St. Mary’s College Students Accused of Desecrating American Flag
- Thread starter Misfit
- Start date
It's a shame they have the right to express their opinion in a destructive manner but they can't feel the justifiable outrage of others (without said other going to jail).
3CATSAILOR
Well-Known Member
I bet no one reported it to the police.
glhs837
Power with Control
So much for factual information from the President of the college.
No, Ma'am, while desecrating a flag you purchased is indeed a protest, constitutionally protected free speech. Yeah that. But destroying US govt property is a crime. And a punishable one. If the college knows which students did it, which her statement seems to imply, they should "move the community forward" by turning those names over the police for prosecution. Your right to wave your hand around ends at my nose, and your right to destroy property ends at anyone elses property.
But I'm betting that wont happen.
No, Ma'am, while desecrating a flag you purchased is indeed a protest, constitutionally protected free speech. Yeah that. But destroying US govt property is a crime. And a punishable one. If the college knows which students did it, which her statement seems to imply, they should "move the community forward" by turning those names over the police for prosecution. Your right to wave your hand around ends at my nose, and your right to destroy property ends at anyone elses property.
But I'm betting that wont happen.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
What gets me is that some yahoo had the asinine idea and thought it good to deface the US flag by making it all black and white with only a blue line through it. Now they are everywhere. And many think it's just fine and dandy. Now there are these jeep asses with them tied on the back driving around everywhere. Just more divisiveness, regardless of their intentions. As if they are better than us lowly serfs. And don't forget. That "thin blue line" represents an "us versus them" attitude. Where they will protect their own regardless if one of them is guilty of a crime or recklessness against a normal person or property. The way it's always been, and will be. We are all supposed to be under one banner, the US flag. I'm not talking pledging allegiance. I mean as Americans.
What gets me is that some yahoo had the asinine idea and thought it good to deface the US flag by making it all black and white with only a blue line through it. Now they are everywhere. And many think it's just fine and dandy. Now there are these jeep asses with them tied on the back driving around everywhere. Just more divisiveness, regardless of their intentions. As if they are better than us lowly serfs. And don't forget. That "thin blue line" represents an "us versus them" attitude. Where they will protect their own regardless if one of them is guilty of a crime or recklessness against a normal person or property. The way it's always been, and will be. We are all supposed to be under one banner, the US flag. I'm not talking pledging allegiance. I mean as Americans.
3CATSAILOR
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I do agree that the US flag that is black and white with a thin blue line through it is a stupid idea. Maybe there was a good intention. I don't want to second guess it. But, I don't like it either. However, since the vast majority of us support our law enforcement officers, we support the concept behind the "intent" of the black and white with the blue line through it. In fact, when I first saw one, I thought it was intended to be a "negative" statement toward law enforcement, not one in the positive. As I learned more about it, I realized the intent was indeed positive. Therefore, I tolerated it. I never liked the way it appears to "indirectly" desecrate our flag. The developer could have used something more law enforcement orientated on a flag such as a badge, men and women in a blue uniform, a generic looking police car, etc, along with the blue line.
You are right. They are everywhere. That's because most of us strongly support our police. And as a Community we are proud to show our support. They work tireless hours for what I would call a low pay and risk getting killed doing it. Very few citizens see what they have to go through in a academy in order to graduate. Depending upon the type of law enforcement, it's pretty intense. And then most Law Enforcement agencies have in service training thereafter. This is further training throughout their career to keep the men and women of law enforcement finely in tune to the intense requirements of their profession.
Again, I don't think the intent was to be divisive. The intent was to honor our police. The next time our Sheriff holds a Community meeting, you should talk to him. You will find he is a good leader of our primary law enforcement agency. Yes, I disagree with the stance he has taken with a very little amount of traffic enforcement in our County. He knows how I feel about it. But, traffic enforcement is only one of a "great many" of responsibilities a Sheriff has in his agency.
As for "us versus them", the men and women in law enforcement "are us". They are our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. They are at movies with us, they are at restaurants with us. They celebrate with us. They grieve with us. They share what we like and what we dislike. You should get to our law enforcement better. And then see how you feel.
You are right. They are everywhere. That's because most of us strongly support our police. And as a Community we are proud to show our support. They work tireless hours for what I would call a low pay and risk getting killed doing it. Very few citizens see what they have to go through in a academy in order to graduate. Depending upon the type of law enforcement, it's pretty intense. And then most Law Enforcement agencies have in service training thereafter. This is further training throughout their career to keep the men and women of law enforcement finely in tune to the intense requirements of their profession.
Again, I don't think the intent was to be divisive. The intent was to honor our police. The next time our Sheriff holds a Community meeting, you should talk to him. You will find he is a good leader of our primary law enforcement agency. Yes, I disagree with the stance he has taken with a very little amount of traffic enforcement in our County. He knows how I feel about it. But, traffic enforcement is only one of a "great many" of responsibilities a Sheriff has in his agency.
As for "us versus them", the men and women in law enforcement "are us". They are our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. They are at movies with us, they are at restaurants with us. They celebrate with us. They grieve with us. They share what we like and what we dislike. You should get to our law enforcement better. And then see how you feel.
glhs837
Power with Control
That's not what the "Us vs Them" refers to really. It refers to officers sort of letting the attitudes and tactics that virtually everyone agrees with are needed to police bad guys bleed over to people who are demonstrably not bad guys but regular folks who have crossed the line in some little way. The guy they know by name, who has his own cell in the county lock up, once he starts yelling, they know from experience he's gonna need to be taken down hard and fast or someone's going to get hurt. What the Us vs Them refers to is when officers start to lose that distinction between citizen bad guys and the citizen goof guy who only yells because they are confused and don't understand something gets that same hard takedown.
Down here, with our much smaller pool of bad guys, not such a huge risk, which is why you see it more in more populated areas, I think.
The origin of the black and white flag with the blue line was supposed to be a memorial flag for the fallen police officers. There is a firefighter rendition of the same flag with a red line instead of the blue. Awhile back I saw the redlined one being flown at the Prince Frederick firehouse after the Prince Georges firefighter was killed in the line of duty. They had the American flag full staff and the memorial flag at half staff. I also know that the memorial flag that was flown was presented to the family of the firefighter. They had it on their facebook page showing them presenting it to his brother.
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
The "us versus them" I refer to is when an officer does something bad in public, or is called on something that was done, then that "thin blue line" comes up. Also known as "circle the wagons". A vast majority of times, other so called "good cops" will not say anything, if they have knowledge of malfeasance, and not help with any internal, or external, investigation. Video evidence gets lost, accidentally deleted, or "oops, forget to turn the camera on". The unions will do the same and to a greater extent, even in the face of outright provable criminal actions, defend and support to the end any of their members. If Joe or Jane Public has an issue, or has suffered at the hands of some over zealous meathead, or been killed, that "thin blue line" prevents, or extremely hinders, any honest investigation with justice a word that is rarely ever spoken. That is the "thin blue line". They can do no wrong. And if they did do something wrong, then it's the citizen's fault. Never theirs.
The "us versus them" I refer to is when an officer does something bad in public, or is called on something that was done, then that "thin blue line" comes up. Also known as "circle the wagons". A vast majority of times, other so called "good cops" will not say anything, if they have knowledge of malfeasance, and not help with any internal, or external, investigation. Video evidence gets lost, accidentally deleted, or "oops, forget to turn the camera on". The unions will do the same and to a greater extent, even in the face of outright provable criminal actions, defend and support to the end any of their members. If Joe or Jane Public has an issue, or has suffered at the hands of some over zealous meathead, or been killed, that "thin blue line" prevents, or extremely hinders, any honest investigation with justice a word that is rarely ever spoken. That is the "thin blue line". They can do no wrong. And if they did do something wrong, then it's the citizen's fault. Never theirs.
I only caught a brief snippet of it this morning, but was this what T-Bone was railing about on the radio this morning? Supposedly nobody from the faculty or administration would come on the radio to discuss it.
glhs837
Power with Control
I would say these are related to the point that one is impossible without the other. If officers don't do the wrong I talk about there is no need for the circle the wagons response. And without the knowledge that that line is there, there would be far less misbehavior.
as for the flag burning and the discussion of "circling the wagons", I missed how we moved from the original post to that.
COMMENTARY:
FLAG BURING. It is an act of free speech and therefore protected under the first amendment.
Burning / destroying property that does not belong to you or you do not have permission to destroy would be a crime.
If they did, in fact, take the flag from the US Post Office it would be a federal offense (federal property)
COMMENTARY:
Thin Blue Line vice "circling the wagons". I find no evidence that the phrase "thin blue line" serves as a code for circling the wagons, it's derived from the thin red line, the figurative line of defense that protects the citizens from harm.
When LE, including the prosecution, crosses the line, it's not just the LE community that circles the wagons. I see it here, on this forum, where people have a knee jerk reaction if an officer or the prosecutors behavior is questioned. Name calling and accusations are hurled at the party that dares question "authority". I find this community rather ridged when it comes to authority, just obey, don't question. I tend to think, therefore I question. I try to be respectful when doing so, but I don't think anyone is above the law.
COMMENTARY:
FLAG BURING. It is an act of free speech and therefore protected under the first amendment.
Burning / destroying property that does not belong to you or you do not have permission to destroy would be a crime.
If they did, in fact, take the flag from the US Post Office it would be a federal offense (federal property)
COMMENTARY:
Thin Blue Line vice "circling the wagons". I find no evidence that the phrase "thin blue line" serves as a code for circling the wagons, it's derived from the thin red line, the figurative line of defense that protects the citizens from harm.
When LE, including the prosecution, crosses the line, it's not just the LE community that circles the wagons. I see it here, on this forum, where people have a knee jerk reaction if an officer or the prosecutors behavior is questioned. Name calling and accusations are hurled at the party that dares question "authority". I find this community rather ridged when it comes to authority, just obey, don't question. I tend to think, therefore I question. I try to be respectful when doing so, but I don't think anyone is above the law.
glhs837
Power with Control
In usage, officers refer to the entire solidarity amongst themselves as the thin blue line. And it applies not just to them being the sheepdogs preserving the sheep from the wolves, but to any behavior that they engage in to protect brothers in that line. Many officers, not all, but many, would see an officer who turned on another officer as breaking that line.
https://www.google.com/#q=breaking+the+thin+blue+line
https://www.google.com/#q=breaking+the+thin+blue+line
Isn't that the "Code of Silence"?
glhs837
Power with Control
A variation of it, since codes of silence can be found in any group from 1st graders up to the Presidents Cabinet, while the thin blue line is specific to law enforcement
luvmygdaughters
Well-Known Member
Nope, this morning was the fact that St. Mary's college wants to be classified as a "sanctuary college". There was evidently a meeting held and one of the professors or administrators stated they didn't want to hear from "white straight males" on the subject.
My fear is this hysteria by these idiots is going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. At some point enough people will be annoyed that a battalion of armed "white straight males" will show up on campus to give their opinion that enough is enough.
glhs837
Power with Control
Ha, thats' funny. Amazing that racism and sexual preference discrimination can be stated so publicly and nobody bats an eye. As if my skin color of who I choose to bless with my love means my opinion on how we handle illegal immigrants has no relevance. Would be nice to actually debate that with this person, if they would leave their echo chamber.