Mexican flag flown above US flag in Reno - veteran who cut down the flag hailed a hero
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October 8, 2007 | The national limelight seems to have slipped on by the events that amounted to a festering boil in Reno, NV. Apparently, a Mexican/American business establishment in Reno was flying a Mexican flag above the U.S. flag on the same flag pole. There was some discussion on various bulliten boards for a day or so and then some hype via radio that aroused a Vietnam veteran apparently enough to take action. Now, after the flags were cut down, the Mexican flag thrown to the ground and the U.S. flag confiscated (stolen) by the veteran - the veteran is being hailed by some as a hero. Others cast the wylie vet as a patriot. The mob is alive and well.

Some sensible discussion in various newsgroups followed [editied below] - met with the usual disdain from zealous patriotic types - that might be of interest to those who believe in the rule of law.

  • "...the "veteran" heard about the flag on a radio talk show earlier in the day... as callers were whipping themselves into a frenzy. How did the news crew just happen to be there when the veteran cut down the flags?".

  • "The veteran claimed that Federal Law was being broken, ...it wasn't. US Code does contain flag display guidelines that civilians can voluntarily comply with. There are no provisions for enforcement or penalties if those guidelines are broken. Reno Police issued a news release on Wednesday stating that it was NOT illegal." (http://tinyurl.com/2mtv3a)

  • "He [the veteran] was brandishing around a big knife, in many jurisdictions brandishing a deadly weapon in public is against the law. He cut the halyard on the flagpole...vandalism of private property...then he challenged the owner of the place if he wanted the flag back and left with the other guy's U.S. flag......that was theft, and after flashing around the big knife, could be considered armed robbery." [10/6/2007 10:01 PM - UseNet]

Reality has a gnawing effect doesn't it? Some exploring on the definition of "patriot" came with some interesting results as well:

  • patriot, n. - Definition: One who loves, supports, and defends one's country; person who loves his country - Antonyms: expatriot, traitor (Devil's dictionary) - One to whom the interests of a part seem superior to those of the whole. The dupe of statesmen and the tool of conquerors. When searching further into the "Devil's Dictionary" we found, "combustible rubbish read to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name." and "Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first."

Be sure to look through the other video clips while you visit the link posted above.

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10.8.2007

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