Punishing the patriot

Posted: November 17, 2010
1:00 am Eastern
© 2010

One of these days I expect to wake up from this nightmare we call political correctness. It's gotten to the point where an eighth-grader can't fly Old Glory on the back of his bicycle without a stage-5 crisis breaking out. I suppose it is OK for others to utilize the freedoms of my country, but as soon as I show my love and respect for it, people feel threatened. What was I thinking? Flying the flag is considered patriotism, and we can't have any of that offending traitors.

Once again, my flag being flown in my country is offensive to some. Enough so that students complained to a school supervisor in Denair, Calif. – you expected somewhere else? Cody Alicea, an eighth-grader at Denair Middle School was asked to remove his American flag from the back of his bike just a few days ago. Cody was told that some students had complained, so it was necessary for him to remove the flag.

That's right, punish the innocent and ignore the actual troublemakers. That's standard in California. This poor kid was displaying the Stars and Stripes to honor veterans and to show his overall respect for the United States. It's not like he had gang signs on his bike. Cody had been riding to school with the flag on the back of his bicycle for two months – and they just noticed it? Hey, guess what? You have a 15-foot flag pole in the middle of your parking lot with the Red White and Blue displayed for all to see. Why wasn't that taken down?

It's almost like people don't realize where they live. If I moved to Australia I would expect to see the Australian flag. I don't know why people are surprised by this. You're living in the United States of America; we don't have to explain ourselves to anyone. Why would you choose to live in a place that offends you? If you can't handle our flag, why are you using our freedoms?

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This school official was bullied by political correctness and a few 13-year-old brats who don't respect the country that provides for them. Maybe they should spend a little more time learning and a little less time crying. If they actually paid attention in class they'd know how many people have sacrificed and fought for the right to fly that flag. They'd know what our flag stands for and why we display it proudly.

The spokesperson for Denair Middle School, Edward Parraz, said the official was looking out for Cody's safety. They were afraid it would cause racial tension and claimed Cody's safety was at risk … like there are snipers out there ready to take on a 13-year-old. Parraz said, "I think it would be irresponsible for us if we had just shined it on and let him have the flag and if he had gotten jumped or something like that." Again, they're making it about Cody's safety but not addressing the real problem: the instigators.

Parraz also noted that the school wasn't trying to "slam the First Amendment, or take that right away from Cody. It was a safety concern at the time." No, you were coddling a handful of PC tweens – and as soon as you heard about it on TV all of a sudden there was a change of heart. Nice save. Parraz also went on to say that they think they know who the instigators are and that they will talk to them and their parents. I'll be sure to follow up on that to make sure they don't sweep it under the carpet. If you ask me, that's the first step they should have taken. How it is possible that kids can threaten others at school, but Cody is punished?

Eventually, the school board decided to let Cody display his flag again, so all is well – until next month when kids start singing Christmas carols and we have another battle on our hands over why the song is called "We Three Kings" and not "We Three Queens."

So until then I leave you with my dose of honesty: If you love our freedoms, you better love our flag, too. Don't use this country one day, then find it offensive the next. To the kids who complained, it's obvious from Cody's interview that he wasn't flying the flag maliciously. In fact, he said he would respect the school and do what they ask even though he felt it was wrong. You all could take a lesson from him in manners and respect. Find something more valuable to do in your time like minding your own business.

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