Caleb Howe loves to push buttons (it comes with the Conservative wingnut territory I suppose). As a member of the site RedState.com Caleb has his own little chunk of internet to report on whatever he feels like, and we know Caleb is the real deal and not some fly-by-night Tea Bag because he’s been registered on RedState for five years plus now.

Anyhow, on Cinco De Mayo of this year (May 5th for those of you who don’t live in California, Arizona, Texas, or believe in Spanish) five school kids from California, in a pretty clear cut case of trying to start some shit, decided to wear American Flag t-shirts and bandannas to school and boast about their love of nationalism (in true Wingnut fashion). The students were sent home for the day as a result. A high school with a “rich ethnic and socioeconomic diversity”, oppressive immigration laws getting passed in the state next door, instigating and breaking the school’s dress code (by wearing bandannas, flag shirts are not mentioned in the policy) to make a smug point, what was their liberal America-hateing principal thinking anyway?

Roger Ebert had something to say on the topic, specifically on Twitter:

@ebertchicago Kids who wear American Flag t-shirts on 5 May should have to share a lunchroom table with those who wear a hammer and sickle on 4 July.

But like any sane or objective opinion on the internet, the intellectual Mr. Ebert caught some nasty responses for his comment. Despite all of the challenges Mr. Ebert has faced in recent years, especially the removal of his lower jaw due to cancer treatment last month, the famous Chicago Sun-Times writer has continued to remain an eloquent and vocal voice both in print and online (and with a talent like his it’d be a shame to have it any other way).

Responding to his Twitter critics on his Chicago Sun-Times blog, Mr. Ebert pointed out the sensitivities surrounding the US and Cinco De Mayo celebrations while also drawing comparisons to similar instances where one might get curb-stomped for trying to instigate something along the lines of that American Flag shirt flap. This includes, among other examples, wearing symbols of British colonialism (Union Jack) in Boston during the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, or an even more relevant example, wearing anything related to the NY Yankees ANYWHERE in Boston in the spring (man what’s it with Boston and all the unchecked aggression anyway?).

However Caleb Howe, in his infinite wisdom, felt it was necessary to go even further past Ebert’s well written response and counter it by deconstructing the esteemed film critic’s argument and analyzing some of the fallacies contained in Mr. Ebert’s piece. Mr. Howe did this by making fun of Roger Ebert for having cancer:

Image and inset picture of Caleb Howe courtesy of Gawker.

Way to go, Caleb Howe. Remember when that Tea Party protester threw some Monopoly money at an Alzheimer’s patient who was silently petitioning for Health Care Reform? This is kind of like that. Haters gonna hate!

Gawker has the a full rundown of the shaming details.