An American flag appreciation walk will be held on Sunday, October 21 from noon to 2 p.m. The walk will start outside of La Bella’s Pizza Bistro in New Paltz. Participants will walk downtown on the sidewalks on both sides of the road waving flags and homemade signs and then head back to La Bella’s at 2 p.m. for refreshments.
Joey Garcia decided to organize this event because he has a love and appreciation for the American flag and his country. “To me it represents many things — freedom, compassion, strength and pride to name a few,” he says. “I support our military, our law enforcement and fire fighters as well. In my opinion, we live in the greatest country on earth. But lately, our flag has been under attack. It seems like many people today speak out against our flag and country, and want to only point out what they feel is wrong with it. But I feel like those of us who do not feel that way have a voice too and deserve to be heard. So I’m hoping to have all of us who respect our flag and country to come take a walk with me.”
LaBella’s is also the site where a future American flag mural is going to be painted, and local opposition to the flag mural was another motivation for Garcia to create this event.
Garcia stresses that the walk is not a political event and requests that there be no signs about any candidate or political party.
“This is a positive peaceful event meant to unify, to bring people from all walks of life together and to find common ground,” he says. “I’m also asking any motorcycle riders that support this event to be part of a rolling thunder brigade and meet at the Tops parking lot that day at 12:15 p.m. for a ride down Main Street in a show of unity for the flag. For additional information, visit the event page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/314577085792296/?ti=icl. If you’d like to donate online to the flag mural, visit:https://www.gofundme.com/.
This is going to turn into a shit show, I saw in the Daily Freeman article about this that the local chapter of Antifa has taken interest and will try and disrupt. Really hope some old man in their old navy flag t shirt doesn’t wind up being hit with a bike lock. I don’t really consider myself patriotic but Antifa a disgusting group that would send anyone right of Bernie Sanders to the gulag given the chance. Be safe out their.
It’s sad that Mr. Garcia and others feel the “Flag and America have been under attack”…quite the opposite,
the current US Flag (there have been 27 Versions of the American Flag in our history) represents the USA
as it is today…not in the past or in the future. The flag is a symbol of A Fair Democracy For ALL Americans,
(not just those who voted for Trump); The Flag is a symbol of Freedom of Speech, (not censorship); The Flag
is meant to unite us as a DIVERSE PEOPLE not a WHITE RACE…and sadly, Antifa isn’t the problem as you’d want us to believe. (PS, Antifa is actually a propoganda device used by the extreme right to instigate anti-left sentiment…it is a classic tool of manipulation used by Nazi’s, Fascists and Dictatorships throughout history…it had a different name in each of those political moments, but it is the same tool.)
Lots of ‘liberals’ fly the American Flag with pride at their homes and businesses, just as lots of ‘liberals’ have served this great nation in the military and through volunteer organizations at hoe and abroad, all in the spirit of
Democracy, Equality, Inclusion, and Opportunity. So ANY CONSERVATIVE SAYING OTHERWISE IS LYING TO YOU.
Sadly, the American Flag, along with the Confederate Flag, Nazi Flag and a variety of White Power flags has been co-opted by far right Convservatives to be the symbol of White Power and racism. THAT MY FRIENDS, IS WHO’S BEEN ATTACKING THE FLAG.
Just needed to clear that up for you. Please, don’t denegrate the flag with your lie about Bernie Sanders and the gulag…YOU ARE THE PROBLEM HERE WHEN YOU SAY THAT GARBAGE.
I will gladly, and proudly be attending this American Flag rally as a ‘liberal’ who believes in Equality, Inclusion, Democracy and Freedom of Speech.
See ya’ll there!
This post was in no way meant to “own the libz.” I didn’t say anything about Bernie Sanders other than that the Trotskyists and other extremists in Antifa would gladly send anyone of the right of him to the gulag given the opportunity. These people unironically march under the hammer and sickle, the symbol of an ideology that resulted in 10’s if not 100’s of millions of deaths in the 20th century. If you look at the Freeman article they quote the Hudson Valley antifa chapter’s facebook page saying they want “monitor” this event, you can go look at Hudson Valley Antifa page yourself. They are a disgusting group that should be denounced by everyone on the right, left, and center, just like extremists on the far right. They have the right to say what they want, everyone else has the right to denounce them, no one has the right to physically assault someone else over their opinion, why is this complicated? Part of why I love living in this area is because there is a lot of diversity of opinion, you will see a prius covered in left wing stickers in traffic next to a truck covered in NRA stuff, sometimes you’ll see a vehicle with both and I think that’s awesome and inherently american. Antifa doesn’t accept anyone who thinks outside of their narrow political beliefs
They are NOT a propaganda device? Anyone can go look at unedited videos of them instigating violence, shutting down speakers they disagree with, and harassing the general public. I don’t really give a shit about the flag one way or another, fly it, burn it, jack off in it, whatever, it’s your prerogative. You’re mistaken if you think I’m some right wing zealot, I oppose all extremist ideologies. I didn’t vote for Trump is 2016. I just don’t want to see old timers who think they’re just going to a happy go lucky flag waving rah rah America event to get pummeled by mask wearing thugs.
You saw one thing that went against your narrative, lumped me in with a ideology I don’t believe in and completely mis-characterized what I said. That being said I hope you don’t get assaulted at this event should you choose to go.
The Ulster County flag has a sickle on it, representing the peasantry. Ulster County never got around to putting in a hammer because they hadn’t thought of it yet. Took Karl Marx to think that up.
this is not a democracy , It IS a Constitutional Republic , Big difference
Get out your black lipstick, tattoos and piercings. If the American flag is the one with white and black stripes remembering the dead, that would be cool. Nobody could protest that.
Or a marijuana leaf plant flag, with free pizza and free beverages. THAT I would come out for.
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Texas vs. Johnson-1984, Supreme court decision that Johnson’s burning of the flag was “expressive conduct” protected under the 1st Ammendment. Texas had convicted Johnson for burning a “venerated object”, which the Supreme Court then overturned, as stated.
Patriotism is always the last refuge of a scoundrel, and that fits the mayor like a glass slipper, Cinderella not withstanding.
When Mayor Nyquill was in office, he lowered the MIA flag from the pole at the Village Hall/Fire Department, and put the Japanese flag right up underneath the American flag to “honor” the Japanese sister city he had visited on the taxpayer’s dime, visited along with his wife, the Dangskins and two others. The only group that got pissed off were the Volunteer firemen, but, unfortunately, Nyquil and the rest of the village trustees are also the Fire commissioners so the Japanese flag stayed where it was, above the MIA flag.
Today, the Fire commissions/village trustees are painting rainbows on street corners, marching in fag parades (sorry Allen Ginsberg) and selling “peace, love and understanding.” One thing they don’t do is show up at fires to help man the hoses, keep the crowds back or direct traffic. Too busy running parades.
There is a splinter under the nail of America. I would suggest that 99.9% of all people who live in America love their country because it is in human nature to identify with the place where one is born and or is nurtured. To need marches to proclaim one’s fidelity to something that is a human trait and a given, why do people need to pledge their allegiance when that allegiance is already there? People, the splinter must therefore be political, and if it is political, understand that we are being manipulated…and for what purpose? It is also in human nature to understand this visceral human trait to love one’s country and to try and manipulate that trait for political power….the easiest way to do that is to claim that a neighbor’s fidelity is non-existent or falls short of yours. Let’s try and wrap our heads around that, and perhaps host a pot-luck dinner instead of an antagonistic march to prove one’s fidelity to a flag that we all love. Pull out that splinter and love your neighbor again because more often than not, as Americans, one of our best traits, is to be there when you need them.
It is a brilliant idea Joey Garcia. Believe in a Democratic country without corrupted politicians. Vote, Vote Vote.