Our flag means many things to many people. For some it’s a sign they’ve left behind oppressive and totalitarian cultures to live in the land of the free. For others it represents a rich military heritage with the flag calling to attention those who died to protect what it stands for. And oddly enough for another group of people it stands as reason to be offended.
You’ve seen it all over the nation, people complaining about the American flag because they don’t like what it stands for. Looks like schools are now joining in to get the flag banned.
Kalisa Michaels writes: Peyton Robinson said he got the bad news from a school administrator Wednesday morning. The 18-year-old senior at York Comprehensive High School was told he wasn’t allowed to fly his American flag and POW-MIA flag in the bed of his pickup truck.”He said, ‘We’re having some issues. Some people were complaining about the flags in your truck,'” Robinson told WBTV-TV. He said the administrator said the flags could “possibly” be offensive, and told Robinson to take them down before coming back to the South Carolina school Thursday.
But
apparently, Robinson didn’t have to lift a finger. He told WBTV that at some
point Wednesday, a school official unscrewed the bolts securing the flags to
his truck and laid them in the bed “when I wasn’t even there.”
By
the end of the school day, officials announced that flags such as Robinson’s
are safety concerns. Superintendent Vernon Prosser told WSOC-TV the fear is
that they could block the view of other drivers and cause a wreck.
The
senior — who has relatives who served in the military — was upset. “I was
pretty mad,” he told WBTV. “I don’t see how it’s a problem. Nobody has ever
complained about it before. ”I’d understand if it was the Confederate flag or
something that might offend somebody,” he added. “I wouldn’t do that. But an American
flag — that’s our country’s flag. I have every right to do it. I don’t see a
safety issue. I mean, I understand it’s a big flag — it’s 4 by 6 — but nobody
has ever complained about it being in their way or anything.”
So
Robinson hit his Facebook page Wednesday and let everybody know what was
happening — and fellow students quickly took up the cause, driving back to
school that night with flags flying from their vehicles. “I’ll keep fighting,”
Robinson told WSOC Wednesday night. “I’m not letting it go; I won’t go down
without a fight.”
Students
also vowed to fly flags Thursday morning at school in solidarity with Robinson
— and more than 70 vehicles equipped with waving flags pulled into the school
parking lot. A crowd stood on the roadside and cheered them on, and what
appeared to be a group of veterans saluted at the school’s entrance as they
rode in. Principal Christopher Black told WSOC on Thursday he would be asking
all of those students to remove their flags. But just a couple of hours after
the demonstration, there was a big change of heart.
“Due
to the outstanding display of patriotism through peaceful demonstration, it is
apparent to us that many are not happy about this policy,” the school said in a
statement. “School officials have reviewed the standing policy regarding flags
and have decided that an exception will be made for the American flag, as long
as the size of the flag(s) does not create a driving hazard.”
The
state Highway Patrol told WSOC the York students’ flags are legal.
Robinson’s
dad told WSOC he’s proud of his son and that he encouraged him to keep flying
the flag whatever the rules might say, even if it meant leaving school.
http://preservefreedom.org/he-flew-our-flag-to-honor-fallen-soldiers-what-his-school-required-he-do-to-it-will-tick-you-off/
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