Dec 29, 2011
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A Maryland community is up in arms after state highway workers removed an American flag honoring military personnel from a traffic circle and threw it into a dump truck.
“We want our flag back,” Rhonda Winkler told Fox News & Commentary. “We are patriots and we love America.”
Winkler and her family erected the flag in a traffic circle three years ago in the town of Woodbine. They posted the flag to honor their nephew, a soldier deployed to Afghanistan.
About a month ago a car crashed into the roundabout damaging a tree and destroying the original flag. So Winkler’s husband and an 88-year-old World War Two veteran replaced the flag. And that’s when the trouble started.
Winkler said she received a telephone call alerting her that state highway workers had taken down the flag and the flag pole, tossing both into the back of a dump truck.
“They told us it was against the law to erect a flag on the traffic circle,” Winkler said. “They told my husband that whoever put up the flag could be arrested for trespassing.”
State highway workers also told her that people had complained about Old Glory.
“We figured it’s the American flag and we live in the United States of America – how can anyone have a problem with it,” Winkler asked.
David Buck, a spokesman for the state high department, told the Baltimore Sun that there is also a safety issue.
“They don’t have traffic control out there, and they don’t have (road work) vests on,” he told the newspaper.
The flags removal sparked outrage across the community. Dozens of people turned out for a rally – many people waving flags. It was especially moving for local residents who have loved ones serving in the military.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” Daniela Schnetzler told the Baltimore Sun. Her son just returned from Iraq. “We need that support. Freedom isn’t free, I’ll tell you that.”
And Winkler said that’s why the flag has been flying all these years – to support not just her nephew but every member of the military.
“If it was something derogatory or inappropriate, that’s one thing,” resident Gene Mellin told the newspaper. “But to take the flag down, it’s not right. I know they have rules, but it’s just a flag. It’s the flag.”
Winkler said she hopes her three young children will learn a lesson from the incident.
“When you believe in something, you have to take a stand,” she said. “That doesn’t mean going out and rioting and sleeping on streets and not going to work. It means you work hard, you work for yourselves, and you work for your country so that we are a better people.”
As for now – there’s no indication if the state of Maryland will reverse their decision – or if the Winkler family will get back their flag.
She said state workers have refused to return the Stars and Stripes.
Winkler said she is typically not one to raise a big stink about stuff – but not this time.
“We as Americans have to take a stand,” she said. “No matter what, we support the flag.”
So why raise a big stink?
“Because it’s the American flag,” she said.
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Ya know… I bet if they tossed a crappy tent out there, pooped in a jar and claimed VICTIMhood for not being able to find a job to pay off their bloated, useless college degrees in Philosophy and Lady Gaga Studies, they'd be allowed to stay! Liberal ideals from a bunch of ignorant morons.
How about prosecuting the jerks who dumped the flag in the trash! is there not a code about how to treat a flag? I get incensed enough when yahoo patriots let the flag go to tatters outside their speeding vehicles. But the trash pile? give em a trial and deport their sorry selves!
Everyone worries about being PC. It is OUR FLAG! Proudly it should wave. It is appropriate everywhere.
James Lott would you do us all a favor and just shut your pie hole. I don't care if you all like me saying that becuase that is what he needs to do. Incase you missed my prior argument to you James I will state bits of it here again. Stop claming what little service you did as a backing to your argument. I am so sick and tired of you running your mouth at every little opinion someone posts on this story and saying "Well I served under that Flag" or what not. Guess what James Lott I have and am still serving and have been for 10+ years. Claim your service one more time and I will buy you a ticket to personally come see me and the rest of us still serving and you can give that argument. On top of that stop trying to seem smart by reading off regulations and what not. That is a failed point.
Let me make it clear these people and many others don't like it becuase they look at the flag for what it is. A NATIONAL ICON YOU FOOL! I don't know what unit you served with or service you were in where thinking like that was exceptible but not in this mans Army. We care for the flag, We honor the flag and I will be damned if it is ok for it to be treated like that. Every day we handle flags a soldiers we know it is to be folded properly and stored well covered. The flag never touches the ground and is properly handled till handed onto the next person. You being a "soldier" should still follow that teaching…pfft if you were.
So from one soldier to another qoute un qoute soldier you say you are. Pull your head out of your forth point of contact and stay out of other peoples beliefs on how the flag was treated. On a side note state property is the damn taxpayers property. I am a Maryland state resident stationed in GA. I will post and flag were ever I see fit as long as I pay the taxes on that propety and the care and maintinace of said property. You don't like it then guess what I don't care these are my views and my personal opinions. I will be waiting for your arguments ladies and gents. There is never a post made without them coming LAMO. Take care and best wishes to all of you that believe what happened was wrong. To you that are ok with it just shut your mouths. Later.
Thank you for your service, Patriot!!!!
Tossing the American flag out. Tossing our war dead into a landfill. Nothing surprises me anymore.
Remember all the flags they found after Obama had his acceptance speech in Colorado? Dems threw bags of them out. Some real patriots rescued them.
You VOTE Start a PETITION to have the Governor removed. They FEAR losing their cushion job. The FLAG stays//PERIOD. If need be, DEMONSTRATE..AMERICA BACKS YOU. Screw the LIBERAL LEFT.
Slaves no more..death to the NWO.
Keep the FLAG, throw AWAY Illegal obamma.
as a mother and sister of young men who are risking their lives everyday to protect the freedoms and rights everyone is screaming about I feel that the real issue here is that the flag should be returned to th family. no ones said that the flag caused the accident in the original story, they just said an accident ocured and damaged a tree as well as the flag and it pole. perhaps one should look at the real cause ofthe accident was the driver paying attention, did something happen to his vehicle who knows.. sould who or whaever put the tree there be at fault who cares, the main thing I received from this article is that the family is hurt and sickened by the way the flag was removed. anyone with half a brain can realize that. this family just wants the flag eturned to them. they see it as a symbol of freedom and respect to the many men and women who have given everything they have sometimes including their lives to allow americans to be free to state thier beliefs and oppinons. they hold this to be a symbol of pride, honor and respect fro their military brethern. everday that I see a soldier I try to say thank you or bless you for the sacrifice you have done. my parents are buried in a memorial cemetary because my dad is/was a veteran of Korea and togo visit them swells my heart with pride and sadness. I guess what I am trying to say is that it would be the right thing to do for the worker just gave the family back the flag. hell it wouldn't only be right it would be descent. thank you for reading….A NAVY MOM/ARM SISTER.
Its a real shame our own state officials are turning into communistic type people and the law makers are bending over for all the non-American actions. Piss on the state, maybe someone will wake up when they have been removed from office.
This is extremely upsetting. If you can burn our flag under law why can you not fly our flag anywhere under law?
Those who love the United States of America love and respect the flag. It's the symbol of our great Nation. This sounds like Maryland is ran by liberals and today, liberal is pretty much consistent with Marxists!
I believe Mr. Jeffery Scism has put-forth the best comment w/few words ; =}}———->.
I suggest a civic resolution declaring that traffic circle a memorial, and that the Flag, on a permanent pole be reinstalled, and maintained by the City. /// I'm a believer Mr. Scism ~ Thanx-Sir ^.
The workers that took down the flag…..Were they bonified, born and bred Americans? Naturaized US Citizens? Legal green card holders? Or illegal aliens hired by the state to save money?
Hoping there will be some follow-on for this, and something that will make it out into the mainstream.
wow, they though an American flag in a garbage truck. So anti American of them. You might have just burned it just like our enemies do. that's just as bad. How dare you. As I was growing up, I was always taught the even if our flag would hit the ground, it would disgrace our flag. lol you my friends did worse than that.
W/a decent handle on my PTSD I don't normally "Come-right out and call a spade-a-spade"…but this LIL Sniveler, name-a "James Lott" seems to enlighten us ALL w/his anti-this & anti-that, mocks the very God, who he'd most certainly CRY-OUT to if he were "bleeding-out" all over the sands of Afghanistan… Why sir would you be in direct conflict w/all the folks who state REASONABLE submissions to this very fundamental question.. Perhaps your antaginistic (sp) views need storage in the Darwin files! Looked to your page for SOME kinda answer, but found…Well I won't GO-THERE ~ That's ANOTHER-story! =}}—-> Throw US a curtesy flush, yer stinkin-up the place `.
I am a city councilman and I abhor any officials who will not allow an american flag to be flown, I suspect if we did that the city of Chickasaw Alabama would have a new set of leaders in the following election.Keep up the good fight.Ross Naze.
The persons who threw the flag in the back of the truck should be arrested for desecrating an american flag, there is a law on how a flag should be destroyed if it is too worn to be kept in use.
What law is that?
The oned that says there are about a hundred thousand vets who fought for this flag that will kick the butt of anyone they catch mistreating it!Seriously etiqette says a flag should be honorably disposed of preferably by burning.
We must stand up for the American Flag! After all this is America! The American flag should be proudly displayed! It seems there are many people in this country who have not been taught what it means to have integrity! My Dad taught me…If you don't stand for something, then you stand for nothing! I am proud to fly the American flag! And I challenge everyone to do so! Thank you to our military for the priviledge of living in America! The sacrifices that you have made to give me this priviledge are greatly appreciated! Many homes and businesses in my community are flying the American flag more than ever before!–Dr. Dawn–Affordable Eyecare of Germantown, Germantown, TN.
I live in woodbine and we all are very tight nit community and it disrespects all of us when the state just cant just leave it alone what is this world coming to.
This has been such a hot topic… Sorry John Lott, here is another pesky little fact…. that I read and re read the article again….
Then I saw this statement… "About a month ago a car crashed into the roundabout ". Guess the person was to BLIND to see the round about or must have never been through there! I'd bet it was a local resident but without all the facts on THAT issue, I couldn't argue one way or another… NEVERTHELESS, WHO THE HAMSILL CRASHES INTO A ROUNDABOUT? WAS A DRUG/ALCOHOL TEST PERFORMED? GOD I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE BEEN THE RESPONDING OFFICER ON THIS ONE! HAHAHHAHAHA
This begs the question… If the person crashed INTO THE ROUNDABOUT… The flag wasn't the problem, THE ROUNDABOUT was. ROFLMAO! Well, logic would dictate that it wasn't the flag that caused an accident after three years, IT WAS THE ROUNDABOUT! So, I propose, PAVE OVER THE ROUNDABOUT AND THEN THERE IS NO OBSTRUCTION, NO FLAG AND NO COMPLAINTS… RIGHT? Seems logical to me..
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Since I'm not a resident there, perhaps the local residents can have a town hall and demand that the city either issue a permit for the flag or demand that the whole roundabout be demolished and paved over.. No flag? NO GLORY… End of story.
I also live in woodbine. and I completely agree with dan chase. That flag is a part of our community and for someone to complain about an AMERICAN FLAG waving in AMERICA is ridiculous. if your not proud to have a american flag waving get the hell out. And for "obstruction for traffic" is use that circle multiple times a day since I live right next to it and it has never once blocked my view of traffic EVER… that is no excuse. And when I was driving back home from work and saw all the american flags and the banner waving I got goosebumps because that shows how a community can come together and work together to show our patriotism to our country and our soldiers risking their lives to protect us!
All we want is our flag back!
WHAT
WHAT
I also live in woodbine. and I completely agree with dan chase. That flag is a part of our community and for someone to complain about an AMERICAN FLAG waving in AMERICA is ridiculous. if your not proud to have a american flag waving get the hell out. And for "obstruction for traffic" is use that circle multiple times a day since I live right next to it and it has never once blocked my view of traffic EVER… that is no excuse. And when I was driving back home from work and saw all the american flags and the banner waving I got goosebumps because that shows how a community can come together and work together to show our patriotism to our country and our soldiers risking their lives to protect us!
All we want is our flag back!
If you want to fly a flag, then do it on your own property or carry it around. You don't get to plop down a flag wherever you want and then complain about it when it is removed.
Whoever made the decision to remove the flag and pole should be fired for one, and made to move out of the United States. If they can not respect our flag, then they can just get the hell out now.
@James Lott ,, that is Public property, maybe they didn't have the right to put it there, but for sure the State didn't have the right to take it down… again, that is public property, not the States property…
again @ James Lott,, State Property is called state property because the state maintains it,, it IS PUBLIC property…………
The American flag is a most honored and revered symbol of our country and should be flown proudly and without interferance……..But, this flag and pole was put up with out the permission in a roadway/highway right of way. HAD the vehicle collision that occured at the traffic circle where the vehicle hit the flag pole, resulted in a fatality or other serious injury, would have given the state/city every right to bring suit against those who put up the pole and flag. As a veteran myself, having seen that old flag defiled more times than I can count, I will never get tired of seeing he fly. B ut it must be done with due respect and permission if needed.
the only kind of people that don't want old glory to fly. are bleeding heart liberals, socialist, communistand muslums and people that have never had a family member serve in the military or give thier lives for this country. liberals think that everything should be thier way and given to them socialist and communist don't think , they just set and wait to be told what to do because they cant think for thier selfs, and the poor uneducated that don't know the differance between any of them, the flag was in no ones way except for drunks that couldn't walk or drive , our flag stands for us all I wonder how they would feel if they were threw in the trash truck, and I will say again if you cant respect our flag move to a country you do respect because you are no help to this country your nothing but a burden to the majority of this country you have lived off us long enough, and you have probly not contributed one thing to this country , I don't like hurting nobodys feelings but I do say it the way I see it, so why don't you sell what you got and move to one of those countrys that you support. wouldn't that be best for all.
the only kind of people that don't want old glory to fly. are bleeding heart liberals, socialist, communistand muslums and people that have never had a family member serve in the military or give thier lives for this country. liberals think that everything should be thier way and given to them socialist and communist don't think , they just set and wait to be told what to do because they cant think for thier selfs, and the poor uneducated that don't know the differance between any of them, the flag was in no ones way except for drunks that couldn't walk or drive , our flag stands for us all I wonder how they would feel if they were threw in the trash truck, and I will say again if you cant respect our flag move to a country you do respect because you are no help to this country your nothing but a burden to the majority of this country you have lived off us long enough, and you have probly not contributed one thing to this country , I don't like hurting nobodys feelings but I do say it the way I see it, so why don't you sell what you got and move to one of those countrys that you support. wouldn't that be best for all.
Another good reason why I would never live on the East coast…too many liberal nut jobs.
Wow, before you know it they'll change our money because it states "IN GOD WE TRUST"!
David Buck personifies all that is wrong in this situation. "They didn't have work vests on." This fool needs to become one of the unemployed NOW. Fire him.
First only uneducated dumb asses create roundabouts! That person should never have a job again! Secondly the under educated government workers should replace the flag then get their overpaid asses to work destroying the round about and create an actual intersection. Roundabouts are a safety hazard as it is (FACT!). The flag didn't cause the accident shitty lazy engineering did!