Bart-Mangled Banner
Season
15
Production Code
FABF17
Episode Number
0
Airdate
16 May 2004
Writer
John Frink
Director
Steven Dean Moore
Executive Producer
Al Jean
Editor
Jimmy Heenan
Plot Homer and Marge take the kids to get their shots. Just before Dr. Hibbert is about to inject Bart, he escapes. After a chase through town, Hibbert finally outsmarts Bart and injects him. The shot, however, causes Bart's earholes to swell shut, making him temporarily deaf. Hibbert also tricks Homer into signing a malpractice waiver.

While at the Springfield Elementary School "donkey basketball game", Bart taunts a donkey with a carrot. After he places it in his shorts, the donkey takes it and rips off Bart's shorts (just like his famous line "Eat my shorts"). While Bart is bent over, the US flag is put up behind him and a photo is taken, which results in the crowd assuming that Bart is mooning the US flag. Shortly afterwards, the Springfield Shopper takes the story and completely turns it around, making it seem Bart deliberately mooned the flag. He and his family soon are hated by all of Springfield. Homer and Marge tried to clear up this misunderstanding, knowing that it was an accident, but everybody refuses to listen, knowing that they seem to mistrust Bart and his family.

The Simpsons are later asked to appear on a talk show and tell their side of the story. However, Marge says that she does hate Americans, even though she didn't mean that she actually hated all Americans. She also said that she's well-liked in Springfield, prompting the host to say that Springfield hates America. The US then turns their back on Springfield, so Mayor Quimby frantically decides to change the name of Springfield to "Libertyville." Everything in town is quickly patriotized; the traffic light colors are changed to red, white, and blue (red means go now), and everything costs $17.76. While at church, Lisa speaks her opinion about patriotism, and the Simpsons are taken into custody, in violation of the "Government Knows Best Act."

The Simpsons are taken to the "Ronald Reagan Reeducation Center", which houses Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks, Elmo (who accidentally went to the wrong fundraiser), and Bill Clinton. With some help from the last-registered Democrat, the Simpsons escape the prison, but realize that the re-education center is actually Alcatraz Prison. While they are swimming to land, they are picked up by a French freighter and are brought to France. They are well adjusted, but still miss America, mainly because it's where all their stuff is. They then move back to the US dressed as 19th century immigrants from Europe where Homer speaks of plans of integration into America.
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