So I went to see the Lipizzaner Stallions perform tonight and saw an obnoxious patriotic display

First, it was 'America the Beautiful,' then the National Anthem, and THEN 'God Bless America'...come ON... :puke:
That was serious overload. All that was missing was Lee Greenwood riding out on a Clydesdale blaring 'God Bless the USA' while shooting off six-guns.
Meanwhile, one of the stallions was trotting around the arena, its rider proudly waving the American flag. How obnoxious. Don't bring the horses into this, bro!

but it would have been even better if they'd played the song from team america

:rofl:

hell, i would've been down with that. :evilgrin:

Have you considered contacting the ASPCA to report horse abuse?

if Lee Greenwood had been there, I definitely would've made the call. No horse should have to endure that. And, you know, the Lipinzanner Stallions are such a longstanding AMERICAN tradition. :eyes:

The damn show was touring here. lol

:)

:popcorn:

:P

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:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

:cry:
:P

I'm sort of afraid to ask. :scared:

:evilgrin:

:D

It's like living history.

:)

:D

:rofl:

:)

and...just in case someone is running out of names:

http://www.dictatorofthemonth.com/English/English_welcome.htm

:P

:P

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Guaranteed freepers. Or just stupid.

'I hope George Bush drinks the blood of every iraqi man, woman and child!' and the audience roars approval... :puke:

:rofl:

:P

'merikin should be wearing a hunk of cheap metal flag pen made in china...otherwise we couldnt tell the true blue 'merikins from those baaaaaaad ones.

I was kind of hoping they'd be shooting them out of cannons or something. Instead, they just ran around.

:hi:

Now I'd pay big to see that.
Instead, they just run around.

:hi:

:applause:

beautiful animals to enjoy? The Russians wanted to eat them, he (and the 3rd Army) faced them down.

and lots of respect for patton for doing so!

I'll look up the account tomorrow.

IIRC, the herd was in a valley near the end of the war and the Russians were short of food. Patton brought up his forces and told the Russian commander if he shot one horse he would attack and force a new war, politicians be damned.

The Russians found other sustenance.

just cause http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv7p-NjcQNs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzspFkXR_UU

They may not agree w/ their Freep cousins co-opting its music for rallying the public around the blivet's foreign policy in the ME.

with a dash of Brit and Native American thrown in.

Clans Marshall, McIntosh, Pope, Cherokee and Chickasaw

:toast:

:hi:

:puke:

That is what you seem to be describing here

am i missing something? :shrug:

Far be it from me to defend anything freeperesque ... but I don't see the problem here. You were offended by the national anthem, God Bless America, and America the Beautiful? Why? What's particularly offensive about patriotic displays?

Symbolic patriotic pomp and circumstance occurs in every country in the world ... from the far east, to the west, and everywhere in between. Additionally, displays occur at pretty much every sporting event anywhere - including at events in (or involving) China, Japan, Europe, Canada, Cuba and South America. The Olympics are pretty much a non-stop patriotic display for each of the individual nations of the world. We wouldn't be offended at a Chinese or Canadian patriotic display, why would we be offended at an American one?

I refuse to believe that patriotism, and patriotic displays, are a uniquely conservative event. I refuse to allow our National Anthem to be considered unique to freepers, and off limits to liberals. I refuse to be offended at displays that espouse no particular political position, but are instead merely a non-partisan non-ideological celebration. If conservatives claim their ideology has a monopoly on patriotism, and we affirm that claim by showing disdain for harmless patriotic displays - I fear we'll have an awfully difficult time winning elections in middle-America.

Despite my disagreements with my current government - I love my country. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else (if I did - I'd have already moved there). I'll wear a flag pin on my lapel if I choose, I'll stand for the national anthem, and I'll have pride when my nations flag is waved. I'm proud of where I'm from ... it is part of who I am, and I see no reason to be offended when people choose to celebrate my nation of origin.

Simply because freepers claim a stranglehold on patriotism does not mean that harmless patriotic displays are inherently conservative ... liberalism is patriotic, and patriotism is liberal. Our dissent is a means of showing our love for this nation - we seek to change its imperfections to guarantee its continuation - but political dissent certainly isn't the ONLY form of acceptable patriotism.

We must not cede patriotism to conservatives, lest we continually be marginalized ... Obama has ceded the flag, and we're ceding the national anthem and traditional patriotic songs. If WE believe the American flag and national anthem are inherently conservative ... will it be long before the majority of the public agrees? I'm not sure liberalism can be a viable ideology if we grant conservatives the argument that they're the only true patriots.

Given continuous conservative attacks on our patriotic credentials - we must continually demonstrate that our political dissent is the utmost act of patriotism ... we cannot do that while simultaneously showing disdain for harmless traditional patriotic displays.

Z

if i catch your drift of course & while i consider Guthrie's: This Land Is Your Land, to be a symbol of patriotism; i'm not ready to surrender it all to so-called conservative thought, nor willing to render 'patriotism' into just one more job whole other tracts of Americans are not willing to perform

I don't believe in ostentatious displays of patriotism, just like I don't believe in os tenacious displays of religion. It's just a personality thing for me. Flag-waving isn't my bag.

Extreme patriotism to justify aggressive foreign policy. Extreme patriotism is not always genuine patriotism, but more like patriotic belligerence. Overkill on the anthems is a symptom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingoism

that's just my gut feeling.

though I wonder why there wasn't the same patriotic fervor after the Oklahoma City bombings? :shrug:

it wasn't us vs. them, it was us vs. us.
too confusing for murika.

:cry: :hi:

They have do something to make a 90 minute show out of maybe a dozen steps that the horses can do. I really enjoyed the show, but what cracked us up is almost the entire audience stood for America the Beautiful. Huh? Then the announcer guy (correctly) asked us all to stand for the National Anthem.

:eyes:
who the hell stands for america the beautiful?

the Lippizaner Stallions act has been around for a long time, originating in the Heimatland of it's most famous son, who moved north and went into politics. It would be rather unseemly that the flags used then would be used now, but before long, if not already, the flags you saw today are inter-changeable.

:shrug:

WW2. True story.