The farther one ascends, the farther one falls. No one, not even the ONE, can live up to such expectations.

Not sure megalomania works that way, but I like your positive attitude.
Maybe he avoids that pit. Maybe.

Justin,
51st State? Surely you know that there are 57 States. The ONE could not possibly be wrong, could he?

Would you like some fine gouda or sharp cheddar to go with the vino?
I can't think of a president in my lifetime of either party that didn't enter office with similar pomp and pageantry (well, maybe Carter, but I doubt that would change your mind about him).
And LBJ, of course.

"I can't think of a president in my lifetime of either party that didn't enter office with similar pomp and pageantry"

I can ... all of them, because this is by far going to be the most expensive inaugural ever, and very few in the mainstream media have called him out on it, even though they whined about it 4 and 8 years ago.

PS As for the Obama flag, I guess it's improvement over what they usually do to desecrate American flags.

Will - the inauguration will be more expensive than W's, but not hugely so $45mm vs. $40mm, IIRC. I also can't get excited about the Obama flag - trashy kitschy political gee-gaws are an American tradition.

OTOH - the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Office of the PEOTUS is nausea inducing.

And the media fawning is absolutely disgusting. There really is a BHO, err, sex toy, and most of the MSM folks have permanently put theirs someplace that ain't right.

I hope and pray that Mr. Obama has the guts and patriotism to decry this gross anti-American act. If not, then he is less qualified for the job than I had already thought.

Move over Keanu Reeves, we have a new NEO now staring in Matrix 4: The New Beginning

I grew up proudly joining the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, became an Eagle Scout on March 11, 1971, went to Catholic schools and every day, every meeting, every camping trip, we, the people, saluted the flag and pledge our allegiance to America.

I cannot find the words to properly express my disgust, my distaste, my outrage over this Obamanation of Old Glory.

However, I am reminded whenever I see this misguided sense of loyalty for a person and NOT for the country for which this flag stands, I am painfully reminded that the last election was won by those of race and those swaddled in liberal clothing.

January 21, 2013 cannot come fast enough.

Much ado about nothing. The cry of the losers.

I think that the use of George Washington to sell merchandise and the use of Abraham Lincoln and other presidents to sell products is despicable and I hear and see such every day, but none of the sanctimonious protesters who wrote to this blog have ever said a word about it. Matter of fact, neither have you. Methinks thou doest protest too much.
OldTimeLefty

OTL-

I've never heard of anyone fighting for or dying for the image of Washington or Lincoln. Many great Americans have died for the flag, as is. Not with that man's image on it.

Funny how you find it "despicable" that people make a profit off of the Washington and Lincoln images, but Obama himself has made a killing off his image. No issues there? Any issues with other people making a killing off his image?

And why in the world do you still link back to your blog that you haven't updated in 5 months?

OTL-

How "despicable" is this?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/18/obama.cool/index.html

Forget the flag issue-it's the rapidly emerging cult of personality that is kind of disturbing.
Doris Kearns Goodwin-noted talking head and alleged plagiarist called this coming Tuesday a "sacred day" for America.WTF.
It's another inauguration-okay,I will concede it has special meaning for Black Americans because of the long years of slavery and second class status they endured.
As far as the rest of the population,I don't understand the almost hysterical ecstasy surrounding this event.
The problems facing Obama are so complex and serious that I don't think anyone we could have elected stood a chance of solving them in any near term.
The problem is that the starry-eyed people who believe this "change and hope"mantra are expecting some kind of Cinderella transformation of the economy and our tangled foreign relations.Ain't gonna happen folks.

Wow. Just saw on Drudge that the deification ceremonies will cost $170mm overall. Way more than the $45mm I first saw. Political operatives shading the truth --say it ain't so!

I'd take Drudge about as seriously as the "violence" on Monday Night Raw.

pitcher,

Try reading, or have someone read to you
this.

But, wait, I remember you have already told me that you don't read anything that might affect your narrow view of the world.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll be sure to update my blog, especially for a fan. Happy reading.
OldTimeLefty

Justin,
You might want to read this. Pitcher, if you are not beyond hope try it too:

The Supreme Court decision Halter v Nebraska of 1907 holds to this day. That decision determined that you cannot use the flag in advertising. That means, not on a letterhead where the Republican Party puts it. Not on a bowtie. Not on football, not on jewelry. And though Bill may object, not on a thong (see below). We're not saying that we agree; what we are saying is that all of it is protected free speech. If you can wear a US flag as clothing, or autograph it as George W' does below, then you can burn it in protest, as rare as that protest might be. Or, as distasteful as it might seem to be to us….
Is it George Bush or Bill Clinton signing the flag in violation of the U.S. Flag Code? Is it the manufacture of undergarments with flags on them? Is it the wearing of flag ties? Underwear? Hats? Gloves? Shoes? Boots? Is it leaving the flag out in the rain? Is it wiping one's feet on a flag rug? Is it kicking a U.S. flag football? Lying on a U.S. flag beach towel? Is it leaving the flag out twisted in the wind and rain for days? Or, is it making a circus display out of flying 7 of them from a VFP hall or 20 of them over a gas station? Or, more fundamentally, is flag desecration the charge made against people who express their freedom of speech in a manner with which we or the State disagree? We say the Constitution would be desecrated by passing any amendment that limits free speech, even if the free speech is in poor taste -- like many of the product examples posted below. Support freedom and liberty by protecting the Constitution and in particular, the Bill of Rights.

For the complete citation refer to -http://www.metaphoria.us/FlagPatriotism/Flag_Patriotism.html

More flags than you can shake a stick at.
This from Jim Hightower.

FLAG HUCKSTERS
The flag sells. I'm not talking about sales of the Red-White-and-Blue itself, but the use of our Star-Spangled Banner to sell everything from cars to toilet paper. Slap a picture of Old Glory on it, and I'll bet some people would buy frozen vials of mad-cow disease.

These days, the hawking of products in the guise of patriotism has become especially popular ... and shameless. Consumer Reports magazine has discovered one such commercial come-on that would gag the most devout flag waver.

It's an e-mail offer that featured a photo of George W. and a banner headline asking accusingly, "Do You Support President Bush?" It then made this urgent demand: "With the war overseas and constant threats of terrorism here on our shores, now is the time for Americans like you to make your voices heard." To reel in the sucker, the e-mail promotion offered a free "God Bless America" T-shirt (complete with a rippling American flag on its front) if the recipient would only click on and respond to a "National Security Survey."

But -- surprise! -- the survey asked nothing about national security. Instead, it asked: "Do you want service from Sprint?" It also asked nine other commercial questions, including, "Want to earn 10K per month working from home?" and "Need cash but have bad credit?"

The patriotic come-on was a ruse by a marketing corporation called Consumer Value Direct, which, by the way, also asked for all sorts of personal information about the patriots who clicked on its site, including their home phone numbers and birth dates. In case some real patriots clicked on who might be offended by such a corporate intrusion into their privacy, CVD's Web site generously admitted that such personal data "remains your property" -- but ... it declared, the marketers "have the right to use that information" whenever "necessary or appropriate."

What a crock! These hucksters should be strung up on the nearest flagpole.
OldTimeLefty