Is appropriate for President Bush to stand on a flag, or does it matter?

LCpl Mark Lefler — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 02:17:45 -0400

I'm not so interested in the words((though they are right)) in the meme as I am in the fact there is a flag on a welcome mat and the at time president is standing on it. We've had a lot of talk about standing on the flag, does this fit that category or because its a mat, its alright?

Response by LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® made Jun 15 at 2015 2:19 AM

LTC David S. Chang, ChFC®, CLU® — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 02:19:13 -0400

It is a floor mat. It was made for this. I know unit crests that we walk over in the entry of our buildings.

I don't think this is a problem since you can see that it was made for the purpose of use.

Response by HN Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 3:51 AM

HN Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:51:25 -0400

It depends on the individual and their intentions. Two things that bother me, burning the flag and stepping on an actual flag. Now the fact it is on a floor mat doesn't bother me. A very patriotic individual can have an American Flag floor mat and step on it with a smile everyday. The person and intentions are good. You can have an ISIS member that has an American Flag floor mat and he steps on it every day with a smile as well. The individual and intentions are obviously not good.. This is a situation like shooting someone outside of your house.. You are not suppose to do it, but if you are defending your family or yourself and you know the other person has the intentions of killing you, then why not? You can't necessarily judge the President unless you know his intentions are bad and I'm not a mind reader, so...

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Jun 15 at 2015 6:01 AM

Cpl Jeff N. — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 06:01:43 -0400

1. I think putting the image of the US Flag on a floor mat is a violation of the US Flag Code. Something most seem to think of as passé anymore.

2. That looks like a photo shopped image so not even sure it is real.

3. You are assuming Obama has not walked across or stood on a similar floor mat and we just haven't heard about it.

Response by MSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 6:28 AM

MSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 06:28:31 -0400

It's not a flag. It's not a violation of the flag code. The flag code sets directives about the use of an actual flag. Like rocky iv. The picture on the box and at the end of the move draped and wrapped in an actual flag. That's against the code. Using a flag as a doormat is against the code. Having a door mat with a picture of the flag on it is not the same thing. Same as a t shirt with with the flag on it. If it hits the ground you don't have to burn it. It's a tshirt

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Jun 15 at 2015 10:40 AM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:40:29 -0400

I consider it political garbage - usually don't pay too much attention to this democratic vs. republican advertising. I doubt that the former President and First Lady even poised for this photo.

Response by AN J. Blair Cano made Jun 15 at 2015 10:45 AM

AN J. Blair Cano — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:45:11 -0400

It is disrespectful.

Response by AN J. Blair Cano made Jun 15 at 2015 10:46 AM

AN J. Blair Cano — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 10:46:20 -0400

I find it to be obtuse and disrespectful.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 11:01 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 11:01:44 -0400

It is totally disrespectful, and doesn't matter who does it!

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 11:09 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 11:09:18 -0400

It would be a good discussion, if the pic wasn't photoshopped

Response by LT Garth Young (Ret) made Jun 15 at 2015 11:17 AM

LT Garth Young (Ret) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 11:17:25 -0400

From my perspective,
a) no flag of any Nation should ever be put on a floor/door mat.
b) who the H was thinking this was a good idea to have on the floor???
c) who's manufacturing this & who's making the decision to buy it??

Response by SSG Leonard Johnson made Jun 15 at 2015 12:44 PM

SSG Leonard Johnson — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:44:45 -0400

difference is GW didn't mean it or didn't what he was doing was wrong....Since Liberals hate their country....they know what they are doing and mean to dis the flag

Response by SGT Richard H. made Jun 15 at 2015 1:13 PM

SGT Richard H. — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:13:57 -0400

I don't know whether the photo is real or not, but I am fairly sure that Bush has/had just as many haters as Obama does...the only difference being whether the rhetoric flies from right to left or left to right, so I don't really subscribe to the notion that Obama would take any worse criticism than Bush would on this....How soon we forget.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 1:17 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:17:55 -0400

is this photo not photoshopped? It looks a little suspect.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 1:32 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:32:05 -0400

People have selective outrage; sadly, if the Obamas had done this the internet would have already melted from the heat of all the trillions of indignant key-mashing people having diva tantrums. Of course, if the flag really is "sacred", then the ones they should be mad at is the company that decided to make a floor mat with that image on it. But that's not as much fun as blaming Obama for Katrina, Ukraine, the Tet Offensive and the fall of the Roman Empire.

Lost in all this is that the flag, in and of itself, is not "sacred". The flag is a piece of colored cloth; it is supposed to symbolize the nation of America, which stands for and defends principles of justice and liberty. That's the idea, anyway. When you mix up respect for the ideals with holding the cloth symbol itself as a sacred object, you are dangerously close to idolatry. The flag means nothing by itself without those ideals being upheld-- whether or not you think these ideals *are* being upheld or not right now is another conversation.

I bet some of the people who are outraged at mistreatment of the flag on the internet are some of the same people who are flying their US flags upside-sown as a symbol of protest, even though that is not supposed to be done on a whim or to look like a tough-guy patriot; it is supposed to only be flown that way when a US-flagged vessel underway at sea is in distress-- not as a fashion accessory next to your stick-family decals on the back window of the family panzerwagen.

Response by SFC Maury Gonzalez made Jun 15 at 2015 1:33 PM

SFC Maury Gonzalez — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:33:22 -0400

It is photoshop, no shadows, floor mat is out of focus with background, the president and flotus are also photoshop, look like 3 merged images

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2015 1:44 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:44:57 -0400

It's technically not a flag. However, whatever company thought that up didn't think it through. I agree that these types of arguments are petty and a waste of time. If you want to place a neck in the noose, blame the manufacturer for making a poorly conceived product and move on to more important things.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jun 15 at 2015 1:55 PM

PO1 John Miller — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:55:13 -0400

While a mat like this is IMO in bad taste, I don't think it constitutes an American flag. Kind of like American flag images printed on t shirts.

Look at it this way. At my last job I was working for the Marine Corps MCEN (Marine Corps Enterprise Network) Help Desk. The building I worked in had a few door mats that had the EGA imprinted on them. Would you Marines consider that desecration of the EGA?

Response by 1SG Robert C. made Jun 15 at 2015 2:42 PM

1SG Robert C. — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:42:34 -0400

I think it was pretty stupid to put an image of the flags on a welcome mat in first place. Welcome mat are intended to walked on. I would care who stepped on the welcome mat with image of the flag. Different story if it was a real flag. The idiot should fired for putting the image of the flag on the welcome mat. By the way, the welcome mat looks out of place anyways.

Response by SGT Edward Thomas made Jun 19 at 2015 6:29 AM

SGT Edward Thomas — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 06:29:55 -0400

There is a flag design on a rug and nothing more.

Response by GySgt Joe Johnston made Jun 19 at 2015 7:36 AM

GySgt Joe Johnston — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 07:36:12 -0400

It's never alright to desacrate the flag of the united states of america a lot of men and women died for that flag so she could hang in freedom.I'm shocked at G.W and Laura,if this is true and not just a put together bullshit.I just cant believe george would do that.....

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 20 at 2015 6:41 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 06:41:03 -0400

Wow!!! This should not even be entertained... Based on the fact he is not deliberately stomping on the flag ( if it was even a flag, it's a door mat) , now I personally don't think any kind of mat or rug should be made with a picture or representation of the American flag as I would not feel comfortable walking all over it ( just my opinion though). But the main reason this meme was made is too stir shit up... Any person with common sense can look at this picture and ask : why is there a doormat in this random spot of no significance , at an awkward angle, and let's say it was placed there for some reason.. Which means both the president and his wife knew it was there and were told to stop and stand on itit . I highly doubt president bush would agree to take pictures standing on a rug with the American flag, let alone which depicts 9-11.... Just wanted to point those issues out .

Response by Cpl Chris Rice made Jun 22 at 2015 2:07 PM

Cpl Chris Rice — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 14:07:19 -0400

Why would anybody purchase a floor mat with the flag on it to begin with. Why not American flag toilet paper (I mean as many of you have stated this is the intended purpose of the toilet paper, and not a real flag)? There are places that the flag should go, I personally do not think a door mat is appropriate for the flag.

Response by PV2 Scott Goodpasture made Nov 2 at 2015 7:50 PM

PV2 Scott Goodpasture — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 19:50:25 -0500