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Military/Flag News Stories (and yes, Michael Jackson)

I always like when murder suspects kill themselves. I know the authorities probably hate it, because they feel they weren't able to get other info they may have needed. I just love knowing that we aren't wasting any more tax payer money keeping them in prison. Or having an appeal, or anything else.

So when a murder suspect in the brig at Camp Pendleton, killed himself a few days ago...I was happy. It was a bit baffling that he did this on suicide watch with a closed-circuit video in his cell. Maybe the person charged with watching him should now take his place in the cell.

I was also baffled with the item he used to do it. Because, he's military. You think guns, grenades, bayonets.

He choked himself to death with toilet paper.

Now, I know a woman who had a fight with her husband because he hated the two-ply toilet paper she bought. He claimed it fell apart or some such thing.

I've never really noticed or cared what toilet paper is used. I just hate when someone has it on the thing backwards, and you're grabbing the top piece from the bottom. And even that doesn't bother me enough to say anything to anyone about it.

I'm not sure if this guy made a noose out of it. Or if he just jammed a bunch of it down his throat, or what. But dang...it seems like the toilet paper company could do a commercial of some kind. Strong enough for all your needs...from a simple trip to the can, or a simple trip to heaven.

Now, on to the flag stories.

L.A. mayor Jim Dear got into trouble. He made the idiotic decision when Michael Jackson died, that the flags would fly at half-mast. This obviously upset a lot of veterans and...well, anyone with a brain. He said that Jackson was a success story that showed what someone from a poor background could do, and blah blah blah. I don't think he really understands the flag and why you'd lower it. He may have also forgot that, along with Jacksons success, he also died addicted to drugs and being an accused child molestor. Not the type of character we lower flags for.

Dear was stripped of ever being able to decide when the flag would be lowered again.

A little farther north (in Fresno) a man that had served two tours in Vietnam, was upsetting many in his neighborhood. He had a flag that was faded and torn, flying in front of his home.

Now, for those of you that don't know, there are strict rules about flying the flag.

It can't be flown at night, unless it's well lit.

You can't have it up during bad weather.

When you take it down, it can't touch the ground. And you have to fold it a certain way.

When your flag becomes tattered, it's supposed to be replaced. And ceremoniously burned.

You're not supposed to wear the flag. And, I'm sure there are a handful of other rules that I can't remember at the moment.

Anyway...this veteran had a decent reason for keeping his flag up. His son was in his second tour in Iraq. That son put the flag up and the dad said, "I won't take that flag down until you return home."

When people in the town heard the story, they gave him a pass. Well, most of them did.

Even the guy doing the story on CNN said how this is an American hero, and he should be able to do what he wants with his flag, and how great this is to honor his son.

Well...would this talking-head feel the same way if the man decided to stomp on the flag, spit on the flag, and then burn it in front of city hall? I'm guessing he wouldn't. Even with the fact that he served two tours in Vietnam.

What people don't realize is...not everyone knows the story behind your various reasoning.

So, if you have some 3 inch tumor growing out of your head and you wear a baseball cap to cover it...great. But if you're at the Padres game and the National Anthem is played, your hat better come off.

I once worked with a woman from South Carolina. Her husband was in the military and wore a jacket with confederate flag. I asked him if he got into arguments over wearing it and he said "All the time." I said, "Then why wear it?"

He told me he was proud of his southern heritage and just because some racist groups use the southern flag for their causes, he's not a racist. I told him that if it reminds people of the slavery, segregation, and all that...why would you want to wear it? The last thing I'd want, is for someone to think I had any association with those types of groups.

We got into this huge argument about it. I had to explain to him, "Look...as a kid, I didn't mind the Dukes of Hazard having one on their Charger. Although, a '69 orange Charger looks so much better without it. I have Lynyrd Skynyrd albums with that flag. But...I've had a few shirts I bought as a teenager that had phrases I thought were funny. One person was offended by one, and I never wore the shirt again. My logic was...why offend anyone?

Sometimes things people enjoy, get hijacked by hate groups or idiots. And you just have to retire 'em.

I think the confederate flag is one of those things.

Oh...the guys son returned yesterday. And he promptly replaced the flag.

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I always like when murder suspects kill themselves. I know the authorities probably hate it, because they feel they weren't able to get other info they may have needed. I just love knowing that we aren't wasting any more tax payer money keeping them in prison. Or having an appeal, or anything else.

So when a murder suspect in the brig at Camp Pendleton, killed himself a few days ago...I was happy. It was a bit baffling that he did this on suicide watch with a closed-circuit video in his cell. Maybe the person charged with watching him should now take his place in the cell.

I was also baffled with the item he used to do it. Because, he's military. You think guns, grenades, bayonets.

He choked himself to death with toilet paper.

Now, I know a woman who had a fight with her husband because he hated the two-ply toilet paper she bought. He claimed it fell apart or some such thing.

I've never really noticed or cared what toilet paper is used. I just hate when someone has it on the thing backwards, and you're grabbing the top piece from the bottom. And even that doesn't bother me enough to say anything to anyone about it.

I'm not sure if this guy made a noose out of it. Or if he just jammed a bunch of it down his throat, or what. But dang...it seems like the toilet paper company could do a commercial of some kind. Strong enough for all your needs...from a simple trip to the can, or a simple trip to heaven.

Now, on to the flag stories.

L.A. mayor Jim Dear got into trouble. He made the idiotic decision when Michael Jackson died, that the flags would fly at half-mast. This obviously upset a lot of veterans and...well, anyone with a brain. He said that Jackson was a success story that showed what someone from a poor background could do, and blah blah blah. I don't think he really understands the flag and why you'd lower it. He may have also forgot that, along with Jacksons success, he also died addicted to drugs and being an accused child molestor. Not the type of character we lower flags for.

Dear was stripped of ever being able to decide when the flag would be lowered again.

A little farther north (in Fresno) a man that had served two tours in Vietnam, was upsetting many in his neighborhood. He had a flag that was faded and torn, flying in front of his home.

Now, for those of you that don't know, there are strict rules about flying the flag.

It can't be flown at night, unless it's well lit.

You can't have it up during bad weather.

When you take it down, it can't touch the ground. And you have to fold it a certain way.

When your flag becomes tattered, it's supposed to be replaced. And ceremoniously burned.

You're not supposed to wear the flag. And, I'm sure there are a handful of other rules that I can't remember at the moment.

Anyway...this veteran had a decent reason for keeping his flag up. His son was in his second tour in Iraq. That son put the flag up and the dad said, "I won't take that flag down until you return home."

When people in the town heard the story, they gave him a pass. Well, most of them did.

Even the guy doing the story on CNN said how this is an American hero, and he should be able to do what he wants with his flag, and how great this is to honor his son.

Well...would this talking-head feel the same way if the man decided to stomp on the flag, spit on the flag, and then burn it in front of city hall? I'm guessing he wouldn't. Even with the fact that he served two tours in Vietnam.

What people don't realize is...not everyone knows the story behind your various reasoning.

So, if you have some 3 inch tumor growing out of your head and you wear a baseball cap to cover it...great. But if you're at the Padres game and the National Anthem is played, your hat better come off.

I once worked with a woman from South Carolina. Her husband was in the military and wore a jacket with confederate flag. I asked him if he got into arguments over wearing it and he said "All the time." I said, "Then why wear it?"

He told me he was proud of his southern heritage and just because some racist groups use the southern flag for their causes, he's not a racist. I told him that if it reminds people of the slavery, segregation, and all that...why would you want to wear it? The last thing I'd want, is for someone to think I had any association with those types of groups.

We got into this huge argument about it. I had to explain to him, "Look...as a kid, I didn't mind the Dukes of Hazard having one on their Charger. Although, a '69 orange Charger looks so much better without it. I have Lynyrd Skynyrd albums with that flag. But...I've had a few shirts I bought as a teenager that had phrases I thought were funny. One person was offended by one, and I never wore the shirt again. My logic was...why offend anyone?

Sometimes things people enjoy, get hijacked by hate groups or idiots. And you just have to retire 'em.

I think the confederate flag is one of those things.

Oh...the guys son returned yesterday. And he promptly replaced the flag.

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