tp188.xml

tp188.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-03-03

What did we see when we opened our eyes?

Flags, flags, and more flags.

My Iranian friend said she thought that in any
other society it would be thought that Americans
attached the stars and stripes to everything
visible to ward off the devil. Nothing has been
seen like it since the emergence of the Coke
logo.

We have learned from this that in this culture,
consciousness is framed by the environment and by
the proliferation of the various products around
us. The flagging of America has only made it more
comfortable to accept and support more and more
war on other peoples of the world with little
questioning or with little focus.

We can salvage, though, something from the
reprehensible American response of inflicting
violence without regard for finding the true
source, even to this day, of the crimes committed
on 9/11.

Americans can show some respect.

One way would be for those so moved to trade in
their American car flags for peace flags. This is
an idea of mine from August. Nanotechnologist
Alan Kay said, ""The only way to predict the
future is to make it.""

I am prepared to handle the peace trade
transactions, and turn in the received flags to
families in New York who lost their own on
9/11--but who believe in peace--not war.