Posted on 10/19/2009 11:24:38 PM PDT by kingattax
Chester, Pa., firefighter James Krapf wants to know what's wrong with Old Glory. The 11-year veteran was suspended without pay Thursday after he refused to peel a sticker of the American flag from his locker.
"It's pride…it's a matter of pride," Krapf said.
A new department rule mandates that all stickers and statements -- union, cartoon and political -- be stripped from lockers after several offensive and racist images showed up in the firehouse. But Krapf figured the red, white and blue was safe.
It seems he was wrong.
"The chief came out and said 'You have to remove your stickers,' I said 'No disrespect chief, but I'm not taking the flag off,'" Krapf recounted. He says the officer then asked him to leave.
Fire Commissioner James Johnson, who served in the Marine Corps, vows the symbolism of the decal is not the issue.
"We wear the American flag on our uniform…it's flying outside that station," he said. "It is not about the American flag or patriotism."
But Krapf refuses to give up and he's not alone. The firefighters union plans to negotiate with the department on the issue.
"We applaud Jim Krapf because these colors don't run," said union prez Stacy Landrum.
Krapf, who was turned away from the station again Friday, plans to stand his ground. "It's the American flag, we should be able to fly it wherever we want…I don’t believe it's offensive to anyone," he said.
The issue and Krapf's fate is scheduled to be discussed at a meeting on Monday.
finally a union seems to be doing something useful.
UPDATE:The flag stays and the fireman is reinstated.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Firefighters-Flag-to-Stay-Put.html
Wouldn't count on any promotions for a while...
Too bad every fireman n the station house didn't stick one on their lockers to show support...
But then...it's Philly/obamanation land...
Any language or symbol that conveys meaningful information can be considered a statement, and any statement can be misinterpreted, and therefore politically or otherwise, offensive. Pursuant to their own policy, they shouldn't even be allowed to display the following:
So. This is what it has come to.
Displaying the American flag IS A POLITICAL STATEMENT?
A line in the sand.
Incrementalism resulting in extremism; the American flag is now equivalent to racism and porn; any expression of Christianity is taboo, while demonstrations of Islam are gradually gaining in popularity; bringing a cub scout fork and spoon set to school is equated with bringing a revolver; some sort of vague moral neutrality is offered as a justification for teaching kids about sodomy in kindergarten.
Gradually, all values are lost except the mindless pursuit of personal pleasures, and we become a muddled national nonentity devoid of any values.
Sorta like... Huxley’s Brave New World. Guess the guy was prescient.
I am proud to have been a caller to stand up for this firefighter but mostly for our Flag. And I do not live in that state!
Did it for the student, too.
Did it for the father of the soldier in Iraq too.......
Be not afraid!
I believe that on an ealier thread, it said the “racial and offensive” items were posted by a black fireman.
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