BS: Local man protests election outcome

Subject: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: mmm1a
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 09:24 AM

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I tried to get the picture with this but I couldn't .
I'd say this has pretty much destroyed his business. Alot of people are upset by this, sadly most for different reasons some think he's racist,others think he is un American. I in no way agree with him, and i think its a very poor choice in way of protest but i do defend his right to protest. And I have the right to protest by not doing business with him again.
          mmm1a

   
   

National election protested
Written by Reporter1   
Friday, 07 November 2008
       Upset over the election of U.S. Senator Barack Obama as the next president, Decatur businessman Greg Townsend, whose tire firm is located on US 224 at the east side of the city, is protesting by flying the United States flag upside-down as a distress symbol.
Townsend, who calls Obama's election "the death warrant for the republic," refers to a copy of the U.S. Code in which he highlighted that the flag can be flown inverted as "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
    He told the Daily Democrat that the "extreme danger" to life refers in this case to Obama's pro-choice position on abortion.
    The "extreme danger" to property, he said, started when Congress approved the recent Wall Street bailout bill and the use of federal funds to shore up large banks.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Riginslinger
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 09:30 AM

Well, it will be interesting to see if his political antics attract more customers than they drive away.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: mmm1a
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 09:40 AM

I don't think so this time. He is known for his political and religious views, but I think this time he has ticked off too many people. I have met him( almost rented a house from him) and he seemed like a nice enough guy. But even then I could tell we had extremly opposite views. It will be interesting to see what happens.
    mm

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Rapparee
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 10:15 AM

Cited for violations of the Flag Code. The reasons he gives are not imminent.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 11:27 AM

Well, I don't agree with him and I would not do business with him, but THAT is what I felt like doing when the shrub got in. I have not flown my US flag in over eight years because of him.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Barry Finn
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 11:28 AM

Flying the flag, any nations' flag upsidedown is an international distress signal, requiring rescue or emergency response.

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 11:38 AM

Well, they should rush in with sirens blaring and rescue this poor guy! ;-)

What the heck. If he wants to fly the flag upsidedown and make a public spectacle of himself, let him, I say. What difference can it possibly make to anything real? If someone here flew the Canadian flag upsidedown, I would just laugh about it.

What happens if you fly it not upsidedown, but turned 90 degrees? (sideways) Or....how about at a 45 degree angle, like a sinking ship? I think it would have to be starched to achieve that effect.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Emma B
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 12:03 PM

just for information.....

There is a right way up for the Union Jack, but it is not flown upside down as a signal of a ship in distress.
That is only done with ensigns, in which the Union emblem occupies only the upper hoist quarter of the flag.
When a British (or American) ensign is flown "union down," it is obviously distinguishable from one flown in the normal fashion.


An upside-down Union Jack is not sufficiently different from a right side-up Union Jack to be useful as a signal of anything except that the person hoisting it wasn't paying attention!

from flagspot.net


this bloke has a serious attention deficit :)

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 12:49 PM

The obvious solution is to redesign all the national flags so that they are completely symmetrical, and then no one will know if a flag is upsidedown or not. ;-) If Betsy Ross had thought of that, this guy would be stopped dead in his tracks.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 12:57 PM

"Flying the flag, any nations' flag upside down is an international distress signal".

Try doing that with an Irish or French flag...

I suppose there are some people who would recognise when a Union Jack was upside down, but not many.

See the stars and stripes in this video of people in Kenya celebrating Obama's victory. I don't really think this was intended as a sign of distress...

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: gnu
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 01:00 PM

If someone around here flew The Maple Leaf upside down, he would soon set it right. His doorbell would be constantly ringing with polite people pointing out that he musta hoisted it beofre he had his Tim's.

Of course, after dark, it might be a different story.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: pdq
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 01:17 PM

The Flag of the United States of America should never be flown upside-down by anyone for any reason. It is rude, inflamatory and un-partiotic. The man should grow up and find another way to express his feelings.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Arkie
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 01:20 PM

He should have flown the flag upside down before the election when the Republic was in real danger. And democracy would be in serious danger if special interest groups were in position to force their ideas, good or bad, on the rest of the people in the country.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: kendall
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 03:14 PM

Ignore him. It would be like trying to reason with an alligator.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 03:23 PM

If it had been the symmetrical Confederate flag he was flying upside down this problem wouldn't have arisen either. Though I suppose other problems might have.

Anyway, haven't there been Supreme Court decisions which would indicate that this kind of thing counts as an exercise of free speech?

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Big Mick
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 03:24 PM

He has every right to this expression of his beliefs. The right to use the flag as a protest, even burn it, defecate on it, whatever... it is about the freedom in this country to do what might get you shot in certain other countries is one of the things that make us the "Land of the Free".

And .... of course ...... folks that observe this businessman's protest can reciprocate by shopping elsewhere if they disagree.

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 04:12 PM

You'd tie a knot in the middle of a symmetrical flag as a sign of distress instead of flying it upside down. I think he probably has a right, but I wonder if it isn't like calling 911 or yelling 'help' simply to make a statement.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Ed T
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 04:18 PM

Did you, by chance, mean loco man (mentally disordered) protests election outcome?

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 04:19 PM

I think not, Jeri. He is not physically endangering anyone else by hanging a flag upsidedown nor is he interfering with anything that safeguards other people in society. He's simply demonstrating (in mu opinion) that he's a paranoid sorehead in a state of misunderstanding about something. That's not a crime.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 08 - 07:39 PM

Well the flag is down. The article in sat. morning paper state's
"My employees were all upset with me and I can't replace my crew right now, I'm going on vacation, " he said. "About six applicants came in and said they'd go to work for me, butit's pretty difficult to replace a crew when you're leaving on vacation."
You just have to wonder what He' going to come back to after vacation.
Like I said it's his right but you wonder if the brain been on vacation for awhile.
             mmm1a

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protest election outcome
From: kendall
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 03:00 AM

Flying the flag upside down at sea is a known signal of distress. However, on land? because he doesn't like the outcome of the election? a signal of mental problems?

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Cluin
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 11:56 PM

Somebody needs a new hobby.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Paul Burke
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 04:27 AM

If you're blind, do you sing the National Anthem backwards as a sign of distress?

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 05:41 AM

There is a simple solution to this problem. Anyone who doesn't agree with this person could just stand on their head ...

Well, it makes a much sense as worrying about which way up a flag is flown!

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 10:16 AM

Right wing whackos are looking for a fight but are just running on unreasoned fear.


Right wing whackos are crying that Obama will overturn Bush signing statements and special presidential orders... that will make ammuntion harder to get and more expensive. They say that a special order made ammuntion made in Poland and Romania duty free.
Actually the recent US invasions have created a scarcity of bullets.

Gun Shows are selling out like never before as rumors fly that guns and ammo will be outlawed. They are also afraid of lawsuits snaring many Americans whose greedy actions during the Bush administration would now appear less than patriotic.




While Bush had a "mandate" with .3% of a lead in the polls, Obama is said to have no landslide at all when compared to Reagan.

A right wing cry is developing. It is "Not just no but HELL NO."

The radio fear mongers are also ranting that they may go off the air if Obama gets his way.

In a free market they probably would go off the air but I think Murdoch and Dobson will keep the shock jocks in place no matter what the cost will be.

weekly or bi weekly Presidential press conferences will be needed to defuse some of the whacko allegations as time goes on.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Amos
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 10:23 AM

It's amazing how energetically some folks invest themselves in unreal scenarios. It's the country's biggest indoor sport--find some false reality and figure out why it must be true and then get all worked up about it and spread alarums -- you could call it the "Paul Revere of the Imaginary Situation" syndrome.

"To arms!! To arms!! Nothing is happening!!!" Dramatic music and hoofbeats fill your dreams, thou deluded serf.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Ed T
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 12:14 PM

And trhere was the guy who flew the Japanese flag upside down....and nobody even noticed.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Little Hawk
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 12:20 PM

There's an ape in Schenectady who is peeling his bananas upsidedown to protest the fact that Chongo did not win the election.

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Riginslinger
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 12:24 PM

And who could blame him?

Subject: RE: BS: Local man protests election outcome
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 12:29 PM

And trhere was the guy who flew the Japanese flag upside down....and nobody even noticed.

Ah ... The 'Setting Sun'