Ot. Look at this. this is cool. http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1483260750
To each his own. To me, it was like fever dream.
Hey, I just had that flashback a couple of days ago…wow.
Wow. shellfish as raging patriots.
It made me hungry for seafood and for eagle, which usally don’t go well together!
Uh, you don’t have to be patriotic to enjoy it. Memorial day is next week. After that, THEN you would have to be some kind of patriotic chest beating tin foil hat wearing John Birch type.
Was that done by Monty Python?
I though it was really ironic how the happy dancing fish morph into an ugly symbol of war.
Sorry VB…what a reaction. And you thought you were the cynic.
I think Bloomfield is the resident cynic. 
Anyway… don’t assume symbols mean for others what they mean for you. Maybe you grew up with people telling you “the eagle is nice, the eagle is your friend!” but i didn’t grow up in the US, and when i see that angry bird holding the arrows, i think of carpet-bombing.
Well, I’m used to eat seafood every day, but how come I got the hives?
I knew some pieces of Americana can be corny, but this is the ultimate Acme™ Corny-Copia of pretty-pretty insipidity.
As for eagles, generally, when used for the symbol for a state ever since Rome, they all too well symbolize Imperial ambitions.
Whether bald, two-headed, or gothic, I can’t stand these arrogant upstart vultures when boasted as a symbol.
I’m not apologizing for the eagle symbol–under present world conditions I find rah-rah America symbols to be embarrassing, maybe slightly horrific. And I’m not even a bleeding heart liberal (I’m confused, that’s what I am.)
It’s just that VBunny posted that card, merely stating that it was “cool,” and everyone kind of gagged.
If I could have found a dancing fish thingie that morphed into a picture of my butt, I would have posted it, but I couldn’t. Anyway. Memorial day. Remember, most of the rest of the world doesn’t hate the USA, just Bush. For that matter, more of the world doesn’t actually hate him as much as they are afraid he’ll mispronouce and word and accidentally start world war three.
That was a cool animation
"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.
“With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District.” –Benjamin Franklin.
"I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, ‘Don’t tread on me.’ As I know it is the custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed this may have been intended for the arms of America; and as I have nothing to do with public affairs, and as my time is perfectly my own, in order to divert an idle hour, I sat down to guess what could have been intended by this uncommon device – I took care, however, to consult on this occasion a person who is acquainted with heraldry, from whom I learned, that it is a rule among the learned of that science ‘That the worthy properties of the animal, in the crest-born, shall be considered,’ and, ‘That the base ones cannot have been intended;’ he likewise informed me that the ancients considered the serpent as an emblem of wisdom, and in a certain attitude of endless duration – both which circumstances I suppose may have been had in view. Having gained this intelligence, and recollecting that countries are sometimes represented by animals peculiar to them, it occurred to me that the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America, and may therefore have been chosen, on that account, to represent her.
"But then ‘the worldly properties’ of a Snake I judged would be hard to point out. This rather raised than suppressed my curiosity, and having frequently seen the Rattle-Snake, I ran over in my mind every property by which she was distinguished, not only from other animals, but from those of the same genus or class of animals, endeavoring to fix some meaning to each, not wholly inconsistent with common sense.
"I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.
"Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America? The poison of her teeth is the necessary means of digesting her food, and at the same time is certain destruction to her enemies. This may be understood to intimate that those things which are destructive to our enemies, may be to us not only harmless, but absolutely necessary to our existence. I confess I was wholly at a loss what to make of the rattles, 'till I went back and counted them and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America; and I recollected too that this was the only part of the Snake which increased in numbers. Perhaps it might be only fancy, but, I conceited the painter had shown a half formed additional rattle, which, I suppose, may have been intended to represent the province of Canada.
"'Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living.
“The Rattle-Snake is solitary, and associates with her kind only when it is necessary for their preservation. In winter, the warmth of a number together will preserve their lives, while singly, they would probably perish. The power of fascination attributed to her, by a generous construction, may be understood to mean, that those who consider the liberty and blessings which America affords, and once come over to her, never afterwards leave her, but spend their lives with her. She strongly resembles America in this, that she is beautiful in youth and her beauty increaseth with her age, ‘her tongue also is blue and forked as the lightning, and her abode is among impenetrable rocks.’” –Benjamin Franklin
Actually, initially when the shells started to line up and the little shrimp were coming out, I kept expecting Venus de Milo to appear. Kind of like that Monty Python bit where they use Botticelli’s Venus and have her move across the screen with her leg kicking like a chorus girl.
At one point in my education I remember it being mentioned that BF himself once suggested that the turkey be our national symbol.
Now THAT leaves a great impression on my modern mind!!
Nice quote, Walden. Thanks for sharing.
Unfortunately, the Roman myth probably combined with the Genesis hangups against the reptile.
The Mexican flag now tells the full story… 
NorCal, Franklin wanted the Wild Turkey - makes a big difference.
Don’t know if they’re intellegent, exactly - but they are pretty wary birds, and good at survival. There are a couple of flocks of wild turkeys in the park we usually hike (Almaden Quicksilver, for the Silicon Valley locals). Impressive! Especially when they take to the air for a bit - doesn’t seem possible for something that big to be flying. They aren’t as big as the bred-for-size-but-no-brains domestic variety, but they are still a Seriously Big Bird.
There’s a flock that wanders through the grounds of my water treatment plant on a regular basis when we’re not under construction. I’ve counted 30 at a time right here on the lawn. And then there are the turkeys that wander these halls…no wait, that’s management.
Good to see all is well here
Greetings from Ketchikan Alaska!!!
Tom