Edaun Ifor

Frankly, the direction my opinions have been taken to leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I do not believe myself to be better than anyone else, in the context of what Astrus has described, whether having served in the military or not. I do not put other people down for not having served, as this was my choice. I do believe everyone should serve a minimum of two years in the military branch of their choice, much like youth in Germany do to this day. I think that would be good for the country overall. I do feel, however, that I can stick out my chest for the time I did serve in the military. This service gave me the firm respect for the government, the historical do**no no word**ents of the country and the flag itself, that I find to be lacking in this present generation. I also learned respect for individuals and their opinions, even if they are diametrically opposed to my own. I can respect your views on life and politics, Astrus. I do not agree with all of them, but I can agree to disagree. I think we were simply talking about two different things.

I don't understand why you would think I would claim to be better than you, Astrus. Why all this sudden hostility? I served in the military during wartime. I was recalled to active duty out of college. The average american did not do that. I am not claiming to be better than anyone. What I meant was those people who wear the flag on their bodies OUGHT to have more respect for the flag we swore Allegience to all those years ago. This is about the Flag being disrespected, not You being disrespected. I apologize.

Yeah I know that. Astrus, When you start to compare those who are the best of the best of the best in athletics and who are representing this country world-wide in the Olympic games and those people who wear their America flag dungarees to the local mall, I think it's like apples and oranges. There is a huge difference between the two. What I get bent out of shape about is the shirt that could be superimposed over the top of the flagpole at your state capitol and you would not even know the shirt is there. I think there should be a law somewhere where folks could not wear the American flag as their clothes. I am not taking it too seriously, in fact this used to be the norm. Let's look at the military and see how much respect is placed on the flag: In West Germany, every morning at 6 am and every evening at 5 pm, if you were outdoors and heard the bugle calls being played over the PA system on post, you were REQUIRED to stand at attention, salute until the bugle call ended. The bugle call was played each time the US Flag was raised or lowered. This happened 7 days a week. You were REQUIRED to salute when the flag was brought in for ceremonies. That is simply showing respect. This respect for the flag I have never lost, and will never change my mind about, no matter who is in office or how bad things get in this country. There is no premise nor argument that will ever change my viewpoint about how every American ought to respect the flag, IMO it should be done in like manner. Everyone is free to have their own ideas about life in the US, and I respect that too. Back after 9/11, do you remember how trendy it became to have a flag? It was so trendy all of a sudden, that you could hardly BUY one anywhere, it would be sold almost instantly. In fact, they were in such high demand, that some people reported having their flags stolen from their front yard! I remember hearing about how the magnetic sign flags were removed from parked cars, just so some thief could have a flag displayed. Respecting the flag is important because in my generation, we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in school; we put our hands over our hearts when we said it too. How many people in this generation even KNOW the Pledge? Dawn, the flag is burned out of respect. It is the one case where burning is called for. /split hairs right back atcha. Like I said, I am a patriot; apparently, I come from an entirely different generation of Americans who held more respect for the symbols of this country than folks do today. I must be getting old.

/sigh There's not a lot of good choices this go around..

This country *was* founded on Christian principles, but to call us a Christian Nation is sadly untrue these days. I was contrasting the examples Durryy gave. Now, you're splitting hairs on the Olympics and here's why: The Olympic team represents the United States abroad. Your wearing of the Captain America jacket does not. The commercialization of clothing that looks like it has been directly fashioned out of an actual US Flag is appalling. PERIOD. You are free to wear red, white and blue clothes everyday of your life if you want to. The disrespect of the Flag of the United States, of the country which I swore to defend for three years in West Germany during the Cold War and 45 days during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, is what appalls me. It appalls me about as much as the flag-burnings by US citizens that took place in the early 90's as a gross display of "free speech." You can wear red, white and blue. Don't wear the flag for your clothes. You can wear a flag lapel pin, carry a flag, place on on your lawn, your flagpole, your car, house, etc. You can have magnetic signs - fine. I cannot stand seeing people dressed up in the American flag. I have no idea what the writing on those pink shorts is anyway...and it was displayed right after Durryy's comment about praising allah. /shrug

Dude. I said those are very nice. I did also say I did not like clothes in the American Flag Pattern. I think clothes which are red, white and blue colors with stars, which do not look like you took Old Glory and cut her up to make your clothes, are absolutely fine. ...and you jump from the Rocky Trunks to something that "praises Allah?" How are you making that connection? Are you saying the Rocky Shorts are somehow Christian in nature, as you compare a nation to a world religion.. :giggle:

Ouch. It'll be 21 years on August 4th for me. :o

/salute Ahh yes. I remember my first wake-up call after leaving the MEPS station, not quite yet in Fort Sill, OK for my thirteen-week Basic and AIT for Field Artillery. I was just dreaming of being at home, waking up to the blaring red digital numbers on my alarm clock a few feet from my face. I awoke to some SFC yelling and slamming his broom-handle baton on the metal framed bunkbed I had slept on. What a rude awakening. Ahh nostalgia. Grats on your achievement! /salute I remember taking that oath to this day. :D

T M I

I think it's pretty stylin'. This would look killer with it, I think.

Set your expectations low, you won't be disappaointed. :LOL:

:ROFL: I'm just glad you are here reading the forums at all. :D

Nice promo video; that's pretty wild. I see you have all the bells and whistles in your Youtube videos..lights, backdrops, nice stage presence, audience interaction from more than the front man, everyone is moving and grooving, lights synched. All very nice looking stuff. When I was in a pro band in the 90's, we focused on building a fan base, the newsletter, the stage show..the whole nine yards, but you guys really have it done very well - way better than we did in central florida...btw the band was basically forgettable (unheard of), but I learned a ton about what record companies were looking for. Your manager is doing his job well. I knew the guys from Building 429 when they would play around the Raleigh - Fayetteville area. The guys were all so down-to-earth, but what impressed me was their manager. Their manager really pushed them and got them booked everywhere...a few months after the last time I saw them (at the Brewery in downtown Raleigh on a Wednesday night...opening for some other band I forget who they were) and BAM they got airplay on KLOVE and the rest was history! I really admire what you're doing and how well you are doing it. /salute

:ROFL:

Grats, Adaren. I'll be looking for the CD this week!

*plays Rocky's Theme* Those are very nice, but not in the American Flag Pattern, which I dislike.

As bad as this sound, Durryy I'll have to either see it or call BS on that.

OMG. You missed most of my points entirely. I was simply referring to polling being an informal fallacy. How can you know what the country is really thinking if you poll a small percentage of the country? It's bull*crap*, but I love you, Durry, so I can handle your criticism. :D

So much to respond to, so little time. Suffice it to say I think the majority of these polls are nothing more than informal fallacies intended to persuade weak-minded individuals into taking opinions about such things as fact. I have not read anything about suicide rates, going up or down. Must be a Bush-era statistic someone failed to report to the rest of the country. I am a Patriot, not a Nationalist, not a fanatic. I will respect the President of the US, when they are inaugurated on my birthday next year, like I have for numerous administrations. Like I said, so much to say, no time to do so. /salute

That's very likely indeed.

No, that's not entirely what I meant. I dislike people wearing the flag on their shirts, shorts, swimsuits, hats, socks, shoes, etc. I think that's disrespectful of the flag of our nation. That's all. The commercials are ok.

OMG. no WMD? No way that Saddam caught the news on CNN and had them dismantled while keeping the UN Inspection team at bay. :wrong: 77% of the blah blah blah... It just hit me: 77% of the American people disapprove? What kind of stat is that exactly? How many people disapproved of Clinton, or Reagan, or Nixon, or Kennedy, or Lincoln? What percentage of people disapproved of Abraham Lincoln? You know, he was controversial in his day... ;) That's just a poll. Polls are taken all the time about all kinds of things, that does not mean it is the gold standard Will of the People! It is the will of the people polled! Some people believe Clinton to have been one of the greatest Presidents (note I capitalized it) of our generation, yet he was impeached. The same folks who approved of Clinton disapprove of Bush. They need to get over themselves. It's always so easy to complain AFTER the fact. After Congress voted to allow Bush to declare war, it's all too easy to "flip flop" and come out against the war in front of the cameras. lol I remember all the senators (liberal and conservative I might add) who were singing hymns on national TV on the steps of the Capital the day after 9/11. It's just so easy to forget these days. Sorry, Astrus. You mashed all my buttons there, bro. :ROFL:

:ROFL: :giggle: :LOL: :ROFL:

That's why you're my friend. loooooooool