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American Flag: It's sure been a tough time out here for flags! Nazi American Flag: Jawohl! I mean nein! I mean, yes! Like me, planted by some Democrat operative! American Flag: All these Thin Blue Line flags pretending they're patriotic while desecrating the real American flag, all these spangled Punisher symbols...The GadsDen flag, the Appeal to Heaven flag.... Nazi American Flag: And me, obviously a joke! I'm trolling! Ha ha, in your face, libtards! American Flag: Maybe some flags should be burned. Nazi American Flag: Or maybe I'm an optical illusion....

NEW COMIC TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK, OR WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES

By now I'm sure you've heard about the Republican staffer with the Nazi American flag decorating his cubicle. Rep. Dave Taylor is "investigating" this "incident" although one wonders why an investigation is needed: The staffer liked the sentiment so he displayed it. It's not as if the GOP isn't full of Nazis. If my grandfather, who fought in World War II, were alive today...he'd probably drink another beer. And for once he'd deserve it, because he'd be 101 years old. But I'm sure he'd still be up for beating up Nazis. This is a guy who used to drive around with a baseball bat under the seat.

Back in high school I had an English teacher who had us reading aloud from Huckleberry Finn. It was the 1980s, what can I tell you. At one point she stopped to announce to the class that every time she heard that word she was horrified. At the time I scoffed at this empty platitude, but as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate what she was doing. Well in advance of "trigger warnings", "wokeness" and "virtue signaling", she was trying to place the text in context and make it clear she knew how uncomfortable it could make some people feel. As a white teen I felt no discomfort whatsoever -- ha! Racism is over! In fact the black kids are racist against me! -- but, thankfully, I outgrew that stupidity.

Drawing this Nazi American flag, I really understand what she was saying. Because it turned out to be difficult to draw -- not technically, but emotionally. I'm not a flag nut nor am I the most patriotic person you're likely to meet, but I was a Boy Scout, whose children did Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the flag really does mean something. I know, to a lot of people, it means Lee Greenwood knee-jerk jingoism; and to a lot of other people it means imperialism, murder, slavery, destruction. To me it means all of that -- all the good and bad -- and the striving to defeat the bad, always temporarily, over and over.

Let me leave you with this.