Changing Styles in America

I recall that Obama during his presidential campaign tried to avoid ending all speeches with the quasi-mandatory "God Bless America" and he resisted wearing the American flag pin. But under Republican pressure he has caved in, wimped out, and now does both of these neo-conservative genuflections to satisfy the American people.

I think the right wing in America should push Obama the whole 9 yards. Sure the flag pin and the "God Bless" are nice, but there is more he needs to do. The Republicans should make known their utter hatred and scorn for FDR by undoing the hated 1942 act of Congress pushed by FDR that which squashed the traditional Bellamy salute to the American flag.

I think Sarah Palin and the rest of the Tea Partiers should push their weak-willed GOP brethren to go whole hog and bring back the proper, historical, and much-loved, pre-FDR flag ceremony centred on a proper Bellamy salute of the American flag.

Children performing the Bellamy salute to the flag of the United States, Hawaii, March 1941
Sadly FDR stampeded the country away from this fine old American tradition because of scenes like this:

The Nazi salute in school, 1934
But what's to fear in healthy young German children showing their respect and love of country and leader with the Hitlergruß?

True conservatives always yearn to go back to the "good old days" and I'm thinking that they should push to re-instate the Bellamy salute. It was good enough for the right wing Nazis, it should be good enough for the Tea Party and the stalwarts of the GOP!

I, for one, would find a re-adoption of the beloved tradition would help clarify just where the Tea Party stands with its politics.