Posted on 10/10/2007 1:27:11 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
It caused some controversy, but it was supposed to. Now, one man is headed to municipal court for burning a Mexican flag in protest in front of the Alamo.
The city is charging 46-year old David Bohmfalk with burning without a permit, even though no one gives permits to burn a flag.
"I was raised to respect my country," Bohmfalk said.
All the rallies and talk of amnesty for undocumented immigrants in May 2006 lit the fires of patriotism for Bohmfalk, he said.
"I just got angry," he said. "I decided I had to do something, make my statement, and that's what I did."
More coverage KENS video: Watch the broadcast
Bohmfalk had his own protest in front of a building known for revolution, where Davy Crockett and James Bowie made a stand. So did Bohmfalk but he used a lighter instead of gunfighter. Park police cited Bohmfalk for illegal burning of rubbish, even it was a Mexican flag he set ablaze.
"Because of what it's made out of, it took a little while to burn it. It took me two minutes, but I got it lit," Bohmfalk
Authorities say his actions left some of the Mexican nationals in the Alamo crowd feeling burned. However, Bohmfalk's attorney, Jason Jakob, says, freedom of speech is Bohmfalk's constitutional right.
"My client felt so strongly, and exercised protest, by burning that flag," Jakob said.
Bohmfalk says while he was detained by police, he was harassed, his life was threatened, and he was even assaulted by some tourists who spit on him. Ironically, all these offenses are punishable by law. Jakob says flag burning is not.
"In America, every day we see people burning the American flag and it's become desensitized," Jakob said. "If we can allow that, we can certainly say that the Mexican flag can be burned."
As a former Texas police chief and military veteran, Bohmfalk says he knows his rights, and is fighting for them.
"Why should a foreign flag get any better protection than the American flag?" he said.
The city has not returned calls for comment. As for Bohmfalk's right to a speedy trial, that's been delayed as well. His trial has been reset three times.
You are one of our heroes in this fight, thank you!
As part of my fight, along with attending local rallies, I am a constant letter writer phone caller and visitor to the offices of the usual suspects (politicians), and they know me well and usually don't like what I say, and that's why I keep saying it and spreading the word to others.
Hope you folks are standing up out there. I won’t give up the ship! I know there are others claiming refugee status, but I prefer to fight. That is what real Americans do.
End Armchair Patriotism!
The snake should be biting the eagle or have it in a strangle hold. Mexico is a failed country. 500 years and they’re still third world. Shame.
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful
The impression is that EFFECTIVELY, burning/desecrating the American
flag for political protest is “free speech”.
But, at least at the local level, doing the same to foreign flags
seems to be verboten.
IIRC, in the early 1990s some folks got in trouble for dissing the
flag of the United Nations in San Diego (at Balboa Park?)
I don’t recall if they brought their own UN flag for the demonstration.
Given what the USSC has decreed, I’d say burn all the flags you want...
just make sure you paid for them.
(But I still might want to make a political statement with the heel
of my boot if someone burns Old Glory within my sight.)
A black woman from Holland has more courage to speak the truth than most of us.
“If convicted, he faces being deported back to his hometown in Egypt.”
LOL, I hope I’m not the only one that got that!
Very true! But she was from Somalia before Holland, and understands the real world, not just Western bubbles of uber tolerance.
ROFLMAO! I got that all the time when I was in the Air Force! - David Bohmfalk
Actually, I’m just learning how to use this site, so I don’t know if I’m posting correctly. To answer one question, yes, the Bohmfalks came from Germany in the 1800s. And about Egypt, yep, it’s an oldie but a goodie, dating back to Air Force boot camp for me. Just to let y’all know, the day after the story hit Fox News, the city of San Antonio dropped the charge against me (for anybody who knows the criminal justice system, that was a no-brainer). Now, the tide has turned and I’m sorting out my options. I’ve lost a lot of money and time with their hijinks and I want it back. I want to thank all of you for the moral support. I just learned that I was on the internet today, from a reporter, so I thought I’d stop by. We MUST be heard! The liberals and their lapdogs want to make all the noise, while trying to drown out our side of the story. To be honest, though, I had been down recently. This isn’t all glory and patriotism- I’ve had a lot of sleepless, worrysome nights, and I have a lot to go. I wanted to thank all of you for your moral support. Reading the posts has made me feel a lot better. God Bless all of you and GOD BLESS THE USA!
Welcome to FR, David Bohmfalk. :)
Thanks! I’m glad to find that there’s at least one “free republic” around here. Seems the PC (BS) crowd doesn’t want the US to be one.
The anti-American liberal crowd has been organized for 40 years. It’s time that the true patriots do the same, and let our voices be heard in the streets!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.