It’s always amazing how
people will twist a simple act to suit their own agendas. In this specific case it’s a homeowners’
association in Arizona
that’s alleging the Gadsden Flag -- one of the most significant banners rebels
had during the American Revolution – is actually a current political banner
tied to the “Tea Party” organization.
Yes, the phrase “Tea Party”
did stem from the colonists’ act of rebellion in Boston, way back on December 16, 1773, just
as the Gadsden Flag’s coiled rattlesnake atop the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me”
also stems from the American rebellion.
Arizona didn’t exist in those days, but today’s Arizonians
should certainly be familiar with rattlesnakes – including those with personal
political agendas and I’m not referring to the current Tea Party movement.
True, the Tea Party
Movement is exhibiting the Gadsden Flag as a symbol of rebellion against
entrenched government, but they likely also display the Stars and Stripes. If the argument is made that the display
makes the Gadsden Flag a Tea Party symbol, then the same must be said for the
American Flag.
According to a Yahoo” News
story on Sept. 1, residents of Arizona and Colorado have been
hassled by homeowners associations that threaten fines unless the residents
cease and desist flying the Gadsden Flag.
In Arizona, the association’s venom
hides behind fangs in the form of an Arizona
law. According to the news report: “Arizona has a state statute that allows
Arizonans to fly "the Stars and Stripes, the state flag, flags
representing Indian nations as well as the official flags of the Army, Navy,
Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard."
In Thornton, Colo.,
a homeowner said he and his neighbor were sent a letter by their homeowners'
association that said "Tea Party flags are not permitted. Please Remove." They were threatened with
a $100-a-month fine for flying the Gadsden
flag, according to the Yahoo! story. The
article noted that Colorado has a statute
similar to Arizona's
that specifies which flags are allowed to be flown. It added the Colorado association
later reversed its position calling the Gadsden Flag saying it fell into the
category of political signage rather than flags and thus was allowed.
Oops, wrong again.
Apparently none of those
involved with these associations ever had civics classes in school, nor even
read any American history. Even if their
only research had consisted of an Internet inquiry, they would have discovered
the following information on Wikipedia, the free
online encyclopedia which says: “… the
Second Continental Congress authorized the mustering of five companies of
Marines to accompany the Navy on their first mission. The first Marines that
enlisted were from Philadelphia
and they carried drums painted yellow, depicting a coiled rattlesnake with
thirteen rattles, and the motto "Don't Tread On
Me." This is the first recorded mention of the future Gadsden flag's symbolism.
The Wikipedia
entry goes on to say that before the first naval mission, in the Fall of 1775,
the Gadsden Flag the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Navy, Commodore Esek Hopkins, received the yellow rattlesnake flag
described above from Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden to serve as as the commodore’s
distinctive personal standard. The
information is further supported by the Gadsden
website:
http://www.gadsden.info/history.html with little difference except for
phraseology.
Wikipedia also notes:
“Considered one of the first flags of the United States, the flag was later
replaced by the current Stars and Stripes (or Old Glory) flag.”
Thus, the very statutes the homeowners
associations cite as their authority turn around to bite them. As the Gadsden Flag was the predecessor to
the Stars and Stripes and also was the personal battle flag of the first
commander of the Navy, and a sanctioned U.S. Marine battle emblem, it is
covered under more than one section of the statutes as an authorized flag.
What IS unauthorized, and personally
repugnant, is that people with political agendas will twist history and the law
to suit their own interests. It’s time
more American citizens renew the message of the Gadsden Flag: Don’t Tread on Me!
