Will the real Americans please stand up

[FastEd]

I think it was last Tuesday I was sitting at my desk doing my usual thing on my computer when I noticed something "live" happening on the TV news. The location was just down the street at Wright State University, just a stone's throw from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Apparently there were four white students making asses of themselves by spreading two American flags on the ground and standing or walking over them. The rest of the crowd was just standing around watching.

Normally, I don't pay much attention to stupid things that college students do but this kind of crap offends me to no end.
The fact that the local news networks would give them free time on live TV also irritates me.

Now I'm sitting here with steam beginning to spew from my ears. My usual attitude of trying to find the humor in everything is not working. Lets face it, when you get old there is nothing you can do physically except maybe shoot a couple of them. All the time my super ego is telling me to get over there and start some trouble!

Now I have a son who is an ex Marine but no, I did not want to get him involved. That would have not been good.
I needed to grab one of those SOBs by the throat myself, I needed personal satisfaction. Oh, to be twenty years old again...

The bottom line here is: I am extremely ashamed of Wright State University, The School, the Faculty, and the students that attend there. I can only hope that someone there will have the intestinal fortitude to do something to rectify this atrocity and see that it never happens again. I also regret having to even comment on the situation.

 

[eveled]

Most college kids are pretty stupid, always have been always will be. They grow out of it. Don't let idiots ruin your day. Ed

 

[muzzleloader]

It may be a waste of time, but a well thought out letter to the president of the university may be in order. then again, that president may hate this country as much as the one at 1600 penn. I guess it's no coincidence they didn't choose the tomb of the unknowns to pull their little tantrum. Now I would have paid to see that outcome.

 

[gramps]

So how about a whole bunch of us write to Wright (wrong) University over the idiocy their students showed. :twisted:
gramps

 

[Jeepnik]

Most college kids are pretty stupid, always have been always will be. They grow out of it. Don't let idiots ruin your day. Ed

"Some" grow out of it. Others become the Hillary of the worlds. What they did was illegal. They should be arrested and jailed. Tried and using the media footage, convicted and sentenced to the maximum the law allows.

The old story about making an example of someone really does work. It's not 100% effective, but nothing is. However, if folks get away with something continually, the rest eventually figure out it's okay.

 

[GunnyGene]

The worlds graves and oceans are filled with the bodies of those who gave up their lives, their limbs, their blood, sweat and tears, for that flag. They did not do so to satisfy the egos of some disrespectful, arrogant, narcissistic fools who have nothing better to do with their time.

When my time comes I will be buried at sea, as was my father. And I swear that I will rise from Neptunes depths to haunt people who do such things, as will my brothers and sisters in arms. :evil:

 

[Selena]

I would just like to know what they see...

When I see our flag I see the row after row of tombstones at IVH, each being decorated with a small flag from someone from the American Legion. I see my grandmother accepting the one from my grandfather's coffin that had first been folded by an honor guard. I see the one that was attached to the boom of a huge crane that was lifting material to the top of a building under construction in Starke county. I see the moisture in my Dad's eyes when we landed in Hawaii after the visit to my grandparents in Australia and seeing our flag flying at the airport. I see sailors lined up on the deck of a Navy ship saluting the flag that flies over the monument of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. I see my dad standing at attention as best as his prosthetic leg would allow and saluting the list of names of the men that were killed in Vietnam.

I would just like to know what they see that gives them reason to walk on that flag and treat it with such disdain. I just want to know, who do they think they are and where do they think they have been that they are qualified to make those judgments. I just want to know.

 

[blume357]

I'm torn on this.... I firmly believe they have a right to free speech and do this .......(yes, I'm one of those liberals)
and show how stupid and ignorant they are...

At the same time if I had been present while they did this I probably would have been arrested for at least attempting to kick there asses back to their parents.

Now that I think about it... maybe the 'solution' would have been to stand in between them and the crowd and TV cameras and make a speech about how one of the things that makes this country so great is we allow idiots like this to do shameful things like this because of all the men and women who sacrificed over the years for that freedom....

 

[Bucks Owin]

So far as I know, it is ILLEGAL to desecrate our flag! :evil:

Not that it matters to obunghole and the criminals of the DEP... :roll:

 

[Number9]

So far as I know, it is ILLEGAL to desecrate our flag! :evil:

Not that it matters to obunghole and the criminals of the DEP... :roll:

Sadly, it is apparently protected free speech, like threats to kill Jews or Americans by Muslims, Internet porn, etc....

The United States Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), and reaffirmed in U.S. v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990), has ruled that due to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is unconstitutional for a government (whether federal, state, or municipality) to prohibit the desecration of a flag, due to its status as "symbolic speech." However, content-neutral restrictions may still be imposed to regulate the time, place, and manner of such expression.

After all, it's not like you're opposing gay marriage or something like that.

Well.. If I go to court, I could say his ass woopping was my answer to his freedom of speech!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[volshooter]

I have on several occasions confronted government educated youths disrespecting our flag. Always starting politely occasionally getting physical, things were resolved. I respect free speech but they need to be aware of mine too. I never got arrested for confronting these folks. I am sure the officers involved felt as I do about our flag, other wise I would have been arrested.
We are some of the last to respect this great nation. I have seen returning troops from Vietnam spit at, my father included, career army decorated combat medic, to the downright ugliness toward our armed forces on campus. Makes me want to puke. The 5th column is here, educated by the anti war protestors of the 60's. If we are defeated it will be from within, just watch the truthful news or do your own research if you have any doubts.
Go ahead and show your "free speech" and I'll show you mine, I have bail money in my pocket.

 

[willk]

What's so bad about this is during the sixties, the folks had something to protest against, misdirected and mistaken as many of their protests were. In these days and times, these young people have nothing to protest, they have a good life with no issues, no draft, plenty of money and now all the dope they want to smoke. Sex is rampant, and if you want to have sex with your buddy instead of your girl, that's ok too. :?

I was a child of the 60's. I was called, I served and hold the right to judge those who didn't. I have friends who legitimately avoided the draft due to medical or other ethical reasons. I have no friends who dodged the draft.

Finally, I don't want to kiss and tell but my wife is Brenda and Brenda is definitely ALL GIRL!

 

[Jeepnik]

There IS the issue of massive unemployment, especially among the unemployable.

I wonder just how many on the forum were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I sure as heck wasn't. What I have I earned. I was able to earn it because I was willing to work and more importantly LEARN. When a kid leaves a public school after high school, the only real reason they don't have a good foundation is because they did not "WORK" to "LEARN".

It is very possible to obtain the knowledge and skills to obtain a fairly good paying job with just a high school education. But those types of jobs require one to actually do physical "WORK". And, therein lies the problem. Most of what is falsely termed unemployable are simply too darned lazy to "WORK".

We will always have the infirm of mind and body. But as two examples in my life have shown, both were born with defects that put them in wheelchairs for life. One became an aerospace engineer the other a CPA. They could have just sat back and lived off the government, but both were the type to "EARN" what they had by "WORKING" for it.

 

[willk]

1. I never wrote "This is an issue of Massive Unemployment

I don't mind being quoted and I am old enough to understand there are differences in people's opinions. HOWEVER, AT LEAST QUOTE ME CORRECTLY! :evil:

Just want to clear the air


Second, the people in Baltimore may be suffering from unemployment and depressed living conditions. I totally agree that changes need to be made to help these people help themselves.

However, these are not the people Fast Ed was talking about. He referenced students from Wright State University; college kids, from a fairly expensive college that are hardly suffering from unemployment and depressed conditions.

 

[willk]

Thanks TitanX we may not agree but I appreciate your standing up for me. Thanks again

 

[737tdi]

I read about 4 responses and decided I would tackle this guy. I would explain to him the people who had died to defend this flag. He would have scoffed and then I would have beat his ass. I am small but packs a helluva punch. I am old but my pride would have decked him. Stomp on my flag punk. What is really strange, they do it in cities that are liberal, come on to my town you punk/coward.


Semper Fi:

Karl

 

[contender]

As an old soldier, I took the pledge to defend this country. I served UNDER this flag, and in some small way, I feel it gives me the RIGHT to express my freedom of speech to anybody who would walk on the United States Flag. Old Glory has seen a lot over the years. And yes, the court has ruled that freedom of speech may allow certain things. But, the same freedom of speech allows me to defend the flag. If I were to see such stuff, I would rescue the flag. I would not physically touch anybody who was walking on it. UNTIL they touched me. Then, this old fat guy would show them his freedom of speech AND self defense from their attack. I would gladly explain to a jury why I took 30 minutes or so beating the crap out of any of them.
As I have said elsewhere, those types have never suffered, lived under oppression, or in any way been restricted from whatever they wanted to do. They have no real morals, nor any loyalty to anything except to themselves. "It's all about me" and they want to feel good about being so stupid that they do such things to draw attention to themselves.
I'll gladly give them my attention, but they may not like the type of attention they get.

You can have freedom of speech, but just like you can not yell "Fire" in a crowded room, you can express your freedom of speech WITHOUT being disrespectful.
These types demand respect, and yet, they FAIL to respect the rights of others.

Only when those of us who do respect this country, and it's flag, and all we have stood for & believe in, STAND UP & DEMAND our freedom of speech & respect will things (hopefully) change.

 

[stevemb]

Freedom of speech, yes. While standing on the Flag ? No ! As said, it's illegal.

 

[Selena]

There IS the issue of massive unemployment, especially among the unemployable.

I wonder just how many on the forum were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I sure as heck wasn't. What I have I earned. I was able to earn it because I was willing to work and more importantly LEARN. When a kid leaves a public school after high school, the only real reason they don't have a good foundation is because they did not "WORK" to "LEARN".

It is very possible to obtain the knowledge and skills to obtain a fairly good paying job with just a high school education. But those types of jobs require one to actually do physical "WORK". And, therein lies the problem. Most of what is falsely termed unemployable are simply too darned lazy to "WORK".

We will always have the infirm of mind and body. But as two examples in my life have shown, both were born with defects that put them in wheelchairs for life. One became an aerospace engineer the other a CPA. They could have just sat back and lived off the government, but both were the type to "EARN" what they had by "WORKING" for it.

I don't know, when I was in college I was told that I "had it easy" because I lived at home and never worried about meals, rent, clothing, etc... Oddly enough, when I got home my backsides were on a tractor seat and most of my homework was done in the milking shed. On the other hand, those poor burdened dears that dismissed me usually had to interrupt their drinking parties to go to the bank to cash their check from "Daaaaaaadddeeeee." One girl in particular was active in every flavor of cause that hit but was especially concern of the plight of the "working poor." When she realized her car was three years old she purposely disabled it then bragged how "Daaaaadddeeee." bought her a brand new one three days later. I was driving a 25 year old Pontiac that I still have but can't drive because you can't fit 2 kids and a large dog in a Fiero. Sometimes I wonder what happened to those people, then realize I don't really care.

 

[volshooter]

+1 on last post. Contender has a way with words. I will not stand for disrespect to our flag or state flags. Even if it means going before a judge, who has properly displayed flags on both sides of the bench.
When did free speech include acts (other than print) to show their disapproval as opposed to speech itself?
GOD help us.