And I don't mind doing so. But I don't want some NAZI patriot motherfucker telling me I have to. Standing up for a flag is a matter of acknowledgement and courtesy. I stand for the Canadian national anthem at a sporting event as a sign of respect for the visiting team's country, not as a promise of allegiance. Even an atheist should take off his hat when he visits a church. Its only good manners.

You just don't seem to grok this, do you, Rob?

All these little symbolic acts of civic devotion are harmless in spirit, but in practice, they are ways of intimidating and coercing people to toe the mark, get with the program, get in line and queue up for the slaughter. Its mind control. Sure, there is no law telling anyone you HAVE to stand for the anthem, or the flag, but if you refuse to do it in a public place you immediately attract the attention of zealots who feel it is their duty to enforce the orthodoxy, and are just waiting for any excuse to ruin your life with patriotic impunity. You know perfectly well how that works.

Look at what happened to that football player who "took the knee", or the Olympians who gave the Black Power salute during the medals ceremony. Their careers were ruined, and I bet they'll spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulder. In the age of social media, the anonymous death threat is now part of the political dialog.

I remember the home room Pledge of Allegiance, as well as the Lord's Prayer (in those days school prayer was not merely allowed, it was mandatory). Sure, there was no law that said you COULDN'T refuse, but you knew perfectly well you were a marked man if you did. That Jehovah's Witness kid found out the hard way.

This is how fascism coerces and intimidates. It starts off informally, but later it becomes law. First a schoolyard beating, then you lose your job or career, then a concentration camp, eventually, el paredón. Fascists do not like people who refuse to go along. They are always alert for deviations and eager to punish the uppity.

And of course, when one side does it, the other is quick to follow. You can't say "Negro", or "black", or "colored" any more. The politically correct term is now "African-American". And heaven forbid if you say "Indian" when you mean "Native American". But of course, I figure you are well aware of that particular little anomaly. The Right is all about "equivalence".