Editing Lightning (section)

=== Political and military culture ===
[[File:Yli-ii.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright=0.7|Two lightning bolts pictured in the former coat of arms of the [[Yli-Ii]] municipality]]
The bolt of lightning in [[heraldry]] is called a [[thunderbolt]]. This symbol usually represents power and speed.

Some political parties use lightning flashes as a symbol of power, such as the [[People's Action Party]] in [[Singapore]], the [[British Union of Fascists]] during the 1930s, and the [[National States' Rights Party]] in the United States during the 1950s.<ref>[http://mauryk2.com/2010/11/06/john-kasper-the-national-states-rights-party-and-the-demise-of-the-old-south/ Picture of John Kaspar of the National States Rights Party speaking in front of the party’s lightning bolt flag (the flag was red, white, and blue)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203185623/http://mauryk2.com/2010/11/06/john-kasper-the-national-states-rights-party-and-the-demise-of-the-old-south/ |date=February 3, 2013}}. Mauryk2.com (November 6, 2010). Retrieved on April 9, 2013.</ref> The [[Schutzstaffel]], the [[paramilitary]] wing of the [[Nazi Party]], used the [[Sig (rune)|Sig rune]] in their logo which symbolizes lightning. The German word [[Blitzkrieg]], which means "lightning war", was a major offensive strategy of the German army during World War II.

The lightning bolt is a common insignia for [[military communications]] units. A lightning bolt is also the [[NATO Military Symbols for Land Based Systems|NATO symbol for a signal asset]].