Posted on 10/12/2005 5:29:05 AM PDT by Abathar
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Two teenagers stole and burned a rainbow-colored American flag representing gays and lesbians that was displayed outside a store, police said.
The 17-year-old boys took the flag from outside of David Wade's culinary supply store, called Inner Chef, according to Bloomington police. Wade said the flag, called the "New Glory," shows that all Americans are welcome at his business.
A witness saw the boys take the flag and took a picture of their license plate with a cell phone camera. Police later tracked the plate and questioned the boys, who said they burned the flag because they felt it was "unpatriotic," police reports said.
The boys were referred to juvenile court on preliminary charges of theft.
"I just wish they would've come in and talked to me about it," Wade said. "I didn't know if it was a prank, an American flag issue or a gay issue. Any of them could've just come inside and had a conversation about it."
Bloomington's Safe and Civil City Director Beverly Calender-Anderson said if there is a suspicion that the flag burning was a hate crime, the incident would get reported to the Human Rights Commission.
"We do value and honor the diversity in our city and do not condone discrimination or any kind of acts against people because of their sexual orientation, gender, race, class or anything else," she said.
Wade said he would replace the flag.
All the kids have to do is claim they are gay. That will prove quite the quandry.
I'd call it "New Glory-Hole"
Ya know, back when I was a lad, if "National Coming Out Day" was approaching, somebody in the high school would have started spreading the word that all the boys were going to wear dresses that day. And it would have happened! (Well maybe not everybody would do it, but some would...) And it would have been a hoot! Sure, somebody would get in trouble, but so what? Gay sex is FUNNY! (Well, unless you do it and you get a disease, I suppose, but think about it... It really is a ridiculous behavior!) Why can't we have any fun anymore?
Why isn't burning the American flag a hate crime? I am beginning to hate the term hate crime.
It was all Performance Theater.
Isn't it 'anything goes' with Performance Theater?
I read an article here on FR earlier this morning. Two boys, aged 13 and 15 yrs., burned 20 small American flags that had been placed to honor a young soldier killed in Iraq. They placed the flags under the car of the dead soldier's sister-in-law, which was also destroyed.
Punishment: 40 hours of community service. No mention of "hate crime". NEVERMIND THE LAWYERS. PUT THE JUDGES IN JAIL.
The coffee must be kicking in!
So it is okay to steal and destroy someone's property because you don't agree with them?
Sounds like PETA releasing lab animals or ELF defacing SUV's.
Moral of the story: Bloomington is governed by blooming idiots.
The kids only crimes were taking and destroying another's property.
Yes, I see that. I disagree with them on that, as I'm sure you do too.
They should just treat it like the garden-variety petty criminal act that it was rather than trying to blow it into something bigger.
Exactly. This flag was desecrated by the homosexuals to promote their perverted agenda, plain and simple.
They stole and destroyed property of less than $50 in value - should be a misdemeanor (sp?). The fact that it was a sodomite flag has nothing to do with it. If it had been an American flag we wouldn't be reading about it.
No hate crime should be charged and I think the flag is in very poor taste but you can't excuse burning someone else's property because you don't like his politics.
Well, yes, they stole a fag-flag. But you see, THAT is a crime of the highest magnitude. If it were just an American flag, then anyone would have the freedom and, yea, the responsibility to burn it. But a fag-flag!!! That is an immoral hate crime of the highest magnitude. HOW DISGUSTING those hate-crime laws are.
"So why didn't the cops tell this store owner to get over it?"
YES, that is exactly it!!!
The boys should be charged with theft/vandalism whatever is appropriate.
But that being said, the same ones who view burning an American Flag as an expression of free speech should not have a problem with this. They cannot have it both ways.
Of course, the hypocrisy fails to impress them.
Hate crimes are nothing but political ploys to gain special rights and protected status for the selected groups. This queer put the flag out in order to provoke said behavior. The kids fell into his trap just as he intended. I don't buy his lie of advertising his tolerance.
So you condone stealing and destruction of property?
And go to prison for arson.
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