Conservatives Try To Make Their Own ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ With Guns, Flags, And The Bible

[Capt. Obvious]

This summer, seemingly everyone you had ever met began taking the “Ice Bucket Challenge” and uploading the results to social media. The rules were simple: donate money to finding a cure to ALS or dump a bucket of ice water on your head and nominate others to do the same. The challenge spread like wildfire until even Bill Gates and Charlie Sheen were doing it.

Some conservatives took one look at it and said, “Nope, not patriotic enough.” Meet “The American Challenge,” which has nothing to do with fighting ALS and everything to do with fighting the culture war they are convinced conservatives and liberals are engaged in.

On September 28, a woman going by the name of Renee Benghazi Baseke (of course she does) uploaded a photo of someone holding a Bible, a handgun, and an American flag (also possibly a lap dog obscured by the gun). The caption was a challenge for fellow conservatives:

The American Challenge
Many of you have done the Ice bucket challenge. Let’s see how many of you will do the American Challenge! You have 48 hrs to post a pic of yourself with an American flag, a Bible, and a gun or post on your timeline why you do not accept the American Challenge! Let’s show the world that we are PROUD AMERICANS!

I call epic trolling

[derby378]

1. Was that Bible printed in China?

Matter of fact, was that flag made in China? Might as well disassemble the pistol and count all the US-made parts, too...

[arcane1]

2. But she's not "clinging" to her gun and religion, so stop saying that!!

[TeamPooka]

3. It reminds me of the famous Bible lesson about Jesus's preachings to the Remingtons. nt

[catrose]

4. Oh yes

Everybody knows the 6th chapter of the Gospel of Fred.

[riqster]

7. And St. Paul of Uzi's Letters to the Gunnuttians.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. Ah, the good old Sermon at Omaha. nt

[riqster]

5. "Consult the book of Armaments!"

[catbyte]

6. Man, it must suck to be her.

[lunasun]

9. + 1. Big time !

[catbyte]

15. Actually, it must suck even more to be her poor little dog. I can imagine red, white & blue tutus.

[tjwash]

8. So are they gonna shoot themselve in the foot and challenge 5 others to do it as well?

That would be worth forwarding around...

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. That picture above looks photoshopped to me

For instance, everything looks in focus, though the hands must be a lot closer to the camera than the head, going by size. The edges of the hands look cut off; and so on.

So if just one person has genuinely replied, this really is a non-story.

[Capt. Obvious]

12. Ripping across social media

and my initial reaction was, "you got trolled."

[Adsos Letter]

18. The hands look like male hands.

Perhaps it's just me but her hands don't look like a woman's hands; even a heavy, relatively masculine looking woman. Especially the one on the left in the photo (the viewer's left, her right hand).

[snooper2]

13. someone should nicely tell her that hat is too small for her head

[Paladin]

14. View that photo and contemplate how this country has changed in the last few decades.

Sad, sad, sad. And dangerous, as well.......

[Capt. Obvious]

16. I'm a little shocked I was the only one that recognized the woman

[hifiguy]

17. If this isn't a bit of superb high-level trolling

it is perhaps the dumbest thing anyone has thought of in a fair bit of time. either way.

[MohRokTah]

19. I will not accept the American Wingnut Challenge

My reason?

Your Bible is not my book. Good stories, but otherwise meaningless to my life.

My penis is not so small I need to compensate by owning a gun.

Using the flag in the way your challenge describes is a violation of the US Flag Code.

UNITED STATES CODE

TITLE 36

CHAPTER 10

§176. Respect for flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.

...

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.

...

[gollygee]

20. WWJD

I doubt God is/would be amused by this display.

[Initech]

21. Praise the Lord and pass the ammo!

[NightWatcher]

22. You wanna impress me, nail yourself to a wooden cross while holding the flag and gun

You'll also get a bonus sized mansion up in glory if you can muster a way to hum Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" as they drive the nails into your hands and feet.