Star*
call 911........call 911
This weekend I went to the Goodwill Store. In one of the bins was an American Flag still attached to a part of a pole. It was very tattered, and had been just left, with literally mounds of junk and stuff dumped over it all day or week. Several hundred people- free AMERICAN people and several Hispanics who shop there & sleep soundly at night have gone through this clearance store all week, yet there completely disgraced in a huge box was our disgraced flag. No ONE CARED. 
I. WAS. SAD. AND. FURIOUS.
I pulled it out and asked one of the workers there if he would mind taking our flag and disposing of it properly. His comment was "Well I don't know what you want ME to do with it." Then that was it? I asked for the manager. He came to the bin and I asked him if I could please have the flag for free so I could take it home, fold it and properly destroy it. He said he couldn't do that. I was livid. I said "You mean to tell me that you have NO problem going to bed at night while our American Boys and Girls are over seas dying to keep our contry free, but you just leave our flag in a dumpster disgraced? Fine, HOW MUCH FOR THE DISGRACED FLAG SO I CAN TAKE IT HOME AND GIVE IT A PROPER CEREMONY?" With that two Vietnam veterans stepped up and said "Thats shameful man, I was over in Nam before you were probably born defending this country and that flag, she's right - how much?"
With that the store manager came out and asked what was going on. By now there was a crowd, which I hadn't meant to draw, even the Hispanics were standing there. I said "This is our flag, and it was dumped in there like it has no meaning, every day I'm asked to over look a little less, be tolerant of a lot more - this isn't one of them. I asked if I could have this flag to give it a proper and honorable ceremony to destroy it since it has been disgraced. That's all." The store manager said "She's right, please take the flag." Then he handed me another. I thanked him and then said "If you come across any more, I'd be honored to take them for your store. He said he would look out for them. I also said that flags should not be just thrown in a bin and showed him how they should be displayed. He said he would take that into consideration but didn't know if Goodwill would allow it.
So the next non-rain day we have? We will be properly folding and ceremoniously burning these two American flags. I'm telling you, I've had QUITE enough. If you don't stand for something - you'll fall for anything.
Oh - and last night? We almost hit a dog crossing the highway.
It was a huge pit-bull. Three other people nearly hit him. We drove down the road, pulled into a store and he was almost across a field. DF saw him & I did one of those "concert" whistles and he came running across the field about 30 mph. I said "Oh Jesus help me." thinking - I'm either going to get mauled or licked. (also thinking - are you nuts Star? who whistles for a stray Pit Bull) - anyway - he comes running and I yelled in my deepest voice SIT....and he did. (phew) DF grabbed his collar and by some miracle he had a tag on - we called his Dad and they were reuinted about 30 minutes later. The guy freaked out was crying saying "No one likes PItbulls." we showed him pictures of our kids and he said "It's a Christmas Miracle" - we all just laughed and Tucker was very happy to be back with his Dad.
-I AM JUST GLAD THAT I DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER DOG TO FEED BECAUSE DF kept hinting - It sure would be nice it your Dad didn't show up....
-see? It's NOT just me....ha.
All in all I'd say it was a good day.
I. WAS. SAD. AND. FURIOUS.
I pulled it out and asked one of the workers there if he would mind taking our flag and disposing of it properly. His comment was "Well I don't know what you want ME to do with it." Then that was it? I asked for the manager. He came to the bin and I asked him if I could please have the flag for free so I could take it home, fold it and properly destroy it. He said he couldn't do that. I was livid. I said "You mean to tell me that you have NO problem going to bed at night while our American Boys and Girls are over seas dying to keep our contry free, but you just leave our flag in a dumpster disgraced? Fine, HOW MUCH FOR THE DISGRACED FLAG SO I CAN TAKE IT HOME AND GIVE IT A PROPER CEREMONY?" With that two Vietnam veterans stepped up and said "Thats shameful man, I was over in Nam before you were probably born defending this country and that flag, she's right - how much?"
With that the store manager came out and asked what was going on. By now there was a crowd, which I hadn't meant to draw, even the Hispanics were standing there. I said "This is our flag, and it was dumped in there like it has no meaning, every day I'm asked to over look a little less, be tolerant of a lot more - this isn't one of them. I asked if I could have this flag to give it a proper and honorable ceremony to destroy it since it has been disgraced. That's all." The store manager said "She's right, please take the flag." Then he handed me another. I thanked him and then said "If you come across any more, I'd be honored to take them for your store. He said he would look out for them. I also said that flags should not be just thrown in a bin and showed him how they should be displayed. He said he would take that into consideration but didn't know if Goodwill would allow it.
So the next non-rain day we have? We will be properly folding and ceremoniously burning these two American flags. I'm telling you, I've had QUITE enough. If you don't stand for something - you'll fall for anything.
Oh - and last night? We almost hit a dog crossing the highway.
It was a huge pit-bull. Three other people nearly hit him. We drove down the road, pulled into a store and he was almost across a field. DF saw him & I did one of those "concert" whistles and he came running across the field about 30 mph. I said "Oh Jesus help me." thinking - I'm either going to get mauled or licked. (also thinking - are you nuts Star? who whistles for a stray Pit Bull) - anyway - he comes running and I yelled in my deepest voice SIT....and he did. (phew) DF grabbed his collar and by some miracle he had a tag on - we called his Dad and they were reuinted about 30 minutes later. The guy freaked out was crying saying "No one likes PItbulls." we showed him pictures of our kids and he said "It's a Christmas Miracle" - we all just laughed and Tucker was very happy to be back with his Dad. -I AM JUST GLAD THAT I DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER DOG TO FEED BECAUSE DF kept hinting - It sure would be nice it your Dad didn't show up....
-see? It's NOT just me....ha.
All in all I'd say it was a good day.
