Losertarian Refuses to Say Pledge of AllegianceIn my own backyard,
no less.
Mesa City Councilman Tom Rawles refused to join in saying the Pledge of Allegiance before Monday night's council meeting to protest American involvement in what he calls an Iraqi civil war.
"If you're not willing to stand up for what you believe, you don't belong in politics," Rawles said before the meeting.Except that he's not standing up:
Rawles stood as a Mesa clergyman prayed before the meeting, then sat down in silence as fellow council members and the audience recited their loyalty to the flag.And yes, he's a Losertarian:
Rawles, who represents southwest Mesa's District 3, took office in June 2004. He is a Libertarian, though council seats are nonpartisan. He served on the Maricopa Board of Supervisors from 1993-97, is a lawyer for Johnson Stewart Co. and was chief of staff for U.S. Rep. John Rhodes III from 1987-89.Look, this is really simple. By saluting the flag, by saying the pledge, you are not endorsing the actions of any particular administration. A lot of us Republicans despised many things that the Clintons did, but none of us (to my knowledge) were retarded enough to refuse to salute the flag as a consequence.
