@Late_Night: I'm politically neutral so please don't think I bleed red, white, and blue. But let's look at what you wrote:

Japanese Americans: They weren't imprisoned for lacking patriotism, they were imprisoned for being under suspicions of working with their native country (that doesn't make that okay, it was very racist and awful). So that wasn't murder for lack of patriotism.

Native Americans: They were patriots of their sovereign tribes/nations. And they weren't murdered for not being patriotic, they were murdered for their land. (again that doesn't mean okay, but they weren't killed for not saluting the flag)

Communist: I agree with you there... although, was anyone murdered or just imprisoned?

By the way you forgot Jehovah's Witnesses who have been attacked (and even a few cases castrated) for their taking a firm stand of political neutrality and have fought many supreme court cases for their right not to salute the flag or deal in other acts of "patriotism" under the 1st Amendment. I can't say for sure if any have been murdered over that though. See: www.knocking.org

Late_Night

@Xavoc:

You sure bring back memories of the good old days.... no guilt here!

Kingteddybear

@Xavoc: I don't think they were all detained/subjugated because they weren't patriotic. There were lots of other more important details. The Japanese were in internment camps as an extreme response to the conflict with Japan, and Native Americans because, well, they kinda wanted this place as much as they did, and slaves were still held under the archaic ownership of human beings bullshit. I don't think it would've made a difference how patriotic they seemed to be, they all would've gotten the short end of the stick anyway.

The Communist thing holds the most water though, but I think that this situation too is not just about not being patriotic, but being against as well. Not to say that I agree with the tactics they used, just that it's not the same as simply being a blase, indifferent citizen. .

Kaiser-Machead on the Edge

@Xavoc: touche' sir!

snoop-blog

Maybe if they would have used a confederate flag instead, they would have found a demographic ignorant enough to buy some.

snoop-blog

@snoop-blog: Uhm, you should watch the video. It's built from a USB Fan, a USB Light, and an American Flag bound in electrical tape. It isn't a real product.

Xavoc

Brando version coming in 3..2..1

BloggyMcBlogBlog

it also proves how big of a douchebag, you really are...

I'm all for America, which is why maybe I'm against the use of patriotism as a form of marketing to make someone who has probably never served our country rich.

snoop-blog

@Late_Night: Japanese Americans in internment camps during WWII, Native Americans, Slaves trying to escape. We blacklisted Communists for a good while following WWII.

That's just a start.

Xavoc

@Alfonzo: "you can be proud of your country, but don't murder those who aren't."

Who got murdered for not being patriotic?

Late_Night

hahahahah damn hahahaha that was a nice video hahahah nice waving flags

mpar

@fastm3driver: Don't forget those clocks man. Cuckoo clocks can drive troops into an insane panic.

Xavoc

I love-a-United States of Freedom!

Kaiser-Machead on the Edge

I want one!!
...just with St. George's cross instead.

Jacqueclaude

Couldn't he, you know, have found a copy of the flag that was a little more accurate? The stripes look alright, but the stars are vertically off-center, and they're partly covered up by that strip of white holding the flag to the pole.

Purple Dave

@Alfonzo:
You're not offending anyone. Your ridiculous over the top stereotyping just makes you look like a dumbass.

Also, this is hilarious. Being overly patriotic, Team America: World Police style, is always funny.

killerpotato

@Alfonzo: Welcome to a country in which we pushed the indigenous inhabitants out of their land, damn near killed all of them, then imported slaves to do the work we don't want to do.

America's much better now. The native americans are still poor, except those who own/operate the casinos and they're still dying off on their reservations. And instead of importing africans, we have slaves from Mexico and Central america, only we now call them Illegal Immigrants to be politically correct. =)

Happy day after 9/11!

Seriously though, you're not required to wave a flag to show your patriotism. Quite a number of people do not. Mostly I was annoyed at the fashionable faux patriotism after Sept 11th. When I live in a place where I'm able to, I fly a flag. Because I choose to. I don't wave it in people's faces, or demand that they respect my choice. I simply do it because I'm proud of what my country is supposed to represent, and the ideologies behind its creation. Even if it was somewhat flawed.

You do not have to agree with current, or past, administrations in order to be a patriot. In fact, it's patriotic to question your government and its motives.

Xavoc

Maybe made in China but it took American ingenuity to elevate it to this level.
@Faslane66: I've been there and I will take America any day. Switzerland is pretty but that is skin deep. They also rely on the rest of Europe to defend them. Those knives only go so far.

fastm3driver

No offense taken. Try out life in the Bible Belt. You haven't seen anything yet. You better be a southern baptist, bible totin, flag wavin hypocrite or you're gonna get run out of town. If anyone here knew what a USB port was you'd see these things everywhere. *shudders*

Amber

@Alfonzo: Alfonzo...are you saying you don't support our troops, hate muslims and live in a trailer? Umm...stay put there for just a minute, don't move, be right back...

* madly dialing NSA *

bosskev

A must have for America fanboys.

Did I spell that correctly? Is it fanboy or fanboi?

misterwho

sorry for offending anyone.

Alfonzo

no other country is this retarded. waving a flag in holland on any day other than konninginnedag is regarded as highly suspicious. the whole "you're not patriotic if you don't support our troops/hate muslims/live in a trailer" thing is fucking stupid. you can be proud of your country, but don't murder those who aren't.

Alfonzo

Go USA and all, but seriously wtf? Ok, I'm sorry i like it, just not on my computer. Classifies one as an "Ugly American" I think I want a Switzerland Flag instead.

Faslane66

Wow, I didn't know they made laptops with two vertically stacked usb ports like that. What a tank of a computer.

G-Ram

Is that electrical tape wrapping around all 3 appendages?...wait why is that my issue with this?

Late_Night

@General Halfshaftery: You would see the rockets red glare.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

Needs a USB webcam.

dingus

@aceofcakes: My bad, I meant USA there is more than one America.
@Maxxofor: After watching the video I saw that it was made in Hong Kong. LOL.

aceofcakes

Thanks Korea!

araddatz

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Polybius

@Keebler: did you not see the end of the video... LOLZ

Maxxofor

What would happen to me if i shoved it in a wall socket?

General Halfshaftery

@Keebler: LMAO, so true, but maybe it has China with an "X" through it and USA written in by what appears to be a 4 year old. You know so they "claim" it's made in America.

aceofcakes

This is....I don't know actually.

everfade

This would have been great news yesterday.

takashimiike 7

Somebody needs to take a picture of the "Made in China" logo that you *know* is on there somewhere :P

Keebler

wow, a lot of people are taking this project too seriously... anyone consider that they might have done it because it was funny? or do we really have a bunch of people here who actually think this guy has this on his computer on a regular basis.

I thought it was hilarious. and the desktop picture was the icing on the cake. the delicious america cake.

loserflame

I bet Stephen Colbert has ~two~ of these on his computer.

fnc

@Kaiser-Machead on the Edge: Communism does not equal Hegemony. =)

Xavoc

@Kaiser-Machead on the Edge: The Japanese were detained because of perceived lack of patriotism. It had absolutely nothing to do with people being or not being spies. If this was the case, why weren't german americans corralled into camps as well? What about italians?

No, it was a huge double standard based on their color of skin not being white. They were denied proper medical care, and of the basic precept of life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness. THey were cheated out of their property.

Hell, a gardener who built a japanese style garden here in seattle that owned a landscaping business had to shut his business down while he was "relocated".

While they may have been generally treated better than American POWs, the basic precept is that they were prisoners for no reason at all. We skipped completely beyond innocent until proven guilty.

@Late_Night: Uhm, look into the massacre at Little Bighorn. When prospectors found gold on indian land, the indians were accused of sedition. This is where the term, "Indian Giver" comes from.

As for murder, if you die because of the treatment of your captors, is that not murder?

Xavoc

@donnythebowler: That would be Ballmer, cuz he thought that a bunch of different open source operating systems is a big controlling entity compared to one homogenous ecosystem that umbrellas over dozens of different brands.

Kaiser-Machead on the Edge

Who was it that said, "Installing Linux is installing Communism"?

This guy must be confused.

donnythebowler

Sacco and Vanzetti may have been murdered for being unpatriotic, but they may have been murdered for being murderers. You decide!

[en.wikipedia.org]

Canadian Impostor

@Kaiser-Machead on the Edge: If only I didn't take so long to write my response I wouldn't have need to say anything.

Late_Night

@EVEs_Mako: The upside down American flag is considered a sign of distress.

Xavoc

@loserflame: That only applies when the flag is mounted on a wall. Better read up on your flag etiquette.

Xavoc

@loserflame: WTF are you talking about? Go take a look outside. If the wind is blowing the right direction, the flag is backwards. If it was a static flag, then you'd be right, but this isn't a static flag.

Barry99705

Can you mount the flag up-side-down?

EVEs_Mako

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: As long as there is nobody standing behind the laptop, he is ok, flag-viewing-correctness-wise.

loserflame

Somebody make a mod to that flag so it flaps when somebody comes into my cube. Those reverse wide angle mirrors aren't working for me, and with my headphones on I am pretty much oblivious to everything. Maybe take the PIR sensor out of one of those motion sensing nightlights. Or I could just keep a long stick at the door and they could poke me in the back of the neck with it....

craighyatt

@loserflame: But the flag is the same on each side. So no matter what port it's in, from one side it will always be wrong.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

oh, and proper flag etiquette dictates that a flag is displayed so that the viewer sees the stars on the left hand side of the flag (in other words, if you were "reading" the flag, it would read "Stars and Stripes").
so, the picture at the top of this post is incorrect, and the guy's laptop is highly unpatriotic for not having usb ports on the right hand side, which would facilitate proper flag display.

loserflame

hahaah, the materials list for this thing is hilarious.

1 - USB Fan
1 - USB LED lamp
12" of 1.24" diameter heat shrink wrap
1 - Flag (country of your choosing), roughly 9" x 6"
1 - Lighter
1 - Roll of electrical tape
1 - Hanger
1 - Heart full love for the country of the colors that don't run.

bobojuice

@loserflame: I think many of us found it hilarious. It just led to discussion of more serious topics.

Just because I acknowledge that a tragedy happened, doesn't mean I feel guilty about it or anger towards our government. Our thinking may have been wrong, but we've adapted a lot in the last few hundred years.

We're still far from perfect, and I hope that we always will be.

Xavoc

@cvpunk: Wow. Palin's been busy.

bosskev

@Late_Night: In response to who got murdered for not being patriotic, read on the Haymarket Riots... August Spies, Adolf Fischer, Albert Parsons, and George Engel were charged with murder (which they did not commit), and convicted of being Anarchists.

cvpunk

This man clearly is not patriotic! Free linux? BAH! The free market has no room for free products! I demand, in the interests of the American Economy(tm), that he buys 5 (five) copies of windows Vista to make up for.. for this horrible act of communism!

shockwaver

@bosskev: Made in Hongkong final assembly in the USA (Alaska)...

bpapa9013

Actually, I'm for this. It lets me know who not to hang out with.

badhatharry

@fnc: "I bet Stephen Colbert has ~two~ of these on his computer."

For sure. But, he would have his own face printed on at least one of them.

photophile

USA USB...USC! This looks like some cheap crappy project for school.

dfc849

OMFG, This is freakking stupid o.O

It's something I would expect to see on "King of the Hill" or "American Dad"

SewerShark

After seeing this vid, I went out and had one made for me. Except that instead of a cheap plastic flag, I had mine sown from the pelts of baby seals and veal bread calves. For color, the blood is from an unpatriotic welfare mother, and the blue comes from... blue berries I guess. Oh, and I paid a Mexican 2 cents to make it.

Why? Because somebody has to taunt the Xavocs and the Bevets of the world.

IF you don't know about Bevets: [home.kc.rr.com] and [www.urbandictionary.com]

zenpoet

How long before Barack Obama is criticized for refusing to put one of these on his laptop?

ranwhenparked

Funniest thing I've seen all day! I didn't know it was a DYI project at first, until I saw the video, too bad, cause I so would have bought one in heartbeat for shits and giggles... I would so buy one just so I could sit in the local Starbucks with it plugged into my laptop like a total wackadoo, driving all of the local hipster posers, "screen writers" drafting their latest masterpieces, and soccer moms crazy while in some sort of costume... Also, too bad the national anthem doesn't play from the device itself in a bad midi type of way... Still very cool and funny. Now if someone would just run with it, since it's rife with potential in a situational comedy kind of way, and post in on YouTube. Can we say "American tourist putting it up in cafe in France while traveling abroad"? I could also see something like this on Michael or Dwight's desk on "The Office" in a future episode leading to all sorts of inappropriate office shenanigans and awkwardness too.

Ambiguous Blob 2.0

@takashimiike 7: Because yesterday was Thursday, right?

I kept tormenting my mom yesterday because she kept saying how nobody remembers what day it was and I kept saying Thursday.

@Xavoc: Or that you are in the Peace Corps.

ceilingFANBOY

@misterwho: Is it fanboy or fanboi?

fanbois take it up the pooper, and are either hetero (peggee), bi, or homo. fanboys are strictly exit only hetero.

doofusgumby