Union Jack

I recently returned home from Holiday in America, I landed at Heathrow, London. I was disgusted not to see one Union Jack in the Arrivals or anywhere else. Yet in other countries its hard not to see their flag. Its like people are ashamed of the Union Jack flag. I read once some people thought it stands for racism, what utter crap. If people think flying our own flag on our on soil is racist, it shows what the world is coming to.
Its such a shame.

Ben

Now you see what we Southerners have had to put up with. People thinking the South is racist and our proud Southern Battle flag.
Deo Vindice !
Pvt. Dwight Rudder
32nd Mississippi Vol. Inf.
Cleburnes Div. ( Irishman, Lt. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne)
Army of Tennesse
Confederate States of America ( under occupation)

[mike_baram]

As long as Dwight opened the floodgate, I found this site which might bring tears to the eyes of the defenders in the "War of Nawthun Agression".
It's a prayer for the Confederacy by Rabbi Max Michelbacher of Congregation Beth Ahabah, Richmond, Virginia, and distributed to Jewish Confederate soldiers.
It would have made Judah Benjamin proud.
http://www.jewish-history.com/prayer.htm

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Ben:
There is nothing wrong in being proud of your country! Fly the Union Jackon every occasion possible. You'll find the biggest racists are those that yell racist at the drop of the hat and make a profit from it, for example Jesse Jackson, he has taken extortion to profitable level previously undreamed of.
bluer skies,
Dan-San Abbott

I am very proud to be English. I am proud of our long history. It would be nice to see the old jack more often though.

Regards

Ben

[mike_baram]

Ben,
It's an uphill battle, especially when you're fighting people who have been taught only to hate their country and see only the bad side of it.
Last summer, when "The Patriot" came out, the NY Times movie critic called it "as corny as the Fourth of July".
Fourth of July "corny"? I guess it can't hold a candle to May 1, which seems to be the Times' favorite holiday....
Oh, well, best of luck.....
VBR,
Mike

[Graeme]

Ben

The "old jack" has been around since only 1801 when it was created to reflect the Act of Union between Britain and Ireland (the Welsh flag was not incorporated into the Union Flag).

Properly, the Union Jack refers to the Union Flag flown from the jackstaff of a boat.

That said, it should be flown a sight more often than it is and conspicuously too.

Graeme

There's been several times over the last 8 years when I've seriously thought of flying the "Bonney Blue Flag"....especially on April 12th each year! As for the Union Flag symbolising racism...we get that here in The States for "The Stars & Stripes" too! Ignorant people abound!!!

[mike_baram]

Ben,
Re your complaint (inadvertantly posted on the next thread), let's be honest about the way the British are seen....
While we Americans have made a lot of mistakes (it comes with being a major power) we've done a fairly good job of admitting when we were wrong, and making up for it (fer instance...billions of $$$ in foreign aid, but that's another story).
But the image of the British could use a lot of touching up...you really botched the Palestinian mandate, the Irish don't have many pleasant memories, and India....
Now, please, don't scream that I'm anti-British (except for Hugh Grant and soccer fans, of course), but we didn't meet in Philadelphia in June-July of 1776 because of the weather.
Regards,
Mike

Oh Ben,

Please explain these excerpts then -
I John Parker, of lawful age, and commander of the militia in Lexington, do testify and declare, that on the 19th instant, in the morning, about one of the clock, being informed that there were a number of regular officers riding up and down the road, stopping and insulting people as they passed the road; and also being informed, that a number of regular troops were on their march from Boston, in order to take the province stores at Concord; ordered our militia to meet on the common in said Lexington, to consult what to do, and concluded not to be discovered, nor meddle
or make with said regular troops (if they should approach) unless they should insult or molest us, and upon their sudden approach I immediately ordered our militia to disperse; and not to fire; immediately said troops, made their appearance and rushed furiously, fired upon and killed eight of our party, without receiving any provocation therefor from us. - John Parker
Lexington, April 25, 1775

We Benjamin Tidd, of Lexington, and Joseph Abbot of Lincoln, in the county of Middlesex, and colony of Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England, of lawful age, do testify and declare, that on the morning of the nineteenth of April instant, about five o'clock, being on Lexington common, and mounted on horses, we saw a body of regular troops marching up to the Lexington company, which was then dispersing; soon after the regulars fired first a few guns, which we took to be pistols from some of the regulars who were mounted on horses, and then the said regulars fired a volley or two, before any guns were fired by the Lexington company; our horses immediately started, and we rode off, and further say not. --Benjamin Tidd, Joseph Abbot


We Nathaniel Mulcken, Phillip Russell, Moses Harrington, jun., Thomas and Daniel
Harrington, William Grimes, William Tidd, Isaac Hastings, Jonas Stone jun., James
Wyman, Thaddeus Harrington, John Chambers, Joshua Reed jun., Joseph Simonds,
Phineas Smith, John Chandler, jun., Reuben Lock, Joel Viles, Hathan Reed, Samual
Tidd, Benjamin Lock, Thomas Winship, Simeon Snow, John Smith, John Smith, Moses Harrington, the 3d, Joshua Reed, Ebenezer Parker, John Harrington, Enoch
Wallington (?), John Hosmer, Isaac Green, Phineas Starnes, Isaac Durant, and Thomas Headly, Jun., all of lawful age, and inhabitants of Lexington, in the county of Middlesex, and colony of the Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England, do testify and declare, that on the 19th of April instant, about one or two o'clock in the morning, being informed that several officers of the regulars had the evening before been riding up and down the road, and had detained and insulted the inhabitants passing the same; and also understanding that a body of regulars were marching from Boston towards Concord, with intent (as it was supposed) to take the stores belonging to the colony in that town, we were alarmed; having met at the place of our company's parade, were, dismissed by our Captain, John Parker, for the present, with orders to be ready to attend at the beat of the drum--we further testify and declare, that about five o'clock in the morning hearing our drum beat, we proceeded towards the parade, and soon found that a large body of troops were marching towards us; some of our company were coming up to the parade, and others had marched [---] which time the company began to disperse [....] our backs were turned on the troops, we were fired on by them, and a number of our men were instantly killed and wounded--not a gun was fired by any person in our company on the regulars, to our knowledge, before they fired on us, and they continued firing until we had all made our escape..
Signed by each of the above Deposers.

Please to explain the above actions by British Regulars.
Sincerely,
Jim 'ACE'