quite a powerful piece...

This is an awesome image and the name for it could not be better. This should be on billboards all over the United States. Very good piece. POWERFUL!!

excellent point. A great place to post this and an excellent image. makes a good strong point, and yes everyone is entitled to their opinions. you just better watch out the FBI doesn't put you on file (joke). now you should make an image that makes the point of how ridiculously out of control sueing has got. like that lady who sued Mc Donald's for all that money cos she burnt her tongue.

10/10

everything has been said above, so I will just say : brillant !!

Everything, everybody is for sale in some shape or form. Just needed to add my two cents. Great post Rob!

fantastic image.

Very good joke! Well done!

This is totally wonderful! So clever and in my opinion true, not only in US though...
Great job! It says a lot in a " simple" way...Impressed! / T

Very nice work on this one rob. You are a great artist in my eyes. Keep this up and you'll be a legend. =P

you should win an award for this one. truly.

Awesome idea, perfect implementation. Not necessarily political, but definitely enough to make you think.

Nice work.

how apropos...

all you need to do now is set it on fire

very clever indeed

groo2k:"It's a generic bar code...I thought about making them represent something but I couldn't come up with anything. : ) "

07 041 776

if im right, im not such a great american
*cough*4th of july*cough*

That aurora woman is a complete idiot. Anti-americanism? It's a statement about corporate america. Big brother roll? You think with ideas of capitalism and wealth-benefitting policies you're really "fit" to be the big brothers? The government is acting much more like a pack of bullies than anything else. What's worse is the gung-ho I recall vietnam attitude about it, with the rednecks and conversatives jumping at a chance to show off their might. 1,000 americans dead, a route to civil war, and coroprations with more power than the state of Iraq within it. You tell me what's so big brother about that.

I've been there. I know. Don't even try responding to that.

Oh, and awesome piece. Great artistic appeal, and a great finished looked. 10* =)

Well, I'd like to comment on the image first...I, myself personally think the image is an absoluty wonderful way to express how one feels about the country and I think I agree with groo2K. I think the image can stand for things good or bad.. As an American I know everyone's entitled to free speech although free speech and opinions differ from person to person because of the diversity of religions or morals and beliefs in this country. I also believe that everyone should accept everyone else's opinion and beliefs... If you like the image post a positive comment if this image doesn't appeal to you try and don't post anything at all or if you absolutly most post something be respectful to the person... But then again.. that's just my personal beliefs and everyone doesn't agree with me.. ;-)

*PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN*
*IF YOU DON'T STAND FOR SOMETHING YOU'LL FALL FOR ANYTHING*

watch fahrenheit 9-11 you fellow dubya supporters. he is a liar, i don't think he would know what to do with out his daddy and other members of his administration holding his hand and guiding him.

this is sooooo cool. love it, very well done!!!

too true, one of the cleverest works ive seen in some time

Great work, great idea!

nice idea

Nice symbolic title... but i really dont agree with the view. Nice Image Though.

If Kerry Wins... It would give this image new meaning.

(bad)

I think this image is amazing the moment I saw it I had to have it as my desktop. I think it's very clever and well thought up. And I would just like to say that art pieces are built on politically views and beliefs. It is better for the image to portray something to someone than to just be an image. I think this is a very powerful image and and respect you all the way.
Thanks.

ooops....so much for the Kerry win..still appropriate though

I have never seen an image before that is so powerful to me in it's message. I am an extremely patrotic Viet-Nam veteran. I was actually born on the 4th of July. I looked at this and the tears shortly followed.
Wish I had a a word that surpasses BRILLIANT.

Im guessing Robert... that this picture may become a holder in the permanent gallery... Great shot.

Fantastic idea, executuion, and quality. Keep up the great work.

Wow, this is an amazing. I love the statement that it makes, it definately does make a point. Keep up the wonderful work.

lol, PROFOUND! oooh, how profound.... From EBAY, to the salvation army bargin bin, .... SILENCE IS COMPLICITY

says it all, rock on...

The quality of this idea (whose time may well have come) is evident in the response it has received. I do not understand why people are offended by the message that the United States has no principles or morals and can be purchased and sold by whoever has the money and desire to do so. Isn't that the whole idea of our capitalist system? People who despise socialism must by definition subscribe to the belief that they are for sale to the highest bidder. Is that bad?

Isn't the U.S.'s economy founded on the belief that money makes right? If not, then why were the "founding fathers" wealthy landowners who favored disenfranchising people who did not own property? Was not the United States originally set up to be a republic, not a democracy? I mean, listen to the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States one day.

This a sad reality that will only grow in truth. Excellent depiction. Keep creating.

(my first comment on this site!)

I really like this image. good work. :)

Great concept!
Love images with a genuine message.
(Though as an image it is a little on the "flat" side.)

Awesome work, a very subtle but strong image.

I don't see how this is offensive. Reality is tough shit, so deal.

To all those who are so against this image: Pick a different meaning. My political views are probably pretty close to Rob's, but the first two things I see in this are not the Bush administration, but commercialism and interest groups -- and the latter applies to all sides.

(By the way, Rob, this is still as good a picture as it was when I first saw it last June. In my opinion the best non-photograph on Caedes right now.)

boy! pegged this one

love it

Money makes the world go 'round....wish I had more of it!

isnt it amazing how much can be read into an image? i think its a fabulous idea.. as was said before me, money is true power.. and it becomes more apparent everyday that the way things are going in America reflect that so much.. saddening to say the least

anyhow.. this image is excellent.. the title fits perfectly.. it shall find a new home in my favs.. great work as always Rob..

Dj

COMMUNIST LIES!!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That makes me laugh...

Wow! Hit and run comments. Do you suppose (s)he was joking? I can never tell with the Osama Bin Americans.

love it

it is very interesting and that is cool like me and hyper

I registered just to comment on this. I love it. Thank you for this. I seem to agree with groo2k on his opinion, no need to go into detail, it's quite evident! I think it's funny anyone could be offended by it.

That’s A great picture
You have my vote for this image


qe'ci'yéw'yew (thank you)
Greetings From The Netherlands nez perce Henk.

Very well done... As for the political debate, I add a simple quote:
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. -- Sir Alexander Fraser Tyler

that's just cool! i love it how they grab the american flag and just alter it to any liking! i giv it a 9!

Thank god i'm not from America =P, great idea, so is the image

All things have a price. However that does not mean they are for sale. Thank God we have the freedom to spread the good news about the meaning of the word. By the way , freedom isn't the right to do as you want,rather,the right to do as you should. I believe everyone on this earth has that right. I'm glad we are able to spread the word, and the meaning.
-Z

Man, i love it!

well, i cannot say anything to waht else has been said, except congrats on a great idea and making it known. You da man

I MOST CERTAINLY DON'T AGREE.

hey, how about finding the barcode for one of those stupid bumper magnets?

no matter what they say or mean, someone got rich off of someone else's mis(take)fortune

loved it, great message, yea keep on truckin

Freedom has it's price, along with everything else.......
Didn't we as American's take away someone else's freedom when we moved in these lower 48 states? God bless all our troops that keep our freedoms, but they are also fighting for our freedom of speech. This is not a desecration of the flag, but merely a rendition of what it takes to be free. How much of the America's is owned by "foreign" people. Aren't we all foreigners here, except for the Native Americans? What in America is NOT for sale?

Man your stuff ROCKS. This is so good. It`s all been said already but the idea is awsome and very thought prevoking. In fact it`s probably the most unique image I`ve seen on here. I`ts so much more than just an image. Thanks for sharing :o)

nice satire. really its great me bein a CDN!

I'm in full agreement with .ianmacappin here... this is a great parody, and I like the meaning you managed to put into the pic.

great work. check out Adbusters "corporate flag" at adbusters.org

similar idea. 10/10

I just thought id make this clear to everyone, although its been said, this is art it is ment to represent an opinion or view, wether or not you agree with it is beside the point, but having said that everyone has the right to give their own opinion, purely looking at it as art it is a great piece, and the fact that it has attracted so much interest (and in some ways controversy) just shows that it has a strong message.

How is it that this image is still generating thoughtful comments 18 months after it was uploaded? Man! You must have hit the nail on the head.

This is what we have come to. Is this part of the American Dream? Part of it!
But how are you going to do this with microchips?

I am in total agreement with Aurora. I was enjoying this web site immensely until I came upon this picture. Obviously groo2K has no respect for the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice just so he can post his tasteless image in the name of "art" !

MKL717: It was their choice to make that sacrifice, just as it's his right to express himself. I have respect for anyone who has the courage to hold a gun, let alone fire it. But I have a great lack of respect for anyone who does not value the life of any other human being as equal to his own life. I am a pacifist, and don't believe that anyone should have the right to take the life of another human being. I'm against the war. But I have respect for those who risk their lives to ensure this freedom. I have even more respect for those who exercise their freedom despite being told that what they're doing is wrong or immoral in some way. He has the right to his opinion, and the right to express it in words or, as in this case, art. Also, an image like this tends to reveal something about the viewer. You see what you want to see. Who said this was about the war? Who said this had anything to do with any other country? Who said this even had anything to do with our country? Maybe he's just pissed that anybody is allowed to make money off of the American flag? Maybe he thinks they shouldn't be *sold*, but free to anyone in America who wants one. I don't know exactly what it means, but I have guesses, none of which are stated here. Still, I find it to be a powerful image, and a brave statement.

Bravo, groo2k! Bravo!

From an Air Force retiree with 23 years of active duty and 14 years on Cold War B-52 alert. Nice job with your art. I can se the stars and bars, so what is the beef. At least you have people talking.

Patriotism should never have come to mean supporting the United States' foreign policy. Patriotism should always mean supporting this nation's Bill of Rights which is the true meaning and beauty of the United States.

I like the image. It is a stark and straightforward image that conveys many thoughts. Personally, I find it a clever commentary on past and present state of affairs in the US today. Now I understand people are entitled to their opinion and so forth, so I'll be brief in my next point. I don't see how this desecrates a person's flag. With that said, it bothers me when any flag is exhalted to the point at which it is viewed in iconiacal, almost religious terms.

I'd hate to live in a country where this kind of personal expression was not permitted. The statement being made here, IMO, has a duel effect. Like a good editorial cartoon, it serves to both amuse (for some) and bring into sharp focus specific concerns the artist has about the state of the nation and it's body politic. There's no denying that as incredible as this great democratic experiment has been, excessive commercialism and unrestricted greed serves to erode many of it's core principles. A graphic statement regarding this development can actually strengthen our democracy by highlighting legitmate concerns; inspiring people to action; and ultimately affecting necessary change. Like the design or not, it remains a personal expression by one man living in a country that permits that sort of thing. BTW, I think it's very clever. I can't believe I haven't seen anything like it before.

I'm with +cc_Beowulf and Zyrogerg. I think our founding fathers would be rolling in their graves if they could see the sickening effects that corrupted capitalism and consumerism have had on this country. As for the people who've died fighting for the flag, they didn't die for the flag itself. They died for what it symbolizes-- the justice and freedoms that are being misused and desecrated more and more often by corporate greed.

Awesome...simply awesome :)

Rob… great image, well done, and omg so friggin true!

To all the people who are offended by this because it "shows no respect for our men and women fighting for our flag"… what you should really be offended by is the disrespect being shown those men and women by our government using their lives for profit & gain… our government which does its best to provide the veterans of wars with little or none of the benefits it promised… our government which has repeatedly lied to the very brave men and women (who I support THEM fully, but not what they are being used for) who really thought that they were entering military service both to protect the country and making a better life for themselves.

Being critical of the government makes no one a bad citizen. A bad citizen is someone who blindly or knowingly supports a government making a bad choice.

whew, alot of what i might've said here has been pretty well covered by previous comments. i love this piece, and while yeah..i'm guilty of an initial knee-jerk reaction to gestures of disrespect to the flag, i totally get what is being said here, and i applaud it.

without getting on too high a soapbox, let me point to several things. in my first example, i'll compare microsoft to stanley, the tool maker. microsoft has corporate headquarters here in the united states, but farms out every conceivable job to other contries with lower, much lower wage earning employees. they however pay their taxes like good little patriots, so it's all good. stanley. the pariahs that they are, moved their corporate headquarters offshore to 'dodge' their responsibilty as americans to pay taxes. guess where they pass those savings onto? the men and women in the US who make their tools. and so, rather than be applauded for saving american jobs, they're demonized for not submitting their coin to the king ( george the W).

my second example is a bit older. much older. 1700's to be exact. all this fuss is being made about the flag. it was originally the symbol of those who stood up and said NO this is wrong! ben franklin, that party animal, had a few friends over for some tea. it kinda went overboard, along with the insane taxes placed on it. get it???

instead of being so enraged anf focused on those 'damned commie flag messer-withers" why not rage over those who have corrupted what it originally stood for, and now use to bully everyone into obedience. Joe McCarthy, where are you?

This image symbolizes two things for me, the first to come to mind is that, the right amount of money can get you ANYTHING here in the U.S. Like for instance, a high priced lawer that can get criminals off the hook in court when they are clearly guilty or High priced advertisemets in elections, and it seems that the best advertiser does well in the polls. ( and it seems that campians are based on money issues like taxes).

The second is our nation's obsession with having expensive purses, cars, million dollor homes, or at least things that look expensive. People don't really need this over-priced stuff; they want it because of greed, or they think they better because of it. I thinka good way to sum things up is that our country isn't run by THE PEOPLE; it's run by THE MONEY.

Good statement of the facts. This could also be used as a door mat template for Illegal Immigrants.

My math class did a project with bar codes and finding the last number. Just because there was nothing else to do, I found out that the last number (or the check digit) was 2.

Anywho, I really like the message that this wallpaper is sending. Apparently other people are getting it too!

Nice peice of work.
Who's working the scanner, I wonder?

i dont like this flag
1/10 sorry=(

Very Creative .... love it...

Even though I love America

instead of bashing the country - change it

You'd have to agree with the last thing on here, by Florply.

America was founded with an ideal in mind, by men and women who cared for nothing but worshipping their God, and living with their families in freedom. New "History Scholars" can say all they want to about that, but it doesn't change the truth. The flag was made as a symbol for freedom. As a symbol of this land, this land of the free, this home of the brave.
But in the last 3 or 4 decades it has fallen down-hill. The 60s the 70s and the 80s were not kind to America's values or morals, and the 90s and the present are the sad result of that. Poor people fight to get money, rich people fight for more, and no one is really happy.
But the corruption goes much deeper than monetary gain or loss. It is a moral loss. America has forgotten God, and his law. America has thrown God out of its schools, out of its courthouses, and is trying desperately to throw him out of everything else. People fight in courtrooms simply to get such innocent symbols as a cross removed from their sight, because they can't stand the thought that they are not the ones in control of their lives. The thought of God convicts them of their sinful lives, and of the fact that they need Him. As long as America continues to curse God, it will continue its slide down-hill until it is worse off than the third world countries we see on the news every day.

I said all of that to say this.

I did not like this picture when I first saw it. I love my country dearly, because it is a blessed place that God gave to me, and great men and women have worked, sweated, llived and died to make it the great nation that it has been. I still believe that it is the greatest nation on earth at this time.
But that is going to change. America is in trouble, like it or not. If every day men and women sit and cry about it and DO NOTHING, it will one day simply cease to exist. I pray that God will raise up Great Men and Women of Faith to lead America back to Him. Because without Faith, without Good People standing up to fight for what is right, and speak the truth, we have no hope.


All that is necessary for Evil to thrive is for GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING!


GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! (When she Deserves it Again!)


Caiden.

Love this image ( I am under my brothers name so spare him, hes an ALL AMERICAN type of guy.) It send out the truthful message, and lets show how upside down america is. When I was young I used to be all "Yay America" , but now that morality and logic have sunk into my head i belive that this flag is a true discription of America. Dude keep it up ma this is an awesome pic, you know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, but is this case, I would say this is worth more words than I could ever care to count.

GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

and someday may the true values of our country be seen again

I'm afraid I have to disagree with Caiden on a key point here. Religious freedom (one of the key tenets upon which this country was founded), also includes the freedom not to worship a god.

And please let's dispel the myth that one can only have a moral code or be a good person if he/she is religious.

Suicide bombers are religious… I may believe that they have a perverted view of what their religion is about, but they are religious, they worship a god, and it does not stop them from committing acts many of us find horrifying.

My Teachers are going to love this! They've been saying this for years, but now they have an image to go with it! Great Picture

Art as satire. I only wish I had formed that band I was planning to form when I was in high school so this could be our first album cover. the album would be named "Coffee and Cigarettes". This is brilliant and undeniably original. Ironically, it is also very very commercial in a decidedly uncommercial sort of way. It makes me laugh and kinda depresses me at the same time, but in a thoughtful, introspective kind of way. I really really love it. Thank you ever so much.

A sad commentary on America, though greatly needed. Maybe people like yourself will change it. Keep up the good work

You are legally entitled to do this. Very interesting commentary actually, and more intelligent than most that I see.

BACK TO THE PICTURE

It's a very well done picture, uniform and clean.

Good Job.

love it man...great commentary on the current American neo-liberal agenda and the Washington consensus as well as American capitalism as a whole...thank god i'm from Canada even if we are capitalist scum ourselves

This would be good to be put on all american made products for barcodes very interesting mate.

very true
amazing picture
and i completely agree

Well done. I hope the bar code spells "Halliburton."

i sense a political message.... :) nice

Don't like it. Don't care what other people think. Maybe it would have been better in black and white. -5

Saw this in the homepage...Sad, but unforunitely true...Faved...