God bless 'em.
Posted on 01/26/2025 11:02:36 AM PST by DFG
A national RV dealer is in hot water again for flying a mammoth American flag at one of its lots — and company CEO Marcus Lemonis of TV’s “The Profit’’ says this one isn’t coming down, either.
Camping World — which runs more than 250 RV dealerships across the country — raised the new gigantic flag at its Greenville, NC, location in October, according to WLBT.
Local zoning officials say the Stars and Stripes fluttering over the RVs is 15 times bigger than allowed. Even the 120-foot flagpole is too big, coming in at nearly twice the height permitted by local law.
The city started citing Camping World on Wednesday, and the penalties are racking up quickly: As of Friday, there had already been six violations that will cost about $1,150 in fines.
Lemonis said it doesn’t matter because Old Glory is not going anywhere.
“The flag is not coming down,” said the 50-year-old tycoon, whose reality show involves him investing his own money in struggling small businesses.
“You can fine me all you want City of Greenville North Carolina. #NoAmericanFlagIsTooBig,” Lemonis wrote in the social-media post.
It’s not the first time Camping World has gone to battle against local zoning laws over the American flag. In August, a dealership outside Stockton, Calif., demanded the firm take down a similarly huge banner over worries the flagpole could fall over.
Lemonis was just as obstinate then, ordering the dealer to keep it up.
“If we felt like we were putting people in danger or causing any issues with air traffic, which would absolutely not be OK, then I wouldn’t do it,” he told Fox40 at the time.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
TIME TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST PETTY LOCAL IDIOTS
Using the American flag for essentially advertising purposes rubs me the wrong way.
American flags at RV dealerships are common, even expected.
The store kept the pole up and today flies a 2x3’ mini flag that is barely visible. Touche!
is this the same dude that said MAGA need not shop at his establishments.
Would they be objecting so much if it were a Gay Pride Flag?
As of Friday, there had already been six violations that will cost about $1,150 in fines.
There is a huge American flag next to the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh with a smaller, albeit still very large, Trump flag on the pole below it.
However, I was at Camping World in their IT department when Lemonis took over the company.
The guy is as oily as they come.
It’s a free country, right?
God bless 'em.
During the spat over the California flag last year, the Lebanon-born entrepreneur said the big banners are “symbolism about how we feel about this country. “
“I happen to be an immigrant,” he said. “I was given the blessing of being able to enter this country and become a citizen, and I’m grateful for it.”
Such expressions of patriotism “have been part of my life since I was a little child down in Miami, Florida, where we had the largest flagpole in Miami at our car dealership,” he said.
“Using the American flag for essentially advertising purposes rubs me the wrong way.”
I’m thinking the same way, free advertising. His new customers probably bring him 100 times the income of the fines.
By the way, based on what I’ve read, if you know someone with an RV who has been to Camping World, you may want to ask them about their experience (and I don’t think the size of their flag provides much help in that area).
Lemonis has done the math. He knows this “controversy” will benefit him financially in the long run. Even Trump haters love money. And, make no mistake about it, Lemonis is a Trump hater.
Using the American flag for essentially advertising purposes rubs me the wrong way.
Of course. They are free to use the American flag for advertising purposes and I am free to respect the flag and believe that it is unseemly to use it as a vehicle to line one’s pockets.
I agree. Also, wearing the flag, or a likeness thereof, as clothing or adding photos or slogans to the flag are against flag etiquette.
And size limits for signage and flags are even more common and expected. 15 time the ordinance is a deliberate move for cheap advertising. “Ima pay those fine and go to the newspaper to complain how persecuted I am”.
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