GA Girl Cries “I’m sorry” for Flag Display
Posted on January 11, 2006
Reprinted On Request from Ms Underestimated
Flag painters’ hopes take a scrubbing
Duluth accepts recommendation to remove ‘graffiti’By STEVE VISSERThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 01/10/06
Even in Duluth, a city that prides itself in being the flag capital of the U.S.A., the star-spangled banner can a be divisive symbol — especially when everybody wants to wave it and protect it in their own way.The City Council recommended Monday that a painted image of Old Glory be removed from a street in Mayor Shirley Lasseter’s own neighborhood. Children and their parents had painted the banner the last Fourth of July in a display of civics and patriotism. But the city lawyer warned it could set a precedent for some neighborhood Nazi’s planting a swastika or some other offensive symbol on a city street if the flag symbol remained.
The flag issue created angst for the council and the mayor, who elected not to order City Administrator Phil McLemore to remove the painting but instead unanimously accepted the “recommendation” of council member Jim Dugan that the painting be removed by April 1. The politicians thus avoided actually ordering a direct attack on the Stars and Stripes.
Three residents were much more straightforward: Linda Hutchinson, whose Vietnam vet husband had helped organize the flag painting, asked the council to spare the image as a patriotic message to children; Don Ogden, an 81-year-old World War II vet who spent time in a POW camp, demanded the painting be removed because it denigrated the flag; and Rachel Renbarger, age 9, who admitted to wielding a paintbrush, just took responsibility.Her voice was both humble and candid, and she pretty much stole the show in the small, packed City Hall.
“I am so sorry,” said Rachel, her voice cracking and her eyes tearing up. “We will do whatever it takes to remove it — me and my sister. I am so sorry.”
Rachel Renbarger, 9, spoke during the meeting and was apologetic to Don Ogden (below) for painting the flag on the road in her neighborhood.The mayor, the City Council, Hutchinson and Ogden all assured her she had done nothing wrong.
Ogden made it clear he never believed the neighborhood residents meant to defile the flag but had only made an error in flag etiquette, one that deeply angered him. He argued the federal rules prohibit a banner or even its image from being on the ground and at risk of being underfoot.Don Ogden said the flag painting on a Duluth cul-de-sac was
disrespectful.
‘It is beautiful, but it doesn’t belong
on the ground.’Hutchinson noted that even if it were a cloth banner, they should have the right to display it in the manner they
chose.“As Americans, we have the right to treat the flag in any manner we see fit,” she said “That is what freedom is all about.” “The sooner it goes, the better,” he said to the council and the public. “It is beautiful, but it doesn’t belong on the ground.”
The controversy has its roots in a neighborhood spat that quickly spread to the broader Duluth community and beyond. Several people complained to the city administration that it was either inappropriate to paint any graffiti on city property — patriotic or not — or disrespectful to paint the flag on the ground.The city of 23,000 claims bragging rights as the most patriotic town in America and flies 600 flags on Memorial Day to show its respect, Lasseter said.Officials at the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars national offices, however, objected to the flag being painted on the ground as degrading the image.
The flag became a controversy when two neighbors complained to the city administrator’s office in December that the flag was still there.
Here’s the info for email to the Mayor & the City Council:
Mayor & Council
3578 West Lawrenceville Street
Duluth, GA 30096
NOW, GO! GET INTO ACTION!
» Filed Under 1st Amendment, News, PETITIONS
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13 Responses to “GA Girl Cries “I’m sorry” for Flag Display”
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The front-page of the Atlanta Journal ran this in mid-December. The front-page and my posting on the story is here: Painted Flag Stirs Stink.
I agree that this should never have been the problem it appears to have become.
New ACLU post:
http://dicklist.blogspot.com
My heart tells me that what the community did they did out of love and I love them for that.
My military experience tells me that painting it on the ground where it can be, advertently or inadvertently, tread underfoot is wrong.
Remember one of our first flags that read “Don’t tread on me!?
I’m so very sorry but it must be removed.
The flag is not on the ground. The symbol is. If this girl painting a flag on the ground out of love is wrong and the flag must be removed, than I never want to see another person burn a flag out of protest without it being illegal.
Grib:
Here’s an update:
http://msunderestimated.blogspot.com/2006/01/update-on-patriotic-girl-rachel-in.html
I agree with Charles and with Apostle. The girl’s heart was in the right place, but it is highly disrespectful to place the flag (or a representation of it) where it can be tramped on underfoot. The young 8 year old simply didn’t know any better. I also think flag burning should be illegal, because I don’t aknowledge anti-Americanism as a legitimate political position within America. Both flag burning, and this Duluth case show disrespect for the flag, and by extension, the country.
My initial reaction was “those heartless bastards”, but then I remembered a couple of links and, lo and behold, they were right. Links below:
American Flag Etiquette
American Flag Protocol
Thanks to the Patriot Post for these and many other wonderful historic documents.
Take Two:
American Flag Protocol
I understand that this girl had her heart in the right place. But as soon as they learned that it is a violation of proper flag etiquette ( which I guess only is taught in the military and the Boy Scouts anymore) her parents should have helped her paint over the flag. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
No disrespect intended, but you folks that honestly think it should be removed are vastly in the minority. I’ve seen polls that show about 96% of people think it was okay to paint it on the street.
Why is it okay and legal to BURN the flag, but paint it on the street and a bunch of Yahoos come out of the woodwork saying it’s disrespectful.
Perhaps a life might be need here. It’s just a painting. And it shows her pride.
She should have got up and said “I painted it on the ground because I hate America. I did it to show support for Democrats, Liberals, and Saddam Hussein.”
Then it would be okay to paint it on the ground. Then the ACLU would come and defend her.
If Mr Ogden was really upset about it and it’s in his own neighorhood, why not just have a neighborly talk with those who painted it and teach them the proper way to display it. I’m sure if anyone (and it should have been her parents, for goodness sake) had explained the reasons it shouldn’t have been painted on the ground, and then found them a place to paint it where it could be properly displayed, the girls would have been totally happy with that and then everyone could have been proud of the work that she and her fellow patriotic neighbors had done. Were no adult around when this was being painted? What, they just let these kids out in the street with no supervision?
It’s not just etiquette, it’s actually law codified in US Code, Title 4, Chapter 1. Read, learn, and teach your children.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode04/usc_sup_01_4_10_1.html