Biking up home through Echo Park this evening ere 7:30 at the main intersection of Sunset and Echo Park, I witnessed a spontaneous support group/cum party.

From several blocks I heard the honking with what my imagination thought was a fife and drum corp. Biking closer to the noise, through this highly urban Mexican and Hipster community I saw a bunch of cars, was it a traffic jam? The honking sporadic and with a steady beat.

Now at the corner, I saw posted at every corner latino males with flags, rallying them up and down with the enthousiasm of a pep rally. With families behind the new centurians, when cars were stopped at the lights, they wandered into the street. A girl no more then 12 years old who I'd earlier seen standing by a freeway exit selling flags was now walking among the small but flag-waving crowd.

Crossing the intersection as one gentleman in a cowboy hat was highstepping into the street, I saw a hand-writen sign "honk 4 support." And what a din they made.

Biking further up towards downtown, I noticed the LAPD passing me by, obviously everything was a-ok with this little addition to the neighborhoods noise polution.

Now almost home, I found some consolation that the writen sign read "honk 4 support" instead of "bomb them back to the stone age."

When people support and wave a flag, it's not necessarily the same as supporting going to war. Us anti-flag types might get our panties in a bunch over Old Glory, but it's just people getting "unified", breaking through their alienation.

They might still be amenable to some persuasion against war. The facts are on the side against war. Even some miliatary people are against bombinb.

What won't go over so well is to start hating on the US, saying that our treatment of Arabs is so terrible that we deserve to be bombed. Some rhetorical adjustment is in order.

Unfortunately, this is probably going to split the progressives. The peaceniks will argue against war and for better foreign policy, while the more radical will argue for some kind of identification with the goals of destroying capitalism.

I can't claim that theree is only ONE meaning that pops up when someone waves a flag, though some try. I do know from experience that that wrapping one's self up in the fflag is often associated with a nationalist sentiment of a nasty stripe. Doesn't any one else think it's ironic to hear the teary and hysterical flag wavers call for an retaliation along the lines of what was just done to us? Maybe irony is not the right word. You must admit that it does seem like rational thought goes out the window when everyone atarts drapping the flag over everything. We have every right to be frightened. During the Gulf War some punk with a flag threatened to rape me as soon as it got dark, an attack he thought justified becasue I was opposed to the bombing and he wasn't. You just don't forget stuff like that. I see the guy with the flag and I think 'testosterone poisening'.

I've mainly stayed away from TV news, etc. the last couple of days ( and years!! ), but my initial response to the flag waving was one of sorrowful thanks to see people share their inner grief. Once I saw Bush's awkward appearance at the WTC site, and his childish rallying of "they'll hear an answer" type shenanigans, well I started having my doubts. Then, later Friday afternoon, Bush made some sort of direct statement regarding flag waving, which I honestly don't recall specifically.

His demeanor left an impression of equating flag-waving with war hyping. So, in reply to 'jk's "When people support and wave a flag, it's not necessarily the same as supporting going to war."... I agree, but, unfortunately, the "who let the dogs out" whooping by some of the crowd gathered at Bush's WTC inspection, and my travels last night down Ventura Blvd. ( the crowd was

"cheering" motorists to honk, an older man was in the middle of the street getting a keepsake photograph, and many of their faces reminded me of a post-Lakers fair-weather victory ) lead me to suspect: it seems many are in a cheerleader type of mode.

Just as the intention of the flagholder is a cherished right protected by our Constitution, perhaps a varied set of intentions will be seen in the future via plethoras of flagbearers.

perhaps these plethoras will validate the "When people support and wave a flag, it's not necessarily the same as supporting going to war." concept.