I saw a T-shirt yesterday that bothered me for some reason.

[OpSomBlood]

I was waiting in line at the Costco food counter and in front of me was a guy wearing a shirt with this on the back:

There was an image of a fireman's hat covered with stars and stripes in the center. On one side was a soldier in desert fatigues and sunglasses and the other side was an F-18 screaming skyward. And the background was a burning Iraqi flag.

Under all of this was the caption "FIREFIGHTERS IN SUPPORT OF THE TROOPS"

I have no idea why this shirt bothered me so much. Perhaps it was the burning flag.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I would think so

it implies the destruction of a nation, and the people therein. It also implies that Iraq had something to do with 9/11-at least that's the impression I got thinking about the fireman's hat.

[G_j]

2. the burning flag

doesn't exactly bring up images of bringing democracy and freedom to Iraq. It doesn't really fit with the idea of supporting the troops either. :shrug:

[fishnfla]

3. nor of a fireman

destroying something with fire, does not compute

Pretty goddamned ignorant shirt. maybe they should stick to fighting fires, or in this guys case, maybe not.

He's 'prolly one of the wanna-be types that starts forest fires so he gets work.

[Atlas Mugged]

4. You win

That's much worse than the one I saw yesterday that disturbed me(for some reason): a Paris Hilton wannabe wearing a t-shirt that said "Jesus Is My Homeboy". I'm not sure why that bothered me, but yours is much more bizarre.

[OpSomBlood]

5. Here's an image of the shirt I found on Google:

Sorry, my recollection of the image placement was a little off:



http://www.fireawards.com/fisuourtr.html#

[NMDemDist2]

6. that is almost an ironic statement i think

strange days indeed

[OpSomBlood]

7. And I have no idea what the Dep't of Defense seal has to do with it.

n/t

[ET Awful]

11. I'm trying to figure out why the US Flag embossed helmet is on fire :)

The designer of this shirt must be a Beavis and Butthead fan. . .

heh heh heh . . . fire.

[OpSomBlood]

13. The graphic designer seems to have ADD.

n/t

[immoderate]

18. It's like the firemen in Fahrenheit 451

Their job was to start fires--of books.

--IMM

[Oddman]

29. Exactly!!!

What a weird t-shirt - very poorly done!


A Pathetic Excuse for a pResident

[OpSomBlood]

23. It reeks of Bushco Astroturfing...

I don't know...while the images themselves are troubling, the fact that it is all of those images together (particularly the DoD seal) leads me to tinfoil that there's more to it than just "patriotic" firefighers. It seems like a subliminal 9/11-Iraq connection to me.

Yes, "tinfoil" is a verb now.

[69KV]

27. Astroturf

I think you've hit the nail right on the head.

Watch for this kind of stuff, where it is coming from, and who the target market is: working people, especially unionized working people such as firefighters.

The FF union has endorsed Kerry.

Shirts like this are intended to imply a false connection between 9-11 and Iraq, to steer firefighters away from Kerry and toward the Bush regime that does not represent their interests, and to promote a lie to the public that firefighters support the Bush regime.

It's astroturf.

The question is, where is it coming from and who is paying for our country being flooded with it??

Any working, union person who says they support Bush is either lying or brainwashed.

[69KV]

28. Something else I saw over the weekend

Something else I saw over the weekend that really pissed me off:

A "Vietnam Veterans AGAINST John Kerry" bumper sticker.

The sticker was on an F-250 with Minnesota plates, in a national park no less. I was going to leave the pathetic Bush-lover a nasty note, but thought better of it.

Printing and distribution of those bumper stickers was paid for by who....???? Hmm. I have to wonder. (I also have to wonder what Bush supporters are even doing visiting national parks, since the Bush regime's goal is to destroy and privatize them?)

[NewEmanuelGoldstein]

25. Well

The Govt supports the NYC firefighters and the widows of the firefighters killed in the WTC on 9/11 by ignoring their calls for a proper investigation into the 9/11 attacks. So why wouldn't firefighters support the troops with dept of defense logos and flags on t-shits.


Guy Montag would even be shocked. Farenheight 451 indeed.

[southernleftylady]

8. Well I hope it wasn't a sorta 9/11 support the troops shirt since

IRAQ HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 9/11
Ignorance plain and simple

[OpSomBlood]

12. Two burning Iraqi flags.

There's not even a remote reference to Afghanistan or al Qaeda anywhere on that image.

[southernleftylady]

9. Dupe n/t

[neebob]

10. I can't help wondering what an Iraqi fireman would think of that shirt

[OpSomBlood]

14. On a similar note:

A bumper sticker that really annoys the piss out of me:

"I SUPPORT PRESIDENT BUSH AND THE TROOPS"

As if support for one is intertwined with the other.

[defoliate_bush]

16. They're always the same!

I've seen a lot of those bumper stickers, and the people that have them all look the same! It's always an old guy in a pickup truck, wearing a trucker hat.

[defoliate_bush]

15. That would bother me too.

It promotes the violence that is taking place over there. The burning flag also makes me think of American imperialism. Burning down the Iraqi flag to replace it with our government and ways of life.

[OpSomBlood]

17. Kick n/t

[NJmaverick]

19. It bothered you because it exposed the ugly truth

bush conquered Iraq rather then liberate it.

[OpSomBlood]

20. Kick.

:kick:

[Delano]

21. It's jingoistic and hateful.

YOu're right to be bothered. It was supposed to be about ousting the evil Saddam and liberating the Iraqis, right?

Burning their flag is like shitting on their national identity. We all know how Americans feel at seeing OUR flag burned by crazed foreigners. You just felt the natural shame of seeing Americans behaving in the same way...

Rightwingers have a very hard time remembering that the Iraqis are NOT our enemy...

[Solly Mack]

22. It's a stupid t-shirt which insults those firemen who died on September 11

as well insulting the soldiers it claims to support.

I got news for people like that...My husband, a soldier, doesn't want that kind of support.

[NewEmanuelGoldstein]

26. It insults everyone

I want your husband to be home with you not off in war getting shot at.

If the firefighters don't like that they can kiss my ass.

[OpSomBlood]

24. One last kick for good measure.

:kick: