On Monday I made a post about Hampshire College refusing to fly the American flag on its campus because it was offensive. I wish this was an isolated attack on patriotism and the flag, but sadly it is not. Below is an excerpt from a news story I read out of Oceanside, California. The wife of a United States marine was asked to not fly the American flag outside her home. Honestly folks, you can't make this stuff up. Here's the story:
A local homeowner association has ordered the wife of a deployed Marine to stop flying the American flag outside the couple’s home in Oceanside, Calif., because it violates the association’s rules.
Heather Valenti moved to Oceanside in April with her husband Steven, a U.S. Marine stationed at nearby Camp Pendleton who is currently deployed overseas. Valenti has been flying an American flag outside their condo to honor her husband and his fellow service members.
Earlier this week, Valenti received a letter from her homeowner association informing her the flag was a violation of community rules governing the display or storage of property. Valenti was to told to remove the flag “immediately” or face “further action” by the association’s board of directors.
I can't believe I'm reading this. Rules against displaying the American flag outside your own home????? This is is ridiculous!
On a related note, there have also been reports of people burning the American flag in protest. While I find burning the flag in protest a completely reprehensible action, I also defend a person's right to do it. These people are making a political statement and exercising their 1st amendment right of free speech. I wish they would find a better way to express their disagreement with our government, but these people are fully within their rights to do this. It hurts me to the core of my soul to see a symbol of freedom burned in protest, but by no means do I believe people should be jailed for doing so. This a a free republic, not a dictatorship under the rule of a tyrant.
Today I am at work at St. Bernard Elementary School. We proudly fly a flag high atop a tall flagpole. Down the hill a short distance, St. Bernard High School flies a flag as well. Across the street, a church flies yet another flag. Homes in the surrounding neighborhood display flags too. Private, and public property alike fly old glory. It makes me so sad to see stories like the one above. I hope Heather Valenti fights the Homeowner's Association tooth and nail until she can fly her flag to honor her brave husband who is overseas fighting for the very freedom that allows for the flying of (and yes, the burning of) the Stars and Stripes.
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