Thursday - November 06, 2008

flag of convenience

Seattle rediscovers patriotism, now that The One shall be King. Get used to stuff like this, it’s only the beginning.

Red, white and true blue: City hoists Old Glory

Barack Obama’s presidential win held a poignant significance for liberal Seattleites: This is their America, too.

The feeling was evident in jubilant partying in the streets, in quiet moments of reflection and in blossoms of red, white and blue.

With newfound patriotism, Seattleites want to wave the flag, hang it from their homes and stick it on their cars.

“The thing that’s kind of astounding to me is I never ever would have cared to own a flag,” said Rosemary Garner, 42. “This is the first day in my life I actually feel this funny sense of pride about my country. It’s a very foreign feeling, but it’s a good one.”

Garner, a self-described “flag virgin” who lives on Capitol Hill, bought eight flags Wednesday—some to wave and others to stick on her car to “mix and match with some nice Obama and peace signs. Then I bought a couple of flags for some friends who wanted to hang them from their truck along with their biodiesel stickers.”

How does Seattle feel about the election?

The answer is in the numbers: King County voted 72 percent for Obama. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott, whose district includes Seattle, won 85 percent of the vote.

The answer is in their words:

“I’m finally proud to be an American again, after eight years of being ashamed,” 66-year-old Mark Lowney said, ticking off a list of complaints, including the Iraq war.

“It’s just a rare feeling to feel that type of, I don’t know, national connection,” said Noah Kriegsmann, a 33-year-old builder from West Seattle. He feels that Obama’s win will help America’s standing in the world, and he bought a flag to fly on his truck, though he admitted it felt strange to see the flag in his hand.

“I have just historically felt shame for what the symbol of this country is internationally. Being in someplace like Morocco, and Canadians have their flag on their backpacks—I would never ever do that,” he said.

“I voted for McCain, but I’m not sour grapes,” said her friend, who did not want her name used. “I’ve tried to be supportive of all our presidents, whoever it is. It is a hard job—and worthy of respect.”

At All the King’s Flags in Ballard, people have been snatching up American flags.

“Just today I’ve had a noticeable rush on U.S. flags,” said James Sawyer, assistant manager. “I had a lady come in and she said she’s happy to be an American again, that’s why she was buying a flag.”

There’s more too, including an excerpt from the Flag Act, to remind the new Suddenly Americans in Seattle that the flag really isn’t just for wiping your ass with and then setting on fire. I’m sure there will be a steep learning curve for them, so this article will have to be reprinted several times until they can overcome their old reflexes.

Posted by Drew458     on 11/06/2008 at 01:14 PM   
Filed Under: • Patriotism •  
• Comments (10) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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