Obama flag at Florida Democratic Party office removed after veterans call it ‘disrespectful’
Flag had apparently been flying for months
Comments (17)
By Brian Browdie / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 15, 2012, 10:10 PM
The chair of the Lake County, Florida, Democratic Party took down a flag that displayed President Barack Obama’s face in place of the stars after a protest by some local veterans, who called the banner disrespectful. The flag had hung outside the party’s headquarters in Tavares, Fla.
Courtesy of Donald L. Van Beck/Courtesy of Donald L. Van Beck
The chair of the Lake County, Florida, Democratic Party took down a flag that displayed President Barack Obama’s face in place of the stars after a protest by some local veterans, who called the banner disrespectful. The flag had hung outside the party’s headquarters in Tavares, Fla.
A flag flown by a group of Florida Democrats has created quite a flap.
The Lake County Democratic Party took down an American flag that displayed President Barack Obama’s face in place of the stars after some local veterans who took umbrage at the banner showed up at the party’s office and demanded its removal.
The standoff started after local veterans circulated photos of the flag, which flew below a standard Stars and Stripes outside the party’s headquarters in Tavares, about 45 miles northwest of Orlando.
“It’s absolutely disrespectful,” Jim Bradford, a local veteran who helped to organize the protest, told Fox News. “What really upsets me is that the flag had apparently been flying for months and no one had done anything about it.”
Flags similar to the Obama flag the veterans objected to are available for about $26 on eBay.
About a half dozen veterans arrived Tuesday at the party’s headquarters, where they were greeted at the door by Nancy Hurlbert, the county Democratic chair.
Hurlbert offered to research the matter, but did not immediately agree to take down the flag.
“You’re in violation of the code,” veteran Donald Van Beck told her in a video of the encounter released by the Orlando Sentinel.
“And I’m saying I will check it out,” answered Hurlbert, who declined Van Beck’s offer to take down the flag and reminded the veterans they were on private property.
While federal law encourages respect for the flag and sets forth standards for its use, altering the flag carries no criminal penalties.
“There’s no question there’s a First Amendment right to alter a flag,” Steven H. Shiffrin, a professor and First Amendment scholar at Cornell Law School, told the Daily News. “But the fact that something’s legal does not make it politically smart.”
Hurlbert later removed the controversial banner, saying she had researched the matter and took responsibility.
“We’re proud of our President, and we didn’t realize it was in violation,” she told the Sentinel.
Lake County may be rough political terrain for President Obama regardless of the flag flareup. Though Obama carried the Sunshine State in the 2008 presidential election, Sen. John McCain, his GOP opponent, won Lake County, with 56% of the vote to 43% for Obama.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...disrespectful-article-1.1040162#ixzz1pNdOSzEz
Flag had apparently been flying for months
Comments (17)
By Brian Browdie / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, March 15, 2012, 10:10 PM
The chair of the Lake County, Florida, Democratic Party took down a flag that displayed President Barack Obama’s face in place of the stars after a protest by some local veterans, who called the banner disrespectful. The flag had hung outside the party’s headquarters in Tavares, Fla.
Courtesy of Donald L. Van Beck/Courtesy of Donald L. Van Beck
The chair of the Lake County, Florida, Democratic Party took down a flag that displayed President Barack Obama’s face in place of the stars after a protest by some local veterans, who called the banner disrespectful. The flag had hung outside the party’s headquarters in Tavares, Fla.
A flag flown by a group of Florida Democrats has created quite a flap.
The Lake County Democratic Party took down an American flag that displayed President Barack Obama’s face in place of the stars after some local veterans who took umbrage at the banner showed up at the party’s office and demanded its removal.
The standoff started after local veterans circulated photos of the flag, which flew below a standard Stars and Stripes outside the party’s headquarters in Tavares, about 45 miles northwest of Orlando.
“It’s absolutely disrespectful,” Jim Bradford, a local veteran who helped to organize the protest, told Fox News. “What really upsets me is that the flag had apparently been flying for months and no one had done anything about it.”
Flags similar to the Obama flag the veterans objected to are available for about $26 on eBay.
About a half dozen veterans arrived Tuesday at the party’s headquarters, where they were greeted at the door by Nancy Hurlbert, the county Democratic chair.
Hurlbert offered to research the matter, but did not immediately agree to take down the flag.
“You’re in violation of the code,” veteran Donald Van Beck told her in a video of the encounter released by the Orlando Sentinel.
“And I’m saying I will check it out,” answered Hurlbert, who declined Van Beck’s offer to take down the flag and reminded the veterans they were on private property.
While federal law encourages respect for the flag and sets forth standards for its use, altering the flag carries no criminal penalties.
“There’s no question there’s a First Amendment right to alter a flag,” Steven H. Shiffrin, a professor and First Amendment scholar at Cornell Law School, told the Daily News. “But the fact that something’s legal does not make it politically smart.”
Hurlbert later removed the controversial banner, saying she had researched the matter and took responsibility.
“We’re proud of our President, and we didn’t realize it was in violation,” she told the Sentinel.
Lake County may be rough political terrain for President Obama regardless of the flag flareup. Though Obama carried the Sunshine State in the 2008 presidential election, Sen. John McCain, his GOP opponent, won Lake County, with 56% of the vote to 43% for Obama.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...disrespectful-article-1.1040162#ixzz1pNdOSzEz
This will inevitably turn into a "well 'your side' did this" back and forth discussion but carry on.
If I missed this in a search then I missed it..
