Red Meat Alert: Flag desecration video from Maine
posted at 2:15 pm on April 16, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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It doesn’t get any redder than this, or for that matter, whiter or bluer. This video shows an outraged veteran objecting to an “art” display at the University of Maine at Farmington with replicas of American flags placed on the floor so that students can walk on them. (The blue fields show that the “artist” doesn’t exactly understand the layout of the stars, nor the correct color of blue to use.) Representatives of UMF prevent the veteran from picking them up and at one point threaten to have him removed from the campus. Eventually, he stands in front of the display holding a hastily-made sign with the word “Disgrace”, and has at least one man join him in his protest
The music is too loud to hear some of the conversation, but you’ll get the gist:
I’m certain to annoy a few readers, but this worked out about right in the end. The artist has every right to offend, although one would have hoped that a few adults in the UMF administration would have put an end to this project. The veteran didn’t have the right to disturb the display, but he did have the right to peacefully protest it. It’s a sickening display, especially when a few students at the end go out of their way to stand on one of the “flags”, but both the art and the protest are covered under the First Amendment.
The bigger question is why American students feel such hatred and antipathy towards the country that guarantees the very right to expression used by both parties in this confrontation — and why they can’t figure out how to replicate their own flag more accurately. (via Mark Tapscott)
Update: Gateway Pundit has some pictures of the “event”.
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Somehow I feel like she’s backtracking a bit, don’t you? “Oh, I wouldn’t walk on the flag and I myself find it repugnant!” Apparently, it’s not repugnant enough to choose another project, eh? Bite the curb.
Geronimo on April 16, 2008 at 4:27 PM
Because they have never been anywhere to see what the world is actually like. Spend some time in Panama, Columbia and Coast Rica, not on vacation, find out how others have to survive and when you come back you’ll kiss the ground upon your arrival in the Blessed US of A.
Spoiled brat lefties… Man I hate ‘em.
Swinehound on April 16, 2008 at 4:29 PM
I did just that after spending 2 weeks in Ukraine. I never actually knew how good we have it.
Geronimo on April 16, 2008 at 4:30 PM
The flag of the United States of America is more than just a symbol. It is considered a living entity as long as America exists. This is why there is a specific SOP in disposing of the Stars and Stripes when deemed not a fitting emblem.
The only good thing about that video however, is you see that 99% of the people walked around the flags. Good for them, punch the hippies!
Swinehound on April 16, 2008 at 4:40 PM
That won’t pass muster on the Left. Any and all poor condition experienced in the third world is a result of US policy and rapacious capitalism.
Next question.
Hannibal Smith on April 16, 2008 at 4:42 PM
Geronimo on April 16, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Roger that. Perspective is what is needed in the pukes’ lives.
Swinehound on April 16, 2008 at 4:42 PM
I don’t really find the exhibit offensive. If it sparks a reaction one way or another then the artist is getting publicity which is what artists crave these days but lets think a few things through…
As Ed points out… it isn’t an actual US Flag… it is a likeness of one. I’m no more offended by this than I was by all the tatty, dirtied flags which were on people’s cars months after September 11th. I am a former Marine… the flag means something to me and I understand that it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone else. I’m not at all uncomfortable with that. We got plenty of flags dirty and messed up and they were disposed of per the manual.
Overall, I am much more interested in the actual liberties that the flag represents rather than the symbol itself and artistic freedom and free speech are core liberties we enjoy as Americans. Great to see those liberties on full display.
lexhamfox on April 16, 2008 at 4:44 PM
SCUMBAGS
koypop on April 16, 2008 at 4:45 PM
Sorry, there is a distinction here. This is a student–not an artist. Even if the kid is an “art major”–that doesn’t necessarily make her an artist. Art students aren’t supposed to do work for publicity’s sake–they are supposed to create art to better their skills at becoming an artist.
robblefarian on April 16, 2008 at 4:51 PM
And how did that exhibit teach that to the college students?
JiangxiDad on April 16, 2008 at 4:52 PM
Ah, American values at work. God Bless us all!!
Grow Fins on April 16, 2008 at 4:54 PM
Apparently, she’s not a kid–but a 40 year old woman. My bad. Either way, she should be learning how to master a skillset instead of making “guerilla art”.
robblefarian on April 16, 2008 at 4:56 PM
Why not call it what it is: hate speech against veterans and be done with it?
I R A Darth Aggie on April 16, 2008 at 4:58 PM
When you are fed a steady diet of “America is what is wrong with the world” from at least high school through college then it isn’t surprising that these kids do not appreciate what they have. What is surprising is that more parents don’t object when their kids are subject to propaganda. Anyone remember the kid who taped his teacher going off on an anti-American tirade that had nothing to do with the subject he was supposed to be teaching. Happens every day in this country.
The kids have been brainwashed.
Bill C on April 16, 2008 at 4:58 PM
I’m so tired of jumping from one outrage to the next. I thought we could all dwell on our outrage over that blood throwing guy at the Catholic mass, but everyone moved on.
C’mon! Let’s make a commitment to the things that outrage us!
tlynch001 on April 16, 2008 at 4:59 PM
hippies!
Chakra Hammer on April 16, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Hate speech against half the country but most importantly the vets.
Mike Mose on April 16, 2008 at 5:07 PM
UMF is where D students from out of State find a college that will actually accept them. Rosie would have been able to graduate with a 3.0. Bovine female students are local, and the rest are from MA or NH. It’s a farm town with a high school they call a University.
Maine is a socialist hole with money coming in from progressive political groups to fund hack Democrats. Homosexual special rights, anti-gun, pro-abortion and all the rest, with the State selling out at every turn. They make the Maritimes look Conservative.
Hening on April 16, 2008 at 5:14 PM
So if I dump hamburger wrappers all over the ground, could I call it art? The administration would never allow you to put your trash on the floor.
bopbottle on April 16, 2008 at 5:14 PM
I have no words…
CliffHanger on April 16, 2008 at 5:35 PM
Did anyone else see the “brought to you by some students with 1st amendments rights.” Sorry to tell you, everyone has 1st amendment rights here.
Onto the video. Some people call it art because “shit” was already taken.
So if a student put an “art display” of Obama pictures on the floor to be walked on then it would be called hate speak and not allowed.
VikingGoneWild on April 16, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Because when you’re about to put a beat down on someone you don’t want to scuff your watch face on their face!
VikingGoneWild on April 16, 2008 at 5:41 PM
Precisely. That’s what makes America a better place than Saudi.
factoid on April 16, 2008 at 5:54 PM
Whoah! Hold your horses there! America would be a better place than Saudi Arabia even if burning the US flag was a crime. Trying to explain why the US is better than SA is like spilling a jar full of pennies onto the ground and then frantically trying to count them all at once. (Rain Man could do it)
aengus on April 16, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Hahaha!
aengus on April 16, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Contact the big shots at UMaine @ Farmington and tell them how you feel!
kalikow@maine.edu (PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY),
aberger@maine.edu,
cbranham@maine.edu,
geller@maine.edu,
lively@maine.edu,
kyardley@maine.edu,
brandon.lagana@maine.edu,
umfbus@maine.edu,
martinme@maine.edu,
ellrich@maine.edu,
melvin.adams@maine.edu,
carey@maine.edu,
pederson@maine.edu,
edward.blais@maine.edu,
jennifer.eriksen@maine.edu
malan89 on April 16, 2008 at 6:23 PM
This is the Provost. I believe he was the one who referred to the flag as “a piece of cloth”.
malan89 on April 16, 2008 at 6:38 PM
now that Obama has found his flag pin, does this mean we can walk on it?
while he’s wearing it i mean…
TheCulturalist on April 16, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Ah yes,
The Foot-soldiers of the Democrat Party – the Party of Big Mouths & Small Ideas.
Oh wait…I’m sittin’ on my dead ass on election day, as suggested by the HotAir, and Michelle Malkin blogs, ’cause McCain is a poopy-head…nevermind.
franksalterego on April 16, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Would they accept my “form of art” and “freedom of expression” if I were to put my foot through their skulls?
Just curious.
Snooper on April 16, 2008 at 7:40 PM
I’m no more offended by this than I was by all the tatty, dirtied flags which were on people’s cars months after September 11th. I am a former Marine… the flag means something …
lexhamfox on April 16, 2008 at 4:44 PM
You were offended by patriots putting flags on their cars,after 911, which got tattered by the wind? That upset you as much as people–deliberately walking on it? Walking on it to show contempt? I don’t understand that,sorry.I’m not a marine but am the widow of one, the wife of one and the sister of 2.All were in VN.I’ve asked them and none of them understand your logic.
lizzee on April 16, 2008 at 8:20 PM
I guess that when an artist has got no talent, that is the way it is expressed.
Johan Klaus on April 16, 2008 at 8:43 PM
First off, calling it art is a stretch.
People use the National Ensign in such a manner to provoke interest in what they are trying to say, because what they are trying to say by it’s self is not worthy of merit. So people like this, those from Westboro Baptist Church, and other such “hate” or “enlightened” groups need to have a gimmick. If desecrating the U.S. flag is the only way you can convey your feelings on a subject, then how credible can your stance actually be?
If they wanted to impress me, they would go to a veteran’s house, pull his flag down and try to do the same thing in his front yard without police protection. DO THAT, and I’ll be impressed. There would be a lesson on freedom of expression, as well as protection of one’s property, and the revelation of how many American’s don’t feel the need to involve police in dispute resolution.
Hog Wild on April 16, 2008 at 8:59 PM
Wait a Minute! Another art student already did this act back in the nineties!
It’s just a lazy cliche at this point, really.
Sadly I will admit I know this mainly because I was an art student back then, and my youthful leftist ideals led me to think this “art” was “cool”.
I’ve grown up a lot since then….
Iron_Chef on April 16, 2008 at 9:44 PM
Watching those aging hippie geezers take a dump on the only reason they’re even able to express their vile, imbecilic, disgusting commie bastard opinions makes me less and less opposed to selective euthanasia with every day.
Particularly their haughty, condescending attitude to somebody who actually risked something for the freedoms that they so thoroughly abuse and would abolish in a second if they had the power to do so.
“We’re here protecting your right to disagree…”
Oh, is that so, you hippie skank? How so? If somebody comes by and tries to take a swing at the vet, what are you going to do? Wave your hairy armpits at them?
It’s a crying shame that the government didn’t have the sense to start circulating LSD laced with cyanide back in the 60s. They’d have done us all a favor.
*SPIT!*
Misha I on April 16, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Once again, unless there is some new law that has come out I am not aware of, technically it is against the Law to lay our Flag on the ground. This is not freedom of speech. Speech. Speech is something that comes out of your mouth. For exampele, “People who lay the US Flag on the ground and walk on it are dumba**es.” If I were to say that, that would be speech. Desecrating the flag is a physical act, that by the way, as far as I know, is against Federal Law. Unless it’s just one of those silly laws that don’t mean anything. There’s a lot of laws I consider silly, that I follow. Do I have the right to not follow them? If that’s the case, every time I see a stupid person, I am going to slap them right across the chops, because that’s what it feels like to me when the flag of my country is disrespected in the name of “art” or “free speech.”
gator70 on April 16, 2008 at 10:09 PM
Beating the crap out of people who hate and disrespect America is a time-honored tradition.
misterpeasea on April 16, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Oh, and I ought to add, in all fairness, I found it quite refreshing and encouraging to see that the vast majority of the students passing by actually went out of their way to AVOID stepping on the flags.
Maybe the next generation isn’t as screwed up as their “teachers” have hoped and worked for?
They’d better not be, because the entire boomer generation is pretty much a waste of skin. How fresh the air shall smell when they’re all under the ground, feeding the worms.
Misha I on April 16, 2008 at 10:22 PM
That is art as much as Joy Behar is a comedian.
snaggletoothie on April 16, 2008 at 11:23 PM
No, the bigger question is why we don’t light more sissy little anarchist flag burners on fire.
Jaibones on April 16, 2008 at 11:40 PM
Our tax dollars at work, at this dopey school as well as at
Planned Parenthood,
PBS,
NPR,
National Endowment for the Arts,
ad infinitum.
jgapinoy on April 16, 2008 at 11:43 PM
I actually noticed that as well Misha and was going to comment. It did seem in the footage that a great many of the ‘feet’ that we saw avoided stepping on any of them. In fact at one point two or three stopped to allow someone else pass by so they could proceed w/o stepping on it. That made me feel a bit better about it. However there were several hippie wannabies in jumbotron bell bottoms that tookcare it seemed to stand firmly right in the middle of the flag. It is illegal to desecrate the flag, but with all the Supremes and their ‘free speech’ rulings that line has been so muddied nowadays that I would guess it is virtually impossible to enforce. God bless the vet and the young man who stood with him! And shame on the man who argued it is ‘just a piece of cloth’. The vet had it exactly right…..disgraceful!
dustoffmom on April 17, 2008 at 12:05 AM
You are mistaken, and fortunately so. Not only is there no law on the books (technically the Flag Code is, but there are no penalties attached), but speech doesn’t have to be spoken to be protected. This is a well-affirmed principle of constitutional law, and has been tested on flag desecration cases repeatedly. As sick as it makes me to see the scum defacing the flags at that exhibit, it should be protected. It’s the same right that allows us to write freely here, or print Muhammad cartoons, or any other not-directly-spoken act of opinion you want. So long as it doesn’t damage someone else’s property or interfere with their own rights, your expression is pretty much absolute.
This is how it should be. At least when disgusting excuses for human beings misuse it, it shows the public just what those people really support.
vonspringer on April 17, 2008 at 1:37 AM
Good Lord. Ed, please don’t fall into the routine of saying ‘red meat’ or ‘the obligatory …’. Please. I’m begging you. Leave that kind of crap for AP. Pleeeeeeease!
Thanks in advance :)
Kevin M on April 17, 2008 at 5:30 AM
I am so proud of to see two men,, two real men stand up for what is right!! Two men among pigs! Two men!!
See what just two men can accomplish?!! And thank God for that veteran!! He is a great man!! I wish there was a way we could write and thank him!!
I would have gone to jail over this one! I would have been right there with them! This is so sickening! So completely sickening!
JellyToast on April 17, 2008 at 7:34 AM
I agree with this. Ed, stop condescending.
I’m confused. How is this art, while flushing a Koran down the toilet is hate speech?
fossten on April 17, 2008 at 10:38 AM
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