Vandals Tear Down Rainbow Flag at Meade business

[kevinbgoode]

UPDATE

A few days ago, I posted a story that was unfolding in a small Kansas town over the display of a rainbow flag. Since that time, apparently a few things have happened: The owners have sent their son to stay with his grandparents while this stupid controversy continues, and apparently last night someone (or group) vandalized the flagpole and removed the flag.

While I know this isn't a pressing news item for most (and I understand why) this is important for other reasons. No one should be ordered around by the American Taliban, especially in the use of their property and in particular a gift from their 12-year-old son. It appears these people are facing intimidation from some members of their own community.

Someone posted a post office box address for this bed/breakfast/restaurant in Meade on the towleroad.com website. Scroll down to the comments section and you'll be able to get an update account of a conversation with the owners.

http://www.towleroad.com/towleroad/2006/07/rainbow_flag_br.html

A few moments to extend words of encouragement sure would be nice for these people right now.


Edited original post:

In the little town of Meade, Kansas, this family-owned bed and breakfast/restaurant looks like a popular operation - until the 12-year-old son of the owner went to the Wizard of Oz museum and purchased a rainbow flag for his father as a souvenier...dammit..I'm not spelling tonight...Anyway, the son told his dad it reminded him of the song in the movie "Over the rainbow" and like any proud father, he put the flag on the pole under the American flag. Well, all was good...until the town wiggiest wingnuts decided to start trashing it as a symbol of gay pride - demanding that it HAD TO GO. . .and from the little pseudo-christo-fascist radio station to the little wiggy newspaper to one of the local ministers calling to demand it be removed, the town is in an uproar trying to ruin the family's business over the flag.
One local told a television station that the rainbow flag was just like having the Nazis raise a flag in a Jewish community. . .an example of utter looniness if I've ever seen one. .. but further evidence of the grassroots fascist revolutionary propaganda issued by the American Right and Taliban.

See for yourself. . .there's a nice videoclip here at one of the local stations:

http://www.kwch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=KWCH/MGArticle/WCH_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189283448

[uppityperson]

1. bah to narrowminded bigots everywhere

I emailed them when you posted the story, will do so again. Thanks for the update. What a stupid thing to get upset about, rainbow flags are for tolerance silly people.

[Redstone]

2. Assholes. Stupid redneck motherfuckers. Hope they're proud of themselves.

Dickheads.

Redstone

[MadMaddie]

3. The interesting thing is they have turned on a member of the

community....this is what happens when they are hate mongering people. This will happen more and more.....

[Redstone]

4. Yup. Where I grew up, if you were "one of us" you could do pretty much

whatever you wanted to, as long as it didn't hurt anyone else...it's still that way now in that little country town.

I guess Kansas is different.

Redstone

[SeattleVet]

7. Reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode

"The Monsters are Due on Maple Street"...there the community started turning on each other as their paranoia and panic spread.

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monsters_Are_Due_on_Maple_Street):

"The episode ends with two alien observers watching the rioting on Maple Street and discussing how easy it was to create paranoia and panic, and let the people of Earth destroy themselves—one place at a time.
"Understand the procedure now? Just stop a few of their machines...throw them into darkness for a few hours and then sit back and watch the pattern. They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find and it's themselves."

Closing Narration:
"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts... attitudes... prejudices. To be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and the thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone."

[kevinbgoode]

10. I love that quote. . .!

I mean, from the narration....I think that is something we should be using more often to stick in these people's faces.

[kevinbgoode]

5. I've seen one suggestion that people just send the hotel

rainbow flags. . .I think it is neat that their friends in California have started flying them in solidarity with the family in Kansas. Actually, I'm thinking it might be a wonderful idea for everyone to just get a rainbow flag and put it up at their home - and let's see how many cockroaches crawl out of the woodwork.

This truly is a disgusting story to me - the intimidation by these townspeople is beyond the pale. You know, if they want to quietly boycott - that's one thing. Intimidation is another.

[MadMaddie]

6. These are * loyalist...

they are no better than Al Queda or any or religious fanatic group..

And I blame * for this.....

[MagickMuffin]

8. While it's a nice gesture to send more Flags

it will never replace the one the little boy bought.

How would the so called christians feel if non believers started stealing their flags?
I don't think they would appreciate it one bit and would start crying about how intolerant people are, the woe is me syndrome.

More and more it looks as though we need to install security cameras to catch these criminals in the act!

[baldguy]

9. Damn godless commies have no respect for private property!

[Democrats_win]

11. Truly ugly people.

[kevinbgoode]

12. Yeah...I just have a problem distinguishing them

from the loons at that Westboro Baptist Church. They act like they aren't as batsh*t crazy, and then they pull this crap in their own town.