My fellow Americans, a word? If you want to protest something -- anything -- you might want to leave the American flag out of it ... or at least be a little more respectful of Old Glory than a bunch of Albuquerque, New Mexico protesters were this week. Carting the flag upside down -- an official signal of distress -- the protesters were caught on video thumbing their noses at the national symbol.
But while their act of insolence may be disheartening, the bravery the disrespect for the flag inspired in an angry US Marine and another serviceman is a beautiful show of patriotism! Ready to see some patriotic butt kicking? Watch what these servicemen do when they take note of the disrespect for our country:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
What's truly puzzling is why the flag was being used at all. It almost seemed intended to incite people, as technically they were protesting against excessive force used by the police department rather than the American government.
Apparently there are some folks who have accused these two servicemen of "violating" the protesters' right to free speech, but quite frankly, I'm not buying it.
The protesters had free speech ... but freedom of speech does not mean protection from repercussions for what it is you say or do. The protesters made a bad choice in disrespecting the flag, and the result is they met up with people who did not like what they did.
It should also be pointed out that the Marine and the other serviceman did NOT hurt anyone. In fact, the protesters ran off (or drove off, if you want to get technical), dropping the flag on the ground (another act of desecration), but they were never harmed. They just got what was coming to them.
Put yourself in the servicemen's shoes. What would YOU have done?
Image via Anthony Quintano/Flickr