News :: Protest Activity
This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
Every summer good Americans don their best red white and blue, and gorge themselves on beer and hotdogs to celebrate our independence from England, but from its very beginnings this country has been built on illegitimacies.
This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
Every summer good Americans don their best red white and blue, and gorge themselves on beer and hotdogs to celebrate our independence from England, but from its very beginnings this country has been built on illegitimacies. The Indians helped the first few pilgrims to survive on thanksgiving and in return the colonialist settlers massacred the natives, stole their land and declared themselves sovereign. The “Fore Fathers” were the colonial American elite; they were among the richest men in the new country. The British King restricted them from taking some Indian land, so they revolted promising many of the soldiers large parcels of land in payment for fighting. Perhaps the slave holding founders had noble intentions when they constructed a system of governance that limited its own power, but even before its independence the state was just the strong-arm of big business. And since then the government has only grown more and more coercive in its aim of imposing American corporate interests everywhere it can around the world, so when the leaders talk about how “Independence Day” is all about freedom and democracy it reeks of hypocrisy. July 4th has only ever symbolized the independence of the New World royalty. So on this Fourth of July we call on you to express your feelings on their “Independence Day” by burning a flag in a nationally coordinated action. Together we will show the elite that we are everywhere and that we completely reject the false principals this holiday is based on.
Please spread this message far and wide. Stay tuned to the regular channels for more information. To endorse this call, help organize or just speak your mind, check out the listserv:
lists.riseup.net/www/info/flagburningday
Comments
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
23 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
24 May 2005
Your post is a fine telling of part of the story, 'anarchist.' But what about the rest of it?
I've got at least seven great grandfathers and great uncles who fought in the Revolutionary War, and they and their families all arrived here impoverished, mostly as bondservants, who sold themselves to get out of Brit poorhouses and prisons. With one exception, the highest any of their descendants got up the social scale was to the rank of schoolteacher. One of them, John Hart of NJ, actually signed the Declaration of Independence, for which he lost his farm, lived on the run, wounded and hounded by the Brits until he died. His family had to flee to the frontier in Western PA, as did a number of my other Revolutionary War vet ancestors, who soon found themselves in a mass revolt against Washington called the Whiskey Rebellion and in further protests leading to the Bill of Rights. Some of them to up arms against the native peoples, but most didn't and tried to live peaceably with the Indians, even as Washington violated every treaty. Nonetheless, another Great Grandfather from W PA took up arms again against the Brits in the War of 1812, and dozens again in the war against the Slavocracy, where I've got some buried at Gettysburg and other battlefields.
My point is that is was their flag, too, 'anarchist,' and each of those graves today has a little bronze mediallion and a small American flag on it. I wouldn't advise burning them if I were you.
Think a little deeper and more all-sidedly about these things. For some folks, the 4th stands for more than fireworks, hotdogs and imperialist war.
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
24 May 2005
Those thing are always worth celebrating, and I celebrate them accordingly. The true spirit of July 4 is a spirit of liberation, and I celebrate it as a festival of liberation.
Don't get me wrong. I can see why many are upset with our more recent history (and also some of the older stuff, like slavery.) I too am upset with our more recent history (and some of the older stuff too.)
You choose to criticize the bad history, and that's valid.
I choose to celebrate the true spirit of July 4, and that's valid too.
The world is wide, and there is room for diversity of tactics among allies.
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
24 May 2005
You are worse than useless.
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
24 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
24 May 2005
I can't believe that this guy is so reactionary that he'd dredge up the Whiskey rebellion to argue against flag burning. Anarchists don't need to wait until July 4th to burn flags, since we already burn them all of the time.
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
24 May 2005
Well, 'Chuck0,' in that case, why not start with your own first, all the red and black flags? After you've gone through all of those, then maybe you can pick on some others. May Day would have been a good time, but it's now over. But you still could even go over to Humbolt Park on Sunday and burn the Puerto Rican flag along with the US flag, or go down to 63rd & Kedzie and burn the Palestian flag along with the American flag. That's show'em how cool and radical you are!
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
What's that mom? Dinner time? Ok, I'll be down in a second! Oh wait, I still haven't finished my algebra homework!"
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
i mean chill out. it's pure baffoonery and an adled lack of imagination to do your 60's redux flag burning street theater on the 4th.
besides, you'll get scorch marks on all of those cool pricey urban rage outfits you'll be wearing. mom will be pissed. and replacing them will just add profits to evil "corporate interests"(whatever).
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
JULY 4TH IS BURN THIS WEBSITE DAY
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
A LIGHT BULB?
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Brilliant and ever so original plan to burn flags.
The little weasels wouldn't dare burn their capitalistic oppressive charge cards.
No hypocrisy there.
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
A LIGHT BULB?"
......or light a bic?
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Really, small arsonist moonbats need protection.
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
i'll be watching you
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
25 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
27 May 2005
Re: This July 4th is Flag Burning Day!
04 Jul 2005
Support the liberal party and burn a flag tonight..