Free Republic

Every day at sunrise, Medal of Honor winner Col. Van T. Barfoot hoists Old Glory with respect and pride. However, the 90-year-old veteran was recently told to remove the flagpole from his own front yard or face a lawsuit and fines. In fact, the local homeowner’s association says the 21 foot flagpole violates neighborhood regulations and needs to come down soon – by December 11. If the flagpole is not removed, a Richmond, VA law firm will go after Col. Barfoot. Call for Urgent Action Please urge the Sussex Square Homeowners Association to drop the case and allow Col. Van...

Here is video of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs yesterday saying he thinks it is "silly" to think that 90 Year-Old Virginia Congressional Medal of Honor winner Van Barfoot has been told he cannot have a flagpole and fly his flag due to a Homeowner's Association rule. Gibbs was asked what President Obama thought about the issue. Gibbs said he has not talked to Obama about it, but then went on to share his own views. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is "silly" to think that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner is being...

No doubt you have heard of the flagpole complaint* against Col. Van T. Barfoot, a 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner and Choctaw Indian. His homeowner’s association is trying to force him to remove the flagpole on his property, for purportedly “aesthetic” reasons, even though the association’s bylaws do not expressly forbid free-standing flagpoles or vertical masts. Hoping to catch a pedestrian’s eye view of Barfoot’s house using Google’s Street View, I looked up his Richmond, Virginia address in an Internet phone directory, and then plugged it into Google Maps. His house was not pictured; Google’s cameras have not reached his...

In a priority mail five-paragraph letter, the Coates & Davenport law firm in Richmond has ordered Colonel Van Barfoot to remove the pole by 5 p.m. Friday or face legal action. According to the letter, Barfoot would have to pay all legal fees and costs if the legal proceeding pursued by Sussex Square Homeowners Association is successful. Family members say Barfoot is the most decorated American combat veteran alive. He has been awarded more than 20 medals, including the Medal of Honor, The Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. This fall, his native...

A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy — his neighbors. Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners' association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face "legal action."

Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, a force protection escort for the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, holds the American flag his father and grandfather both carried during wartime. Photo courtesy of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. JOINT BASE BALAD — Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, possesses an American flag that was carried by both his father and grandfather during wartime. "Gonzo," as he is referred to by his flight line coworkers, is on his eighth deployment since joining the Air Force. An avionics craftsman by trade, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq to provide security for local...

For Americans, the flag is one of the most sacred symbols of our government, representing freedom, democracy, and all of the things that we hold most dear about our country. Over the years, however, various laws designed to protect the U.S. flag have been invalidated by the courts. In a 1989 Supreme Court decision, Texas v. Johnson, the court struck down the 1968 federal Flag Protection Act, citing concerns about free speech. Congress quickly passed a new Flag Protection Act, but it too was struck down by the Supreme Court in a 1990 Supreme Court decision, U.S. v. Eichman. I...

Is it just the angle of the picture or has the Bower in Chief now ordered that a foreign flag be raised above the Stars and Stripes?

Paul Schupska knows his history. Over the years, his vast collections of baseball, World War I and II and antique toys have been displayed at community public libraries throughout the area. Whether it is a vintage GI Joe or an authentic World War II map used by Allied forces in a European bunker, Schupska prides himself on the completeness of his displays, on telling as much of a complete history as possible. When he recently showcased his World War II collection at the Pasadena Public Library on Fairmont, the Nazi insignias were part of that story. He has shown several...

I’ve always been a history buff at heart and more recently an avid gun enthusiast, but most importantly, a supporter of Second Amendment rights. There’s a difference between just shooting guns and knowing the vast history behind our right to do so. Jesse Trimble The United States, as a country and before it was a country, has had a long history of flags — specifically, flags relating to our independence when we were at war with Great Britain. Many may come to mind, such as the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, also known as the Gadsden flag, which is yellow...

President Barack Hussein Obama (mmm, mmm, mmm) calls in a hack computer guy with marginal Photoshop skills to help him design the New American Flag. They sit in the Oval Office. Obama: “How do you use that thing? I don’t see a teleprompter?” Hack: “It’s a laptop, Mr. President. The screen’s sort of like a teleprompter.” Obama: “I see. Hum. I like it. Now, I was thinking we should start with the current flag and see how I can improve it. ” Hack: “No problem sir…” Obama : “That’s Mr. President.” Hack: Oh, sorry Mr. President. Okay, here’s the U.S....

A Cape Girardeau man was arrested for flag desecration Friday, a case that was dismissed within hours because of a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared flag burning was protected speech under the First Amendment. Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said that he was unaware of the case, Texas v. Johnson, that invalidated the laws of 48 states, when he filed misdemeanor charges against Frank L. Snider III. Missouri's law was passed in 1980. When asked whether the state law could be enforced, Swingle said he needed to research the issue. After reviewing the court's opinion, he...

For 64 years, Norton Anenberg guarded a present. He kept it in the attic. Or tucked in his desk. But one day in 1990, acting on a longtime desire, the then-vice president of an oil company pulled open his office's file cabinet and declared it was time to act. "You know something," the now-76-year-old Covina resident remembered saying. "I'm gonna find this family." The present was the war flag of a World World II Japanese soldier, given to Anenberg by a family friend returning from fighting in the South Pacific in 1945. And it wasn't until August, after nearly twenty...

oppose the vote by Amherst selectmen calling for two Gitmo detainees to be relocated in this Western Massachusetts town as a matter of principle: I don’t support torture. And it would be a grotesque form of abuse to sentence anyone to life in this liberal loony bin. Even those suspected of al-Qaeda connections. Would the two detainees in question, Ahmed Belbacha and Ravil Mingazov, pose a security risk if they were allowed to take up Amherst’s invitation? Nobody knows for sure. But we do know that about 15 percent of those freed from Guantanamo have rejoined the jihad. Just last...

American unity Benjamin Franklin is famous for his sense of humor. In 1751, he wrote a satirical commentary in his Pennsylvania Gazette suggesting that as a way to thank the Brits for their policy of sending convicted felons to America, American colonists should send rattlesnakes to England. Three years later, in 1754, he used a snake to illustrate another point. This time not so humorous. Franklin sketched, carved, and published the first known political cartoon in an American newspaper. It was the image of a snake cut into eight sections. The sections represented the individual colonies and the curves of...

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...

An Oregon apartment complex reversed its ban prohibiting residents from flying American flags from dwellings and parked vehicles after the property manager decided she didn't have the legal standing to do so, KATU in Portland reported Wednesday. The American Civil Liberties Union said that Barb Holcomb's ban at Oaks Apartments did not violate any laws, but Holcomb said her legal cousel led her to believe otherwise so she reversed the decision. "If people want to fly any flag of any nationality, it's their right," she told KATU. "When a tenant rents the unit, the inside of the unit belongs to...

Seems to be a desecration of the American Flag for sale on eBay. Make your own call. I'm reporting to eBay as violating TOS, as well as personally offending me.

It's quite jarring that a figurine of Obama standing next to a US flag was ever made or sold in the first place. He was notorious for refusing to salute the flag or even wear a flag pin on his lapel. He has apologized for the US to foreign nations....well...you know this already. I am wondering if this is the first trickle of what may become a tsunami of Obama worshiping icons that will flood the market. Will the $8,000 baseball signed by Obama that is being advertised on ebay right now find a buyer? Here's the baseball on sale...

FORT WORTH – Dan Walker, an Army war veteran who was honored for gathering and burying a U.S. flag that was burned in protest during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, has died. He was 81. Walker, who was captured by TV cameras carefully retrieving the flag remnants so they could be buried properly, died Wednesday of prostate cancer at his Fort Worth home. Walker told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after the incident that he felt compelled to act after seeing someone try to stomp out the fire. "I didn't want someone sweeping it up with a broom and...

BRANCH MANAGER REPORTEDLY ORDERS REMOVAL OF FLAGS PLACED TO HONOR FALLEN MARINE A South Carolina Bank of America branch is drawing criticism Thursday after an employee reportedly ordered the removal of American flags placed to honor a fallen Marine over fears that people would be offended.

The Veterans Day parade that will be held in Homestead later this year will be missing one controversial symbol: The Confederate battle flag. That's because organizers decided to ban the flag from the parade after much back-and-forth debate. For some, the flag is a symbol of Southern pride. But others say it's a symbol of the country's racist past. Initially, the organizers – the Homestead/ Florida City Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee – had agreed to allow the flag. But they reversed that decision on Wednesday after Jeffrey Wander, the committee chairman, said he sent out emails asking for...

I would greatly appreciate a larger or better version of this: The original was done by CNN. I had a couple stored on my hard drive, but they were lost during a computer crash last year... Thanks!

Today I will run with our great American Flag for 11 miles around Grand Rapids. While our troops are fighting our enemies on the other side of the earth, we can do something to send a message to the world.......WE WILL NOT FORGET. So if you jog, take the flag along. If your friends go out to lunch tomorrow, take Old Glory out too. Don't doubt for a minute that the world will be watching to see if we have forgotten

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Many Las Cruces residents are angry and feel disrespected after an East Mesa man has been flying a U.S. flag upside down underneath a flag with a swastika on it. The man responsible for flying the flags said it's not meant to disrespect anyone, but rather make a statement. Army National Guard Specialist Anthony Del Bozque said he had to go back and take a closer look at what he was looking at when driving by on Highway 70. “I wanted to go take it down, I wanted to go knock on his door and find...

The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday. Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC. Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only because of the sound Sino-US relations but also because China is a responsible country.

Outrage: Red Chinese flag to be flown on September 20 at the White House. (anyone able to organize a protest?)

The United States Mission to the United Nations has a new look online. If you check out the redesigned site, you see it’s decked out in United Nations blue, with the U.N. logo prominently displayed.(snip) But that overbearing U.N. logo is new. A waving U.S. flag used to be in its place.You also won’t find archived statements from past U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations. It’s all Susan Rice, all the time. That means the U.S. Mission site is currently no longer hosting historic documents concerning our ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.In Barack Obama’s America, we don’t just apologize...

School calls account untrue ROTC student feels wronged SPRING HILL - It's getting personal for Heather Lawrence and her father. "Now they're calling my daughter a liar," Mark Lawrence said today. Heather returns to Springstead High School on Wednesday after a three-day suspension for telling a Muslim classmate to "take that thing off your head and act like you're proud to be an American." She said the student, whom she previously had never met, remained seated during the Pledge of Allegiance last Tuesday morning during homeroom. A few days later, an assistant principal sent her home and issued a five-day...

AIP Projects -> AIP National Committee News From grassroots email networks: On Friday, September 11th, 2009, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States .  Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies.  We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms. In the days, weeks...

Bending the flag code : Upon the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, the flag codes of the United States Flag has been bent for political reasons. As the flag code requires that the flag be flown at half-staff on the day that a member of the United States Congress dies, and the day afterwards. The only exception is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the Speaker is third in line to the office of President. Procedure was broken to fit political bends of the death of Senator Kennedy. As instead of following the normal protocol of the American...

SPRING HILL, FL -- While showing off her JROTC uniform, 16-year-old Heather Lawrence told us joining the Army is her next big goal, to follow in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. "Our flag represents everything that our country is," she said. The teen says an issue over the American flag is why she was written up and handed a five-day suspension from Springstead High School this week for criticizing a Muslim student. Heather says the other girl was sitting down during the Pledge of Allegiance. "You know, I made a not-so-kind remark, and I do sincerely apologize for...

I think this is probably my second vanity in my 9 years on FR, so I beg your forgiveness for this one. I usually try to get to the office early enough in the morning to assist our foreign born security guard to appropriately raise the flag and render appropriate honors. I have been ridiculed in the past by co-workers and managers alike, but as an Eagle Scout for the last 39 years, and a US Navy veteran, I feel that I am qualified to educate those who I come in contact with daily on observing proper flag etiquette. Today...

The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday. Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC. Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers apologized Saturday for throwing the American flag to the ground during lineup introductions before an exhibition game against the New England Patriots. "I meant no disrespect," he said. The Redskins last year began a routine in which the last person introduced before a game runs out of the tunnel hoisting the American flag. Sellers carried the flag to midfield, then flung it down near the 50-yard line before joining his teammates in a midfield huddle. Linebacker Robert Henson removed the flag from the turf.

PRESS RELEASE  For Immediate Release August 25, 2009 Hampstead to Fly Protest Flag In an act of protest, Hampstead Mayor Haven N. Shoemaker has ordered the Town’s municipal flag to be replaced by the historic Gadsen “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. Mayor Shoemaker will raise the flag after a brief ceremony at the War Memorial in Hampstead at 6 p.m., September 1. The timing of the ceremony coincides with anticipated cuts in state funding to local governments including Hampstead. “We have the so-called stimulus which is nothing more than an unprecedented issuance of debt. We have ObamaCare. In Maryland, we...

A doctors' group and an organization that advocates for the interest of the inner-city poor have joined forced to sue the Obama administration, charging that its abortive effort to collect criticisms made by those opposed to President Obama's plan to change the U.S. health care system infringed on their First Amendment rights. In a complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education said the White House had attempted to "unlawfully" collect information on protected political speech when it asked Obamacare supporters to report any negative comments...

As a mark of respect for the memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on August 30, 2009.

It started with a series of straightforward questions from Fox News correspondent Major Garrett to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.  Garrett’s bottom-line inquiry: How did thousands of Americans, who had never contacted the White House previously, receive unsolicited political emails authored by top administration strategist David Axelrod?    In response, Gibbs and his press office colleagues undertook a strategy of dismissing the core issue, impugning the questioner, shifting blame, and vaguely pledging to change White House email policy.  Still, the basic question of exactly how the White House came to possess countless private email addresses remains unanswered.  The public deserves a...

Following a furor over how the data would be used, the White House has shut down an electronic tip box — flag@whitehouse.gov — that was set up to receive information on “fishy” claims about President Barack Obama’s health plan. E-mails to that address now bounce back with the message: “The e-mail address you just sent a message to is no longer in service. We are now accepting your feedback about health insurance reform via http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck.” The “flag” service was introduced Aug. 4, with a White House blog post saying: “There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out...

Who should be fired over the ill-conceived (and possibly unlawful) FLAG@whitehouse.gov scandal? Emanuel? Axelrod? Douglass? Sebelius? Are any news outlets asking who should be fired? Are any Republican leaders calling for any firings? Steele? McConnell? Boehner?

Healdine only at Drudge

For all Freepers that live in Pa., there will be a large Tea Party on August 29th at 10am. I have posted the website address so you can get more information. I personally and my father will be both going. We added it here so that we can gather as much support as possible. Lets get as many people as we can to show up and show our support. From what I have heard and seen on the website Bob Basso will be there as one of there as a guest speaker. Hope to see you there

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-94Y5CqEU8Q Arrogance!!!!!!!

Plant at now infamous town hall where Sheila Jackson Lee answered her phone claimed to be a doctor... but she lied... she isn't Houston Chronicle DID zero homework. Also, falsely representing yourself as a physician may be illegal under TX law (still developing). more at link

Zo was reported to Flag.com for speaking out against socialized healthcare and nancy Peolsi's face. I guess that's a no -no.

The Obama administration has made a terrible mistake. On Tuesday, August 4, the White House posted a blog entry enjoining Americans to spy on one another, and to report any "disinformation" which might undermine the administration's health-care reform: "There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov." How can an American president think to embrace such...

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=910503&page=1&#18890306

Don't know if this was posted already, but darn, it's good.