand the sentiment against flying other national flags, but it is merely irksome and that is not a reason to prohibit it.
I'm coming late to this thread and haven't finished reading through so pardon me if this has been addressed already. This is something of a misconception. Under the 14th Ammendment Constitutional protections are extended to non-citizens also "14th Ammendment Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. " The debate regarding "unlawful combatants", Gitmo and other arguments we've heard about in the war on terror have to do with the nature of where they are captured and where they are held. For instance the argument on Gitmo is that it isn't under US sovereignity so anything goes.
it does not hurt me, but it does nothing but contribute to the continued fragmentation of the country's culture. If I want to be solely recognized for my nationality, I'd just move to China.
the confederate flag is a direct attack on the stars and stripes, I thought I made it clear in my post that I think it should be illegal. If something similar happend in England or France, I wouldn't have a problem with people supporting that country, but waving your own flag in the front yard for no reason than to procliam that you're from a certain country, etc. is a bit different.
Got through the thread and I think this law is ridiculous and unconstitutional. Its unconstitutional because flying a flag is an act of free speech. You might not like it but someone can fly a Nazi flag if you want to and it is your Constitutional right to do so. This is the nature of equal protection. This law is ridiculous because its unneccessary legislation regarding a cultural issue. I also think its ridiculous since the law is clearly designed to target one group of immigants but has broad implications to every group of immigrants and descendents of immigrants. I don't know if Parumph has an Irish bar but the I was at an Irish bar last night that was flying several Irish flags but not one US flag. The Brazillian Jujitsu club that I work out with everynow and then has a Brazillian flag as part of their logo even though most of the members and instructors are US citizens. Under such a law that Irish bar and that Jujitsu club would be illegal unless they also had US flags. I can understand the nationalists / nativist sentiments behind such a law but does this really need to be legislated? I mean I like to sing Irish rebel songs but that doesn't mean I'm going to join the IRA. In the end I still root for Team USA, vote and think this is a great country and I don't need a law to make me more patriotic.
So then should this law have a test determining why someone is flying a flag? If there's a huge terrorist attack in Berlin and a German-American flies a German flag can this person be hauled in and interrogated to determine if he is flying that flag out of sympathy for the victims of the attack, we are all Berliners, or if he is declaring his country of origin? Things like this are why this law is a terrible idea.
These types of vague societal justifications just don't fly in my opinion. It's the same vague and myopic reasoning behind gay marriage ultimately destroying the institution of marriage. There's no evidence that gay marriage is obliterating "family values," whatever those are, and there's no evidence that waving flags outside are somehow fragmenting America or that prohibiting said flags would somehow re-unite America. This is nationalism and nativism at its core. Nationalism isn't inherently evil by any means but this is just an unnecessary example of nationalism that makes little sense and only serves to promote anger and divisiveness. It's not like those that wave foreign flags now will somehow become more patriotic because they stop or that waving foreign flags makes one less patriotic. Without any substantive evidence, this just seems like a very far-fetched claim that has little merit.
Continued? Those flags of other nations have been flying since the birth of the country, when people from all over Europe were immigrating into the country. It seems that it's worked out pretty damn well so far. Why change it?
Good editorial about this (in my opinion): http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/20/navarrette.flag/index.html SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- This is where we've arrived in this country: You have the constitutional right to burn an American flag, but you can get into trouble for simply flying a foreign one. At least you can in the 30,000-person town of Pahrump, Nevada, which is close to Las Vegas and even closer to stepping over the line with an idiotic, intolerant and insulting ban on foreign (read: Mexican) flags. The town council voted last week, 3-2, to approve an ordinance that makes it illegal to display a foreign flag -- unless an American flag is flown above it. Scofflaws face a $50 fine and 30 hours of community service. Pahrump resident Michael Miraglia proposed the ban because, he said, he got upset when he saw immigrant activists marching through U.S. cities last spring, waving Mexican flags. Mr. Miraglia told USA Today that he was especially miffed that "we had Mexican restaurants closed that day." So that's what started all this -- the fact that some guy who's addicted to Mexican food couldn't get his burrito fix. It's our cultural schizophrenia. Americans love Mexican food, even if they don't always love Mexicans. They never ask themselves: If they succeed in getting rid of all the Mexicans -- as some would, no doubt, like to do -- who's going to make the food? For the record, I don't think people should wave flags of countries they left behind or celebrate one country while demanding rights from another. But just because you'd like to see a given outcome -- i.e., immigrants putting foreign flags in mothballs -- doesn't mean you should use the coercive power of government to bring it about. The end does not justify the means. Besides, the spectacle with the Mexican flags was no different than what happened a few weeks later when American Jews marched in Los Angeles and New York, waiving the Israeli flag to show support for Israel in its war against Hezbollah. About that, there were few complaints. What gives someone the right to waive a foreign flag anyway? Answer: The First Amendment. Bans like the one in Pahrump are almost certainly unlawful and unconstitutional, leaving one to wonder, about Mr. Miraglia and the Pahrump Town Council, what part of illegal don't they understand? What I don't understand is how immigration restrictionists can still insist, with a straight face, that the immigration debate and its offshoots haven't become anti-Mexican. When people brush aside distinctions of legal versus illegal immigrants and start banning the Mexican flag, what else do you call it? As my friends in Texas say, I may have been born at night -- but I wasn't born last night. At moments like this, I barely recognize my own country. Americans confronted slavery, the Great Depression, the Third Reich, and racial injustice here at home. Now some of us tremble at the sight of a piece of cloth. How sad. We're a bigger people than that. Even if some of us, now and then, tend to forget it.
Is the US the only Country without an 'Official Language'? I know Canada's Quebec has French and English as officials Languages or something like that Rocket River
Because of the thread about the dude who wants to start the draft, I went over to check out the selective service website. Did you know that all males between 18-25 are required to register with selective service? Legal or illegal, immigrant or not? I thought that was fascinating. Then I got to thinking...if for some terrible reason we went to an all out war and there was a draft...there would probably be millions of men in this country enjoying its freedoms without the risk of draft.
