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Campus protesters ignite U.S. flags
MASSLIVE.COM ^ | TODAY | PATRICK JOHNSON

Posted on 10/19/2001 8:10:11 AM PDT by jbstrick

Campus protesters ignite U.S. flags

Friday, October 19, 2001
By PATRICK JOHNSON

AMHERST — Amherst College students were stunned moments after a pro-America rally involving more than 100 people ended yesterday when several protesters emerged from the crowd to set fire to a U.S. flag.

As the sounds of "God Bless America" continued through the public address system in front of the Keefe Campus Center, as many as 10 demonstrators doused two flags with lighter fluid and set them on fire.

Five members of the group then spread a larger flag on the ground and stood on it while chanting "This flag doesn't represent me; this flag doesn't represent us."

The crowd of more than 100 people, mostly Amherst College students who moments before rallied around the flag, stood in stunned silence as the same flag was desecrated.

"This is really upsetting to me," said Christopher Palacios, a sophomore from Miami.

Palacios, who said his parents fled Cuba in the 1960s to escape Fidel Castro, said, "It makes me sick when American kids say the American flag scares them."

The pro-America rally yesterday was organized by a new student group called Amherst Assembly for Patriotism.

The group formed in response to peace rallies at each of the Five Colleges in recent weeks as well as the controversial decision by the town of Amherst to limit flag displays downtown.

"Amherst is 25 square miles surrounded by reality," said Theodore Hertzberg, a sophomore from Long Island. "I'm relieved the rest of the country does not feel the same way."

The crowd had just finished a group recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and was beginning to disperse when as many as 10 protesters came forward.

Most of those protesting the flag declined to be interviewed.

One who did, 19-year-old Dan Griffin of Minneapolis, Minn., said the protest sought to show that the United States is responsible for much of the pain and suffering in the world.

The United States has helped continue a spree of genocide that dates back to Columbus in 1492, he said.

"How people take it is how they take it," he said.

Griffin identified himself as a student but declined to say at which college. He said the others are from different area colleges but would not say which.

Hampshire College officials confirmed a student named Dan Griffin is registered.

The University of Massachusetts records show a Daniel Griffin was enrolled but he withdrew at the start of the semester.

Michael Flood, co-founder of the Amherst Assembly for Patriotism, said he found the actions of the protesters to be inappropriate, especially since he suspects none of them are from Amherst College.

"I believe they have a right to burn the flag, but this is inappropriate," he said.

Sophomore Nick Echelbarger from Seattle said the burning was free speech of the lowest form.

"It doesn't make a point. It's just poor taste," he said.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
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To: jbstrick
(_o_)'s.
41 posted on 10/19/2001 8:38:41 AM PDT by b4its2late
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To: 1L
Only a pretty powerful country can commit genocide almost 300 years before it was even in existence.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caught that.....history doesn't seem to be that guy's strong suit.

42 posted on 10/19/2001 8:39:49 AM PDT by Nate505
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To: jbstrick
If my son was there - 10 students would have been down for the count! Shame on the students who stood by and did nothing!
43 posted on 10/19/2001 8:40:15 AM PDT by TrueBeliever9
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To: jbstrick
Those 10 should be drafted!
44 posted on 10/19/2001 8:41:08 AM PDT by TrueBeliever9
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To: jbstrick
Burning your own flag is one thing. Burning someone else's is a crime. Why were none of these thugs arrested?
45 posted on 10/19/2001 8:41:38 AM PDT by TX Bluebonnet
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To: beckett
Your looking at this all wrong - A 19 year old will recover from a good ass kicking quicker than a older person and while he may never learn to become a conservative he will atleast always flinch when he flicks his BIC. I mean this kid needs a good old fashioned double black eye ass kicking. Since he gave his name to the press I'll bet he gets it.
46 posted on 10/19/2001 8:41:56 AM PDT by KSCITYBOY
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To: clamper1797
I know with your expertise you won't need my help, but I'll give it to you anyway. Gut the pigs and drop their innards over Kabul!!!!
47 posted on 10/19/2001 8:42:41 AM PDT by Citizen4Right
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To: jbstrick
I would've used a blackjack to beat each one of these crumbdicks within an inch of their miserable lives.

Dear God, they're lucky newly-elected congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) wasn't within striking distance. For those outside the Commonwealth, in '79, during the Iran thing, Lynch beat the crap out of some anti-US protestors. The Globe tried to give him the business for it during this recent election, but alas for the Boring Broadsheet, it only made the electorate like Lynch more. He won the election to succeed the late Joe Moakley by over 30%.

48 posted on 10/19/2001 8:43:09 AM PDT by Hemingway's Ghost
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To: KSCITYBOY
I mean this kid needs a good old fashioned double black eye ass kicking. Since he gave his name to the press I'll bet he gets it.

That thought occurred to me too. You may be right.

49 posted on 10/19/2001 8:44:19 AM PDT by beckett
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To: gore_sux
These kids need reeducation. They should just come over and try to burn my flig. I'll give them some lessons they won't soon forget.
50 posted on 10/19/2001 8:44:23 AM PDT by oyez
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To: Lent
My Dad tells me they always have. There were quite a few when I was in college. The old man tells me there were many out and out commies when he was in high school right after WWII
51 posted on 10/19/2001 8:44:48 AM PDT by KSCITYBOY
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To: oldvike
"Damnit! I'm sick of seeing threads like this.
All it's doing is making me angrier and angrier."


52 posted on 10/19/2001 8:45:29 AM PDT by Sabertooth
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To: jbstrick
It's a shame that punk had any teeth left when he was doing that interview.
53 posted on 10/19/2001 8:48:02 AM PDT by B Knotts
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To: gore_sux
Oh good, a local boy. Hmmmm.

think the little creep's mama and daddy are aware of this story ??

J

54 posted on 10/19/2001 8:49:19 AM PDT by tomkat
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To: Citizen4Right
We need ALL true patriots help in this ... our nations time of need. We CANNOT let the left have ANY sway what-so-ever anymore. Each and every one of us has got to stand up to and GET IN THE FACE of those who wish evil upon our beloved country. We can no longer sit idlely by and let the left slime their way back into ANY power.
55 posted on 10/19/2001 8:50:44 AM PDT by clamper1797
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To: beckett
They should be sent where they feel the belong.As far as the other kids doing something about the flag they're conditioned to stand for nothing.That's why we're viewed as a weak country by the world.No respect just "rights".
56 posted on 10/19/2001 8:50:44 AM PDT by Micah
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To: Sabertooth
Thank you. I feel better now. LOL
57 posted on 10/19/2001 8:51:19 AM PDT by oldvike
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To: A2J
What do the libertarians on FR think about this incident and the students involved in the burning of the U.S. flag and chanting anti-American slogans?

One libertarian's view: These idiots have every right to express themselves, including buring the flag.

However, those who hold views contrary to the idiots also have every right to express themselves, including preventing them from buring the flag.

If I, a libertarian, were present at a demonstration in which someone attempted to burn the U.S. flag, I would use excessive force to stop it and suffer, if necessary, the physical or legal consequences of beating the skulls of fools into gravy smears on the pavement.


58 posted on 10/19/2001 8:51:54 AM PDT by Hemingway's Ghost
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To: jbstrick
The problem with these 'students' is they lack the ability or the knowledge to define who the enemy is. But they are not alone.

The flag represents to me all that is GOOD about our country, but the people that pervert that good, global elite purusing, and pursuing recklessly, I might add, their agenda, at the expense of our happiness, prosperity, lives, and freedom, they fly a the banner of hell.

The banner from hell flies over this country, and the stars and stripes, and all the good it represents, is a dated anachronism that has no connection at all with present reality.

I say keep waving the flag anyway, because somehow, the blind, ignorant masses might stumble across a path to victory over those that conspire daily to destroy the good and advance the evil. The 9/11/01 disaster is just another sorry chapter. Maybe one of these days the crowd will wake up and see who the enemy is. We can wave our flags all we want, and if that is all we can think of, then I guess that is better than nothing.

However, I tend to think it'll take a lot more than just falg waving. The people in this country must target ALL the enemies of america, including the few middle eastern perps who had some connection to the latest disaster, and who might have a connection to a future one as well. But the larger group of people I am talking about do not wear turbans, they wear suits. This is the point America is missing badly in all of this. And unless this enemy is dealt with, the few people we manage to kill in Afghansitan will be, for the truly patriotic amongst us, nothing more than a hollow victory.

The US govt might be able to install a more US friendly govt in Afghanistan so oil companies can get their pipeline, and natural gas, the central bankers might be able to take advantage of this cover of darkness to crash the money supply so they can reinflate at a later time without risking a politial backlash that would ordinarily put them out of business in this country, the global visionaries might be able to take advantagd of this by strengthening the movement towards the 'need' for countries to give up national agendas in order to pursue world '' peace' by increasing political globalization, leading to a political global government, the national authorities might be able to take advantage of this incident and destroy the bill of rights, giving the govt the kind of power they have always dreamed of, but were prevented from having because of that stinky old constitution, even the homosexual movement in this country tok a major leap forward as Gray Davis signed into law AB 25, all but making homosexual unions the same as a Biblically sanctioned marriage, but I have to ask, what do you and I get out of this deal?

Nothing, except dead relatives in the WTC, of Pittsburg, or at the Pentagon, or Afghanistan, etc. Our assets are being compromised by central bank selling pressure, our constitutional freedoms have been compromised. Our airports look like war zones (oh yeah, that is really going to encourage people to fly -- NOT). In short, the vision that the founder of FR has was far out of reach before 9/11/01, and now after 9/11/01 it has moved light years further away.

I still say there is hope, though, if Americans will focus on the greater enemies of America, and not just a few spooks in turbans. The spooks in turbans is a sideshow. The main event has been percolating for decades prior to 9/11/01, and the suits are still there, taking advantage of 9/11/01, making things even worse.

What these flag burning kids miss is the truth about what it is that bothers them. Instead of burning the flag, they should set fire to the global/ruling elite, and the banner of hell they have waved over our nation for too many years, and they should wage a war with any force that is progressively destroying the fruit of the revolution of 1776. Odds are they are too dumb, and too selfish to do so, and I bet most of them will simply end up being an integral part of the beast, once they get a taste of power.

59 posted on 10/19/2001 8:52:06 AM PDT by spoosman
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To: jbstrick
Like you all…I am appalled! But thank God the Founding Fathers had the wisdom to understand that Americans should have the freedom to express themselves. You all have the freedom to vent your revulsion of these kids’ acts here on FR. But they also have the freedom to vent their feelings. As it should be. To not have this freedom is the formula for tyranny! And the Founding Fathers were intelligent enough to see this as one of the greatest threats to America and the liberty of its people.
60 posted on 10/19/2001 8:53:01 AM PDT by hove
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