Hampshire College flag at half staff protesting election of Donald Trump
The pernicious burning of our flag at Hampshire College does not surprise me. At all.
What does surprise me is College President Jonathan Lash had actually endorsed lowering the flag to half staff the day before, a violation of federal flag protocol, in response to the election of Donald Trump.
Click to enlarge/read
Hampshire College Board of Trustess statement
Symbolically that misses the mark because lowering the flag to half staff is always to mourn the death of an individual or a large group due to terrorism or natural disaster. So a better response would have been to fly the flag upside down, which symbolizes dire distress.
15 years ago, only five weeks after 9/11, a group of Hampshire College students and one professor infiltrated an "Assembly for Patriotism" at nearby Amherst College and as the rally was winding down spread a large flag on the ground, stomped on it chanting "This flag does not represent us," and then burned two small American flags.
That photo of those two small flags ablaze in the hands of a nitwit dressed in all black appeared on the front page of the Boston Globe the next day setting off a firestorm.
In response Amherst College President Tom Gerety issued a public statement that perfectly addressed the sad situation. Then and now:
Amherst College Flag Burning 2001 by Larry Kelley on Scribd
44 comments:
The issue I have with flagburning is that a burning flag is very similar to Napalm.
The fabric melts into a sticky burning liquid that water does not immediately reduce in temperature. It can cause severe burns to human flesh.
So there is a public safety issue involved in this.
The issue that I have with flag-burning is that it is usually committed by imbeciles, and occasionally endorsed by indulgent nincompoop authority figures as in this case.
Still, this has been one of the happiest weeks of my life, and the Hampshire flagburning only adds to the delight.
Lock Lash up! Then stop allowing funding for sex changes. That will send those she he, and he she's into a rage. Hampshire College is a Petri dish for the insane.
What about the military-industrial complex and it's " Industry of war machine" Nazi Germany had one-dissent can be uber patriotic- !!!
"IF we can just hate America enough, people will vote for us!"
just saying Officer Contardo signed her report on 7/7/106 about 4 months before the incident......hope that mistake can be corrected...
I sincerely hope these ahole flag burners get a chance to serve so they can see how pathetic flag burning is.
"People died for the right to burn and stomp a flag."
As well as the right to burn a cross and shout "God Hates Fags."
It doen't mean we have to approve of it, though.
Larry, you know my opinion of gay "marriage" and beyond asking what happens if you keep driving after the state revokes your driver's license, I'm not going to try to explain why I feel as I do.
But can you imagine if there'd been a similar reaction to the Goodridge decision?
It would have been viewed (correctly) as criminal thuggery and dealt with as such.
How is this different?
Let's not pretend that people who burn flags are less American than those that support socialist rental bylaws....really. One is just a symbol, the other is a serious invasive action.
Aren't the students actions during the Blarney Blowout more of an extreme form of dissent? Can't you gauge dissent by the number of storm troopers that descend upon the dissenters as when the status quo gets worried, it gets violent?
Voting is such a poor way to make a decision, especially when just about everything is up to a vote (not protected by sustainable liberty) and the few people you vote on are given almost endless decision rights for you, even your right to stay in your relationship.
We need more liberty and less collective decision making, voting or not.
In light of the Hampshire BOT decision, I think President Trump ought to reconsider Hampshire's ability to receive Federal aid...
Trump is proposing re-evaluating the Federal tax-free status of colleges, possibly revoking it on a case-by-case basis. Which he could do.
This would mean that a college would have to pay income tax like any other business, and could have some interesting implications.
Oh, I expect to see tears in Amherst over the next 8 years....
They should fly the flag upside down indicating the nation is in crisis.
And all those who don't agree with the freedom to express one's self by burning the flag should find another country. It is unAmerican to deny people this right.
And President Trump should visit the valley. A lot of pussy to grab around here.
Sorry, Ed, but the president doesn't have the power to rule on tax exempt status. Besides, UMass is a state land grant university.
These protestors have never been taught how to cope with losing. Not from their parents, friends, schools, churches and especially their colleges. The "everyone gets a trophy" crowd is just displaying the effects of years of being spoiled. They have had their egos inflated, well beyond the point of normal mental health, for years and years.
Being taught to COPE is what they need now. No more coddling of their fragile overinflated selves! They really need to "get a grip" and I hope it happens before life hands them something horribly unpleasant that they really won't be able to handle. Think about them having to confront a major illness, an accident, their parents or a sibling dying, the loss of a dear friend, the termination of a job...I know for a fact that there are so many more "life stressors" incredibly more serious than who wins a presidential election!
I would say to these mourners, GET OVER YOUR GRIEF...and your self importance. Find a person who is willing to teach you the coping skills that you will need for the rest of your lives. Believe deeply in the country which you now reside. Appreciate that you are fortunate enough to live here. If you are still inclined to think the world is ending, please move to a better place where you will find the happiness which you believe you so deserve. Good luck.
Hopefully insurance companies are no longer forced to pay for sex changes,,including drug coverage for numerous Hampshire students. Give them what they really need --ECT.
Sorry, Ed, but the president doesn't have the power to rule on tax exempt status.
REALLY?!? Obama's people did -- see Lois Learner, etc.....
> Besides, UMass is a state land grant university.
I was discussing Hampshire College, which is not.
Is ed giving out law advise that never comes to fruition ....again? He is pesky!
I think i'll go to Hampshire and burn a Hampshire college flag or better still, a Mexican flag to protest ollegal immigration.
Hillary Clinton....Not My President.
Not Anyone's President!
Burn Amherst Flag. Is it okay to burn an islamic crescent/star? The Supreme Court was wrong to say that flag burning is free speech, but since they did, get me some Mexican flags. Oh! That would be hate speech! It's to laugh.
poor Larry, the only folks visiting your blog are the alt-right crazies.
The real question would involve burning a rainbow flag.
The interesting question will be Trump's response to all of this foolishness, within the larger context of reforms he has already spoken of making to Higher Ed.
He thinks it is too expensive, he wants to see costs cut.
He's talking about limiting access to Federal FinAid to schools that are reasonably priced, which he could do. That would really impact Hampshire as 91% of its students receive FinAid, with an average award of $35,941. It would affect UMass as it is one of the most expensive state schools in the country.
College costs are an issue for Trump's base -- those who make too much money to receive much aid yet not enough to pay for it themselves. Throw in the antics of the spoilt brat brigade and a higher-ed industry that is way overbuilt and you could well see severe downward pressure on prices (tuition/fees).
I could see massive layoffs throughout the industry. I could see a return to "3&3" (if not "4&4, which, along with a 17-week semester, is what teaching loads used to be). I could see shared governance either being eliminated outright or evolving into something similar to a law firm where equity partners do not receive a salary and are personally liable for the firm's debts.
Bottom line: Remember Amherst circa 1991? It's gonna get a lot worse than that.
Don't forget: Burn the state flag in protest of all the liberals who voted for a lyin' skunk who supports a perjuring, impeached rapist.
Lol. Too funny. If you're conservative they start with the name-calling. Disagree with the leftist and you were in alt-right crazy. It's to laugh.
(Gasp!).
Hear! Hear!
Hey 3:28-- Better still: have Bill Clinton come to town and wag his finger at us and tell us how he never had sexual relations with " that woman." Or teach us the proper use of a cigar while simultaneously serving as President of the United States. Or maybe have his jyin skunk of a wife come to town and educate the kids about how a woman should be believed. (Except for Bill''s "bimbos." How about that instead of Trump who would like to have immigration law enforced?
Teach your children what the meaning of "is" is.
What Is Alt-Right, anyway? Please define.
I may disagree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
-Voltaire
The Democrat Party is the party of Jim Crow and the KKK.
-me
Senator Byrd has been my mentor.
-HR Clinton
I am burning a rainbow and Mexican flag. Am I any less American? Tell me, please.
Would the flag have been flown at half staff had Trump lost? You know...to acknowledge the "grief and pain...". What an f'in hypocrite this guy is.
Burn the hammer and sickle.
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
What Is Alt-Right, anyway? Please define."
If you don't know what it is you've been living under a rock.
Dr. Ed said, " That would really impact Hampshire as 91% of its students receive FinAid, with an average award of $35,941"
After reading that, it would seem they could burn, half staff and turn upsidedown 1000 flags....and no one should care, there are millions of public dollars being flushed down the toilet with no return on the investment.
How could this be true and there are not protests in town, that is soooo much waste? Don't we have someone in this country in more need?
It's not true, Anon 3:53
So you can't define it either, eh. Please. Answer the question. Don't deflect. Educate me. What does "alt-right" mean? Is there an alt-left?
Great definition. I love how your answer is not an answer.
Only four o's. You're getting there.
Anon 3:53, my figures come from their own website:
https://www.hampshire.edu/financial-aid/financial-aid-office
What bothers me is that the entire cost of Hillsdale College is $35,722 -- that's tuition, fees, room & board. In-state at UMass is less but not that much when you add up all the fees & "taxes." Other examples abound.
My point: Is it equitable to spend more to partially subsidize the education of a Hampster than to the full cost elsewhere?
"Did you know that 91% of Hampshire College students receive financial aid?
We are committed to making Hampshire affordable for your family. The average need-based grant last year was $35,941." [Emphasis added]
I misread this, I was wrong: "Need-based grant" includes neither subsidized loans nor Work/Study. ED subsidizes the loans and pays half (or more) of the wages earned by a Work/Study student.
Hence the actual average is more than $35,941!
College kids who receive student loans and choose to participate in these types of demonstrations should have this time deducted from their aide packages. Their excess energy could be put to better use in part-time jobs, with earnings used to support their education, instead of expecting financial aide from taxpayers to support this nonsense.
I surely don't want my hard-earned tax dollars supporting these demonstrations! Based on what I have seen this week, I think student loan availability should be greatly reduced. I also will no longer contribute to university fund raising. What a waste.
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