Posted on 03/11/2015 1:00:41 PM PDT by Brown Deer
Portsmouth, Va. – Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson says he is furious after a group of judges told him to take down an American flag display.
Sheriff Watson said his agency got the American flag display as a gift from members of the Portsmouth Fire Department a few weeks ago.
It’s made of old fire hoses which a sign beneath it that reads, “A Tribute to Public Safety.”
Watson said he requested to have it mounted on the wall in the lobby of the courthouse but was shocked by what he was told.
Watson said he was told, “Not only do we not want it on the wall, we don’t want it in the courthouse.”
Watson said, “I just can’t believe that they don’t want to display the American flag in a courthouse, I mean that’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
NewsChannel 3 spoke with a judge who didn’t want to be identified about the issue. The judge told us it was decided that the lobby of the courthouse is not the appropriate place for the display.
He said they don’t want any display or memorial of it’s kind positioned in the lobby when people walk into the courthouse.
The judge said if you allow one type of display, then you will have to allow all types.
The judge said having the display in the lobby sets the wrong precedent. The decision is upsetting Watson and others.
Watson said, “They expect my deputies to put their life on the line for a judge. If somebody was going to come into a courtroom with a gun, the deputy is supposed to stand in front of the judge and take a bullet, but yet they won’t let us have our flag, saluting public safety? To me, that’s a slap in the face.”
The judge told News Channel 3 the Sheriff can hang whatever he wants in his office, which is located on the first floor of the building next to the lobby.
Watson says if it comes to it, he will mount the flag in the window of his office and would rather be sent to jail than take it down.
Portsmouth, I’m with you on this one! Go get ‘em!!!
Tell the judges to call Washington when their nice courthouse catches on fire.....
Is the courthouse located on foreign land, in a foreign country or is it actually in America? Hello. This is America or at least it used to be. Americans die for the flag. The flag represents our country and those who die for it, serve it and we honor it.
Those who do not appreciate it should not hold public service jobs...not here anyway.
You're not far from topping POTUS
STAND !
Screw them. IGNORE them, APPEAL it. Unless real Americans don’t start drawing lines in the sand with these idiots, it’s all over.
And oath! It's obvious the Sheriff has no idea what he pledged with his oath of office. Worthless.
That actually looks pretty cool.
Remember the movie “Walking Tall”?
The AH Judge forgot that by law the Courthouse belonged to the Sheriff and he could assign the judges whatever rooms he desired for their offices. The Judge ended up with the Men’s room as his official ‘chambers’.
Just a thought...
This is still America, isn’t it?!
Sheriff, take the flag outside and display it right in front of the parking spot where the judge parks and has to look at it at least twice each day.
The American flag stands for a lot of things like Liberty, Freedom and JUSTICE FOR ALL. THROW THE DAMNED JUDGE OUT.
The next time their courthouse is on fire, have them call the ACLU!
The article said that one judge stated that if they allow one display then they’d have to allow others. Why do I not consider an American flag in an American courthouse to be a display?
hey Sheriff, the last time I checked you are the most powerful ELECTED official in your county.
The Judge has made his ruling, now he can call the Sheriff to have it enforced.
Bookmark
Lord,please give strength.
Tatt
I think this is a territorial dispute more than anything else. That is, the courthouse has both the courts and judges in it and the Sheriff’s office in it. The judges think the lobby is for the courts and judges, and the Sheriff’s office is for the Sheriff and his deputies and his “stuff”.
I think it’s a very cool looking flag being that it’s made of old fire hoses. Very appropriate tribute.
(Notice that the chicken judge wants to remain anonymous in his ruling. Perhaps he’d like a nice hood to go with his robes so he can anonymously dictate to the peasants.)
Maybe the judge doesn’t like this tacky display, made of old fire hoses, because it conflates firefighting with military service.
Firefighting is a civil service job. It has nothing to do with preserving the freedom of the United States. We owe that and the flag that represents it to a very select group — soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines. Firemen are none of the above.
Firemen (and cops) pushing, pushing, pushing Americans into affording them the same automatic respect that soldiers earn is downright offensive, from their fake military funerals to tacky displays like this.
Just take your 100k pensions and lie low. You’re not soldiers.
Jail the judge and let the lawyers sort it out over 5 or 6 months he is in jail
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