The San Bernardino (Calif.) City Council recently decided to not drape a big American flag against the side of City Hall on other patriotic holidays and Sept. 11.

Local car groups have decided to protest the council's decision and say they will consider a boycott of the city's largest event, the Route 66 Rendezvous, in September if the city doesn't relent. The city says it has better things to worry about, and it says that draping a 30-by-22-foot flag at every patriotic holiday would cost taxpayers $3,000 to $5,000 a year.

You can read about the story in full here.

City Hall already has American flags flying in front of it. It's not like San Bern's city fathers have Old Glory hidden away.

The guy quoted in the story, Lyman Stucky, isn't just a simple car buff. A Google search shows the self-described "Ambassador to Patriotism" been heavily involved with the Minutemen, illegal-immigration issues, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The links on his Web page go to several far-right-wing sites, and he has a PayPal account for donations.

In other words, Stucky isn't an ordinary joe who suddenly became involved in local issues. He's a professional rabble-rouser with an agenda to advance.

The First Amendment allows Stucky to speak out as he sees fit. However, I'm fairly certain that Stucky's motives in this issue aren't pure. He's not in it for patriotism — he's in it for Lyman Stucky.

And, no, I don't appreciate Stucky using the rather innocuous Route 66 Rendezvous as a political football.

Rachael Ray is the busy host of four programs on the Food Network. The network is launching a daily syndicated show for her in September, and Route 66 may be featured on one of the episodes, according to the Springfield Journal-Register.

So this morning, a film crew will shoot local Lincoln impersonator Fritz Klein visiting the Cozy Dog Drive-In on Sixth Street and Bill Shea’s Route 66 gas station and museum on Peoria Road. In the video, Klein will tell viewers that he often portrays Lincoln and that he would like to introduce two of his favorite places.

The 20-minute video, written by Johnson, will be shot by Great Plains Advertising of Springfield.

Ray’s New York-based program, titled “Rachael Ray,” is produced and syndicated by CBS-owned King World, which also distributes “Oprah,” “Dr. Phil,” “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”

King World spokeswoman Elizabeth Kellogg wasn’t sure when, or even if, the Springfield video would be used.

A retro-looking diner called WOW has just opened on old Route 66 west of Grants, N.M., in the town of Milan, according to the Cibola County Beacon.

Like traditional diners of the past, ‘WOW’ has booths, tables and a counter for customers. Chrome walls and an embossed copper ceiling keep the establishment bright and lively. The only thing missing from the motif is a jukebox. Rivard joked that she would like to put the old boxes at each table. She added that they have no music at this time, but may in the future.

Although it looks like a diner inside and out, ‘WOW’ offers a more extensive menu than the traditional “greasy spoon.” In addition to hot dogs, burgers sandwiches, sundaes, floats, and shakes, customers can also get Asian-style foods, salads, pork carnitas with onions, pasta dishes and spinach salad with Gorgonzola cheese, pine nuts and shrimp. Traditional American breakfast is served till 11 a.m. daily. On Sundays, breakfast is served until 2 p.m. and includes Eggs Benedict in addition to the daily fare. Nothing on the menu costs more than $10, with most items under $5.

Red Fork Hippie Chick and I saw "Cars" at the historic Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa. Here's her writeup of it, which includes a lot of photographs of truly vintage advertisements shown before the main feature.

Amy Scattergood of the Los Angeles Times picked the places in the region to have a milkshake. One of them is the Fair Oaks Pharmacy, which is on an alignment of Route 66 in South Pasadena.

Here's what she said about the Fair Oaks:

Fair Oaks Pharmacy. On the old Route 66 in South Pasadena, you can find one of the few soda fountains that's actually inside a working pharmacy. Which is handy, if your craving for a malted happens to coincide with a need to fill a prescription or pick up a roll of film. With 15 ice cream flavors from which to choose, terrific retro malts and Cole Porter tunes playing, you'll be happy sipping your shake from an old-fashioned fluted glass with whipped cream and, if you order chocolate, swirls of syrup around the inside. 1526 Mission St., South Pasadena; (626) 799-1414, http://www.fairoakspharmacy.net . Shakes, $4.60.

If $4.60 sounds like a lot for a milkshake, trust me — it's worth it at the Fair Oaks. 

Earl Watt, the publisher of the Southwest Daily Times in Liberal, Kan., thinks the movie “Cars” provides “a great lesson for young and old alike.”

U.S. 54 runs through Liberal, and improvements to the road are being built south of town, so there’s not immediate danger.

However, the possibility that a future bypass could make Liberal a shadow of its former self like Radiator Springs did when the interstate bypassed it isn’t lost on Watt.

The whole thing is exemplary. Read it here.