I am shocked that the Obama store would sell a version of the American flag with the fifty stars replaced by the campaign's iconic O with flowing stripes across the bottom. But for 35 bucks you can get a "Screen print designed by Ross Bruggink and Dan Olson of Studio MPLS. Limited edition (250 units), hand-numbered, 24'' x 36'' and made in the USA."

Obviously, the people involved in the project never met (or don't give a damn about) anyone who fought for the American flag and remains passionate about the respect it deserves, nay demands. While the sensitivities if Muslims about a movie trailer are worthy of a full grovel, the feelings of people who regard the American flag as a sacred symbol matter not at all.

The ego and idolatry involved here are staggering. L'etat c'est moi  comes to mind. There have been ample disturbing signs of a dear leader wannabe propaganda operation before, but actually defacing the symbol of the nation into the leader's cult is a new low.

The kind of people who excuse Obama's Egypt-not-an-ally blunder claiming he was using a "term of art" will deny that this is in any way a desecration of the flag. No physical flag was defaced, after all, no fabric cut or sewn. But we live in the digital age. The method one uses to reach people with a symbolic act is to use digital versions of physical objects.

At a minimum, this is virtual flag desecration.

Update: Twitchy has collected tweets on the flag. (Hat tip: Lucianne)

Update: Ben Shapiro sees the same cult of personality I perceive.

Update: Rosslyn Smith writes:

People are noticing a certain resemblance between those five red freehand stripes in the Obama flag and another recent news image.   http://twitchy.com/2012/09/20/obamas-flag-reminds-many-twitter-users-of-u-s-consulate-blood-stains/ ,  which links to this: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A3NLBLsCcAAcPOZ.jpg