The Pursuit of Control

Apparently in Albany, Oregon some people find the flag of the United States of America offensive. This according to a story from KATU News about an apartment manager that threatened eviction to some residents if they refused to remove the Stars & Stripes from their apartments and even cars and motorcycles!

Forget the legal aspect to this. I don’t know what kind of legal right there is to request a resident to not fly a flag, especially on their personal vehicle that is parked in the apartment complex lot, but forget whether or not they have any legal standing, instead try to comprehend the fact that someone in Albany, Oregon doesn’t think the flag of the United States of America should be flown because it may offend some people… really let that sink in.

Has it really come to this? What kind of people live in this country? If you live in the United States and the flag that represents this country is offensive to you… MOVE! No one is forcing you to live here. If you don’t respect the symbols of the United States of America, go somewhere else, but to think that the flag is offensive to some people that live here is scary.

The level of stupidity this person exhibited is utterly shocking! The story says that the apartment management wouldn’t comment on the request to remove the flags, but I’m sure that someone, at this point, has come to their senses and realizes the mistake they made in hiring the person decided to tell residents they couldn’t fly their US flags. Well, I’m hoping that is the case… I’m really, really hoping that is the case.

To be fair, the apartment manager didn’t discrimate against the US flag, the complex said that no flags are to be flown, regardless of their symbolic significance, as if that makes it a reasonable request.

Wow.

UPDATE: According to KVAL News, Barb Holcomb, the apartment complex employee that put the flag ban in place, has since lifted that ban due to legal concerns. The articles says that Holcomb didn’t believe she had the right to ban the flags, though the ACLU told KVAL News that there wasn’t any law preventing the apartment complex from banning the flags… big surprise. The best part comes at the very end of the article when Holcomb describes the individual that went to the media regarding the ban:

“He’s just a romping, stomping patriot,” Holcomb said.