School board votes to keep North Korean flag in school

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- The city's Board of Education decided Monday night to keep a North Korean flag in an elementary school cafeteria, saying educational value outweighed politics.

During a standing-room-only meeting, the panel voted 8-2 against a measure proposed by board member James Sanders, who said the flag was offensive to Korean War veterans, The Herald of New Britain reported.

The flag and about 70 others from across the world are part of a display in the cafeteria of Diloreto Magnet School.

Board member Kenneth Olson voted against removing the flag.

"As far as New Britain is concerned, the Korean War is no longer the forgotten war," Olson said. "But there is only one flag that is honored, outside of all our schools, and in every classroom, and it's the only one that kids make the Pledge of Allegiance to, and that is the flag of the United States of America."

Sanders was joined by fellow board member Paul Amenta in his opposition to the flag.

"We're voting to remove the symbol that offends our veterans," Amenta said.

Most board members, however, agreed with board President Steven Horowitz that the flag was an educational tool and the issue was not about politics.

Vietnam veteran John Altieri told the school board that children should learn about other countries and come to their own conclusions, television station WTIC reported.

"Whether it be North Korea or South Korea, the ideologies are different but it's still a culture," Altieri said. "Children should learn and make their own decision whether it's right or wrong. But I don't think the flag should come down."

Fifth-grader Alexandra Fishbein also told the board that the flag should stay.

"I've learned that freedom of speech is a privilege that I have," she said. "Freedom of speech is not a privilege in all nations. By being able to discuss our differences, I have learned respect for other countries."

The school board also rejected another proposal by Sanders to ban flags from all countries deemed to support terrorists.

Shouldn't matter as this is the same Veterans group that held a rally in Hartford, at the Capitol building and were willing to let PBS and the UN use it as Flag day for the UN. Anyone that watched the "Special" on PBS and wasn't totally blind saw speaker after speaker, uniformed Veterans and socialist politician alike, make their speaches against a backdrop of the UN blue flag. The UN flag was dominate in every shot, clearly allowed to fly and be photographed in a position denoting superiority to our American Flag. When you lie down with UN dogs, you sure to get flees. Back to the veterans clubhouse bar NewBritski-ites.

A Few really simple and straight forward questions here:

1. Since when do we consult 5th graders on these matters?

2. Wonder if they (the school board) feel the same about our POW/MIA flag?

3. Then, given their concern, I guess they wouldn't mid if I burned that North Koreean flag as a statement (much like they allow burning of the US flag?)

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