FREEP ALERT .. Boulder CO Librarian Refuses To Fly American Flag

Flying Old Glory can be a loud political statement in Boulder, where the city's self-image is steeped in its counterculture history. In the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the American flag has become a frequent sight. Flag stickers grace many store windows. Red, white and blue bunting and wind socks wave outside homes in many neighborhoods. Flags, ranging in size from huge to small, hang outside many buildings. To many observers, Boulder has not appeared so patriotic in years. But the decision to show the nation's colors is still political. Bombastic Channel 54 talk show host Jann Scott has denounced what he sees as a lack of flag-waving in the city. Others say the notion that not showing the flag is un-American cheapens the idea of flying one to the point that they won't. Marcellee Gralapp, the Boulder Public Library's art director, recently turned down employee requests to hang a large flag from the glass entrance of the main branch. "It could compromise our objectivity," Gralapp said, "and we do have many flags outside." The idea is to make the environment of the library politically neutral to every one of the 2,000 to 3,000 Boulder residents who walk in each day, she said. "We have people of every faith and culture walking into this building, and we want everybody to feel welcome," Gralapp said. Library employees can wear flag pins and ribbons, but Gralapp said she urges them to do it thoughtfully. Such restrictions can spark controversy. In Berkeley, Calif., firefighters started mounting parade flags atop first-responder vehicles. The Berkeley fire chief told the firefighters to use smaller flags and mount them on the sides of vehicle, and some took exception to the rule, said city spokeswoman Stephanie Lopez. Far-flung accounts of the controversy portrayed it as if the department banned all firefighters from flying flags on Berkeley fire vehicles. But, according to city officials, the fire chief's order was to avoid a repeat of an incident during the Gulf War in 1991, when anti-war protesters attacked a fire truck flying a parade-sized flag. Passersby can't miss the stars and stripes at A & V Shoe, Boot and Luggage Repair in the Table Mesa Shopping Center. A standard-sized flag flies from a column in front of the store, another one is displayed in the window and a half-dozen miniature flags are posted all over the machinery used to form, stitch and buff shoes. Shopkeeper Anthony Foster said he flew all but the outdoor flag prior to Sept. 11. His penchant for the showing stars and stripes started after he became a citizen of the United States in 1992, said Foster, 65, a of England who moved to Boulder in 1962. Criticism that Boulder is less patriotic, based on the number of flags flying in the city, misses a crucial point, he said. Boulder is similar to Britain in that overt displays of patriotism are not the fashion, he said. "Boulder's not a flag-flying place, but it is proud to be American," Foster said. At the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, the only flag on display inside is the earth flag, with an image of the planet meant to symbolize that all the planets' inhabitants are unified. Betty Ball, a peace activist with the center, said that although she opposes the bombing of Afghanistan, she understands people's urge to fly the country's flag in response to terrorism. The terrorist attacks devastated people with feelings of grief and fear, and the flags display the desire to draw together in response, she said. "The displays of patriotism help people feel they belong and are a way of saying that we're all in this together," Balls said. At the same time, she said, the city's culture has become more mainstream over the years and knee-jerk patriotism more common. "Incredible wealth has come into this community," she said. "People in Boulder may feel as though they have more to lose, and therefore feel less free to criticize our country's response to the attacks." That kind of talk angers J.P. Brar, a manager at Greenbelt Liquors. A 7-by-9 U.S. flag hangs over the store's sign, and another one is plastered to its door. The flags show support for the country's soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, and symbolize to would-be terrorists that Americans will not be frightened, Brar said. As an Indian-born Sikh who has lived most of his life in Boulder, the U.S. flag means a lot, Brar said. "It's the best thing in the world," Brar said. "You gotta show them who you are." He said peace protesters who don't like patriotic displays are people with too much time on their hands and little experience of the world outside the comforts of Boulder. He advised them to take a trip to Afghanistan. "Then you'll find out the whether you want to be here or there," he said.

The Good Old Peoples Republic of Boulder. Long live the communists.

First PLEASE learn to format. I hate clicking on an interesting article only for find it's unreadable.

That said, I want to know (1) why a Library is required to be "objective." Doesn't the fact that it is sitting on the soil of a sovereign state of the United States of America make that a moot point?

And (2) Since when is being proud of one's country "making a political statement?" Or are we finally dropping the pretense that one can be of any political persuasion and yet be a red-blooded American as well?

This tends to confirm something I've suspected for a long time. Most of these "statements" by leftists are about Pres. George W. Bush, not about the nation or its flag. If Bill Clinton or Algore were President right now, you can bet these kinds of stories wouldn't be showing up.

politically neutral

Eh?

I've got a piece of art for that female jerk...but I don't think she'd appreciate it.

Flying Old Glory can be a loud political statement in Boulder, where the city's self-image is steeped in its counterculture history. In the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the American flag has become a frequent sight. Flag stickers grace many store windows. Red, white and blue bunting and wind socks wave outside homes in many neighborhoods. Flags, ranging in size from huge to small, hang outside many buildings.

To many observers, Boulder has not appeared so patriotic in years. But the decision to show the nation's colors is still political. Bombastic Channel 54 talk show host Jann Scott has denounced what he sees as a lack of flag-waving in the city. Others say the notion that not showing the flag is un-American cheapens the idea of flying one to the point that they won't.

Marcellee Gralapp, the Boulder Public Library's art director, recently turned down employee requests to hang a large flag from the glass entrance of the main branch. "It could compromise our objectivity," Gralapp said, "and we do have many flags outside."

The idea is to make the environment of the library politically neutral to every one of the 2,000 to 3,000 Boulder residents who walk in each day, she said. "We have people of every faith and culture walking into this building, and we want everybody to feel welcome," Gralapp said. Library employees can wear flag pins and ribbons, but Gralapp said she urges them to do it thoughtfully.

Such restrictions can spark controversy. In Berkeley, Calif., firefighters started mounting parade flags atop first-responder vehicles. The Berkeley fire chief told the firefighters to use smaller flags and mount them on the sides of vehicle, and some took exception to the rule, said city spokeswoman Stephanie Lopez. Far-flung accounts of the controversy portrayed it as if the department banned all firefighters from flying flags on Berkeley fire vehicles. But, according to city officials, the fire chief's order was to avoid a repeat of an incident during the Gulf War in 1991, when anti-war protesters attacked a fire truck flying a parade-sized flag.

Passersby can't miss the stars and stripes at A & V Shoe, Boot and Luggage Repair in the Table Mesa Shopping Center. A standard-sized flag flies from a column in front of the store, another one is displayed in the window and a half-dozen miniature flags are posted all over the machinery used to form, stitch and buff shoes. Shopkeeper Anthony Foster said he flew all but the outdoor flag prior to Sept. 11. His penchant for the showing stars and stripes started after he became a citizen of the United States in 1992, said Foster, 65, a of England who moved to Boulder in 1962.

Criticism that Boulder is less patriotic, based on the number of flags flying in the city, misses a crucial point, he said. Boulder is similar to Britain in that overt displays of patriotism are not the fashion, he said. "Boulder's not a flag-flying place, but it is proud to be American," Foster said.

At the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, the only flag on display inside is the earth flag, with an image of the planet meant to symbolize that all the planets' inhabitants are unified. Betty Ball, a peace activist with the center, said that although she opposes the bombing of Afghanistan, she understands people's urge to fly the country's flag in response to terrorism. The terrorist attacks devastated people with feelings of grief and fear, and the flags display the desire to draw together in response, she said. "The displays of patriotism help people feel they belong and are a way of saying that we're all in this together," Balls said.

At the same time, she said, the city's culture has become more mainstream over the years and knee-jerk patriotism more common. "Incredible wealth has come into this community," she said. "People in Boulder may feel as though they have more to lose, and therefore feel less free to criticize our country's response to the attacks."

That kind of talk angers J.P. Brar, a manager at Greenbelt Liquors. A 7-by-9 U.S. flag hangs over the store's sign, and another one is plastered to its door. The flags show support for the country's soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, and symbolize to would-be terrorists that Americans will not be frightened, Brar said.

As an Indian-born Sikh who has lived most of his life in Boulder, the U.S. flag means a lot, Brar said. "It's the best thing in the world," Brar said. "You gotta show them who you are." He said peace protesters who don't like patriotic displays are people with too much time on their hands and little experience of the world outside the comforts of Boulder. He advised them to take a trip to Afghanistan. "Then you'll find out the whether you want to be here or there," he said.

If Bill Clinton or Algore were President right now, you can bet these kinds of stories wouldn't be showing up.

I have been so caught up in the traitorist acts of these groups, I failed to see this perspective. On the other hand, I truly believe that our country would not have shown such an overwhelming patriotic response if Clinton were in power. He would have done nothing except continue his photo ops and lies.

Politically Neutral?.

Just like those library's that served the Terrorist in their anonymous e-mail efforts.

Politically neutral - what did this librarian do, secede from the US and set up the library as her own little neutral foreign country, complete with embassy? If she's in a *publicly funded* building, she can fly the flag! People who live in Boulder need to write the library board of directors and have her disciplined or fired.

This is dedicated to those left-tilting commies who think the US flag is just a thang...just a symbol...just an outdated rag....

Face The Flag...by John Wayne

THERE is a fad that springs up, now and then, in America of considering it fashionable to deplore our flag as just a symbol. Well, that's absolutely right. It is a symbol. The only fault that I can find with the pseudointellectuals, who therefore discount it, is that they live by symbols and apparently aren't even aware of it.

I would like to ask them a few questions. For example, why do they stop their cars when they see a red light at an intersection? It's just a symbol. The answer is obvious. The least unpleasant thing that could result from doing otherwise would be for a patrolman to give them a ticket. The God awful end result could be a screeching, tearing, rendering crash that might end with life ebbing cruelly from broken bodies. It's just a symbol, that red light, but it's wiser to pay attention to that symbol, now isn't it?

A driver going down a steep mountain road might look up to see a sign posted with lines on it depicting a dangerous curve ahead. Does that driver slow to take that curve? You bet he does. He pays attention to that symbol because it could mean life or death to him if he doesn't.

To go a step further, let's concentrate on a single dot called a period. It's always important but it can become explosive. If you should promise to pay a man $500 a week on a written contract and your secretary puts the dot in the wrong place, it could be disastrous for either party providing that they signed on the dotted line.

Think then of the symbol we call "Old Glory." It came into being by an enactment of the fifteenth Congress in 1818. Rather than go into the purely physical aspects of our flag, I will try to point out what each segment of it means in heraldry and apply it to real life situations.

Red is generally accepted to denote hardiness and valor. Washington's troops at Valley Forge surely lived up to that description just as surely as did Jedadiah Smith and Joseph Walker when they penetrated the vast mountain ranges of the West and so did the people who followed. Acts of great courage are heavily pronounced in the annals of America and they most certainly didn't always take place on the field of battle. Yet, because of the fact that World War II, the Korean War and the war in Vietnam are fresh in the minds of America, there is scarcely an American who somehow, somewhere, is not acquainted with a person who once again had proved American mettle under great stress.

Remember the symbol. The red stripes on our flag represent all of America. They represent us from the dreadful winter at Valley Forge to the present and into the future. America, that is all of us, experts courage and valor from one another. It is a proud symbol and one that future generations will revere.

The white stripes in actuality represent purity and innocence. Surely the symbolism of this isn't lost on us. Despite the very real problems created by our human natures, our massive goal has always been the pursuit of justice, equality and personal happiness. To this end the often ponderous wheels of American jurisprudence seek our every avenue of truth and the American people have often asked openly if the expenditures of millions of dollars to prosecute a test case is worth the money. Emphatically yes. The search is for all of us and since those white stripes are gazed upon by millions of Americans every day, let them remember that they symbolize our constant trust to guard truth and justice vigilantly. Truth and justice that seek to be a shield for every American to carry into his daily life. A symbol? Yes, but a powerful, moving force in the constant drive toward a better world.

In the upper left-hand corner, there is a block of blue emblazoned with fifty white stars. Technically it is called the Union; it symbolized the union of two or more peoples, incorporating their ideas and districts. Let's look at it from its real standpoint and realize that each one of those stars represents millions of Americans and that somewhere in those millions is the name you answer to.

No need to pick out a single star and say, "Hey, that's for me." Those stars represent all fifty states collectively and our founders did this with a stroke of genius. For our Union does unite two or more peoples or districts. It unites fifty districts and over two hundred million people. When you stand up and salute our flag or fly it from your home, your boat or your place of business, you are saying, "I'm grateful to be a member of that biggest Union of all, the United States of America." The color blue represents vigilance and perseverance and most certainly since revolutionary days we have epitomized those words.

So in bundling it all together we have a symbol, a symbol that for two hundred years has signified honor, valor, justice, responsibility, perseverance, hardiness and commonweal. That symbol has been the banner that millions of Americans have marched and sailed and flown with int the maws of death. They have been proud of that symbol and in turn it has slowly and patiently nurtured their common good to the extent that America stands head and shoulders over most of the world.

Yes, face the flag. It is most emphatically your flag. It has been at Iwo-jima, at the Maine, it has flown against the enemy in the Coral Sea and soared high in the sky above Nazi guns. Yet, it flies peacefully above every court house in the nation and stands quietly at Arlington. It is your flag, the symbol of unity, strength and honor toward you and toward your fellow Americans. Yes, face the flag, and to thank God it's still there.

Boulder is also refered to as "Berkeley East".

Here's another "Zewdalem Kebede": "That kind of talk angers J.P. Brar, a manager at Greenbelt Liquors. A 7-by-9 U.S. flag hangs over the store's sign, and another one is plastered to its door. The flags show support for the country's soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, and symbolize to would-be terrorists that Americans will not be frightened, Brar said. As an Indian-born Sikh who has lived most of his life in Boulder, the U.S. flag means a lot, Brar said. "It's the best thing in the world," Brar said. "You gotta show them who you are." He said peace protesters who don't like patriotic displays are people with too much time on their hands and little experience of the world outside the comforts of Boulder. He advised them to take a trip to Afghanistan. "Then you'll find out the whether you want to be here or there," he said."

You gotta understand, Boulder is an island of Marxist lesbians and homos in an otherwise patriotic sea of Midwestern prarie and mountain states. It has been a beachead of subversive perverts since I was there in the seventies. I am surprised the people of Colorado put up with it, but I suppose that at this point Colorado is probably mostly California and New York immigrants anyway.

"The idea is to make the environment of the library politically neutral to every one of the 2,000 to 3,000 Boulder residents who walk in each day, she said. "We have people of every faith and culture walking into this building, and we want everybody to feel welcome," :

Why wouldn't they feel welcome? Which are the faiths and cultures that would not feel welcome?

What's the problem? There's a flag flying outside. Is it your beef that there's no flag at the library, or that there aren't ENOUGH flags at the library to suit your taste? This seems silly to me.

Add Boulder to the list of other towns (Amherst, Berkeley, Madison, etc) that really need to decide whether or not they want to be a part of the USA...

Freep this chick.

I am surprised the people of Colorado put up with it

They usually stay put (except for the CU/CSU riot in Denver every year) so we tolerate them... Besides, every now and then they'll do something unbelievably stupid and we can all get a good laugh.

I know, I work there.