Pin-Heads

Barack Obama says he no longer wears an American flag lapel pin because it has become a substitute for "true patriotism" since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. I would say that anyone willing to subject themselves to the rigors of a presidential campaign in this country shouldn't have to worry about having additional patriotic credentials. Participating in the democratic process in a way that very few people every have the opportunity ought to count for something.
Here's how the Senator explained it: "My attitude is that I'm less concerned about what you're wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart. You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and ideals. That's what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals." He would rather show his feelings about his country in words, or actions, and not in costume jewelery.
There are those, such as Virgil Reed, who would disagree: "Wearing the Flag pin also shows you are proud to be an American. Obama gives poor reasons for not wearing the pin."
Aside from the random comment left by Virgil on an Internet news story, who else believes that "the pin makes the man"? The folks at Fox News, of course! Fox legal analyst Andrew Napolitano accused Obama of "disrespecting the American flag." His co-host on Fox News Radio's Brian & the Judge, Brian Kilmeade, said that Obama was "anti-Betsy Ross" and that Obama should "apologize to the people ... who are working the fields, that were Marines, who were in the Army." Maybe there's a little pin-envy going on here.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr.
I have a dream as well. I dream of a day when we will live in a nation where political candidates will not be judged by the color of their skin, or by the pins they choose to wear on their lapels.