Man Accused Of Punching, Kicking War Protester Who Was Carrying a Defaced U.S. Flag

WISC-TV ^

[Ronaldus Magnus]

WAUSAU, Wis. -- A man upset that a war protester was parading around downtown Wausau with a defaced American flag is facing a disorderly conduct charge after attacking the demonstrator.

The incident happened Monday afternoon outside the Marathon County Courthouse. Mike Wallschlaeger of Mosine carried an upside down flag with "EMPIRE" written across it.

A fellow demonstrator says a man got out of his car, tried to grab the flag, then pushed Wallschlaeger to the ground, punched and kicked him.

Wausau Police Chief William Brandimore says the right to free speech is protected, but disorderly conduct is not.

[Chummy]

Hereya go:

This is an excerpt of the US Code --

TITLE 4--FLAG AND SEAL, SEAT OF GOVERNMENT, AND THE STATES

CHAPTER 1--THE FLAG

Sec. 8. Respect for flag

No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America...(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature...The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.


If someone who is obviously exercising their free speech rights -- responding to such an obvious provocation as in this instance -- is cited without regard for these rights and the circumstances, then as a matter of equity, the idiot who violated the US Code should also be cited for this infraction.

[Dimensio]

That's exactly what happened in the story mentioned in this article, yet many people seem to believe that it was a wise choice and, while perhaps not illegal, should not result in anything more than a 'symbolic' slap on the wrist punishment.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

My guess is that this is one protestor who will think twice before defacing a flag again.

[eBelasco]

maybe he could claim he was deaf and was getting into a heated sign-language exchange and got "up in his face" a bit?

[witnesstothefall]

Exactly, ask for a jury trial.

[NYCop]

With you on that one Randy, let us know where the $ needs to go...

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Nah - the perp will get smacked with a fine and some anger control, as it should be, and protesters will think twice about acting like a**es.

Its a win-win.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Wausau is a pretty liberal area, though -- Dave Obey's district."

---

Actually, it's not as liberal as it used to be. Gore beat Bush in the city of Wausau by less than 6%, and Bush actually beat Gore in Marathon County by 4%. Obey's district only gave Gore 47.8% of the vote (to 46.4% for Bush), and it will provide an excellent opportunity for a Republican pick-up when Obey finally retires. But so long as Obey Wan Kenobi runs, the seat will remain in Democrat hands.

[Chummy]

Assault? Who said anything about assault? Is it important to label the act of the fella who stood up for the flag, while ignoring a similar pronouncement on the idiot protestor?

The patriot's act was an expression of free speech with which you may disagree, but an expression of free speech it is nonetheless.

[rj45mis]

Didn't take your comments that way at all. However, the point I'm trying to make is that you don't express your opinion about something in such a way as to violate that which another is impassioned about. There are more practical ways to express his opinion besides parading the Americam flag around in a defiling manner.

[Squantos]

I see a POS protestor with a defaced flag or trying to burn said flag I'm telling the nearest cop that the trash "stole" that flag from me (they are all mine ) and press criminal charges.

Play their game, but use different rules.

Stay Safe !

[null and void]

Ping me when a defense fund is set up.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Thank you for writing an e-mail to the reporter. Please let me know if you find out who this man is so I can contribute to his legal defense. These protests are getting to the point were this had to happen.

[Dimensio]

There are more practical ways to express his opinion besides parading the Americam flag around in a defiling manner.

I agree, however I do not see the fact that he chose a rather stupid method for his protest as justification for acts of violence against him. Reacting in such a way almost implies that what he is doing is such a powerful and effective technique that it needs to be supressed lest he convince someone of his position through his actions.

[shempy]

I believe they should prosecute this case exactly as they would if a protester was carrying a sign that read "Down with niggers!" and ended up getting punched. They are analogous actions of hate in my opinion.

[Teacher317]

There's this funny little legal concept called "extenuating circumstances"... the nation is at war, protestors are getting more and more violent across the nation, the desecration of the flag could very easily be considered to meet the "fighting words" factor, and the "attack" was hardly life-threatening or brutal. While the nation is certainly becoming rather effiminate (recall that "gouging" was a "sport" in America... a contest where two consenting men tried to take out the eye of their opponent first), I don't think we're quite at the point where a brief impassioned scuffle over politics merits jail time.

[rj45mis]

Good analogy, Shempy.

[Chummy]

WARNING! HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ALERT!

Chief to officers: Protect protesters

By Joel Christopher
Wausau Daily Herald
jchristo@wdhprint.com
Wausau Police Chief Bill Brandimore took steps Tuesday to ensure that officers are protecting the rights of war protesters.

Brandimore acted after an incident Monday in which witnesses said a man assaulted a war protester on the south side of the Marathon County Courthouse.

Police who responded said both men would face disorderly conduct charges, but Brandimore said later that only the man accused of committing the assault, Casimir Krasowski, 63, of Wausau would be charged.

for more: http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/277329988682384.shtml

So the local Police Chief is instructing his officers to protect the protestors?

[Henrietta]

"I think that under the Supreme Court's "Fighting Words" doctrine, the flag desecrater was at fault."

Chaplinsky is not exactly on point here, as the flag-desecrater's speech was not directed toward any particular person. Also, I don't think it would have induced a person of normal sensibilities to violence.

We all should just let these stupid protesters make asses of themselves and stand back and laugh. They're only protesting because they are powerless to do anything else.

[cardinal4]

My justification is based on I hate commie anti-americans who desecrate the flag. And their liberal pinko commie defenders. The climate has changed since 9/11, trying to throw these arguments defending america haters just dont wash anymore. I hope the arresting officer "has a flat", or is "stuck in traffic" the day of the hearing.