In my opinion, the flaq should go...
Posted on 07/29/2012 5:56:19 PM PDT by hiho hiho
CLACKAMAS, Ore. - A fight over the American flag is brewing at the Clackamas Town Center.
The manager of the children's train at the mall says he's being forced to remove flags that he uses to decorate the train ride.
Why? The mall told him the flags are against policy.
Thomas Phelps said he was floored when he got a letter from mall management telling him that the flags were "unapproved visuals."
That reference didn't sit too well with Phelps, who also happens to be a military veteran.
"That is dedicated to veterans and military, police, firefighters, EMTs - all those people that daily put their lives on the line for us," Phelps said. "That's what it's dedicated to. And if you're going to call that a Christmas decoration or something, then I'm sorry, I don't want to be around you. You're not in my country."
Phelps said he would understand if it was causing a problem but he said nobody has complained - not once.
And he isn't alone in his feelings. Connie Marsden, a local grandmother, told us "It's the United States. That's our flag. We should be proud of it. Not be forced to take it off a little ride for the kids."
The mall did not allow our news camera on its property but a family who took a train ride on Sunday told us they enjoyed the ride and didn't understand why the flags were a problem.
The Clackamas Town Center sent us a written response when we asked for comment. General Manager Dennis Curtis wrote in an e-mail "we honor, appreciate and respect everything the U.S. flag represents."
Still, Phelps said mall management isn't budging and he's prepared to lose his job before he takes down the flags.
"I may be fired, I may be thrown out of the mall, but I am not taking it down," he said.
Apparently the Mall Management must approve all “visual” displays.
I would suggest that this man poll the other vendors in the mall and question whether they had ever had a display rejected by the mall management. Had they ever receive such a letter?
I suspect that he is being treated differently.
I doubt that it would benefit him legally to show that he is being discriminated because of his flags but I bet that it would help him with the press.
FYI
I love my country
unfortunately... this ain’t it
anyone catch the forwarding address?
the press??
Are you kidding?
In my opinion, the flaq should go...
I fed up with political correctness, anti-Americanism, communists, socialists, progressives, homos, and anything that is a hyphenated-American. It’s American with nothing else in front. Americans built this republic of ours and this diversity tolerance thing has to go.
I had friends who died for the flag. Make no laws or rules forbidding its display.
Of course.... Oregon is not part of the United States.
In part reference to the Chick-fil-A fustercluck, Mark Steyn said it well today...
‘Until more citizens of free nations are willing to say to statist hacks “Who the hell do you think you are?,”liberty will continue to bleed.’
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/312564/who-hell-do-you-think-you-are-mark-steyn
Left coast--but pretty much all coastal areas plus inland port Chicago.
It’s so fun watching the birth of a social media sh!tstorm! Can’t wait to watch it grow into a wonderful adult Poonami!
Give little flags to the kids to wave while on the train. Sell them outside te mall Have people at tain stop singing God Bless America
The Marxist,Progressive,Democrats are finally showing their true colors, RED hate for America and will never give up until they are run out of town on a rail covered in Tar and Feathers. Lets Roll!
I could care less what you think. There is a long tradition of decorating locomotives with US flags in this country.
They probably don't want the mall to look like a used car lot. To some the flag is nothing more than a sales tool.
Then throw out the train and their rails. Forget they were there. We don’t need non-American thinking. If they don’t want our flag...move somewhere else. we don’t need this kind of non-American thinking
Oregon ping
I agree....That is quite improper. Put a couple of flag decals on the train like I have on my car.
Thanks. That explains it. It's a Chicago/Hillary/Obama deal.
That’s the train? You’re correct, that flag is being improperly displayed. I thought he had it on a staff or something....
Hopefully in my lifetime this sh!t is gonna come to a head and soon. These people are going to rue the day.
I am SICK AND TIRED of these no good sorry assed welfare sucking government tit no good RATS I could scream!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.