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<\/a><\/p>\nAll American flags have been removed from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts and while veterans are the first to stand up for the freedom of speech to carry out such an act, that doesn\u2019t mean they support every form.<\/p>\n
For that reason, at least 1,000 veterans showed up over Thanksgiving weekend waving a sea of American flags in the cold breeze in a show of support of the First Amendment but also in stark disagreement with the school\u2019s decision. That decision was made by leadership in the days since the election. First, the flag was lowered to half-staff because Donald Trump was elected. And then, after a nutty protester stole a flag and burned it on campus (on Veterans Day to boot), Hampshire administration pulled all flags from campus until the \u201ctoxic\u201d atmosphere subsides.<\/p>\n
I love what one veteran, Jerry Maguire, told a local news station<\/a> when he showed up with his war buddies:<\/p>\n \u201cThey took down my flag, they have a right to that, I\u2019m here to defend their right to do that, but I want them to understand how bad that hurts me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Iraq veteran David Soucy said, \u201cI was in Iraq 18 months. I got hurt, spent time at Walter Reed. I came home, and there\u2019s no way I\u2019ll let anyone take down the flag, no way. It means a lot to me and my brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n Also showing support for the veterans was Mayor Domenic Sarno who showed up to the event and reminded the elite academia that they are blessed to live in a free country: \u201cFor the students here and the president and board of trustees, the opportunities they have have arisen from what our veterans have sacrificed: this flag. And not to fly the flag on this campus \u2014 if you were in some other countries around the world, it would be handled very, very differently.\u201d<\/p>\n As is usually the case, this protest full of American soldiers was entirely peaceful and respectful. The local news report noted one incident in which someone interrupted a group photo with obscene gestures, but it wasn\u2019t determined who did so and if it was a disgruntled student.<\/p>\n But guess who wasn\u2019t at the demonstration standing in solidarity with the vets? The college\u2019s president Jonathan Lash. But why would he? He believes the flag is \u201ca symbol of fear\u201d for many of his students, as he explained in a statement<\/a>. Here\u2019s the reason he gave for his decision:<\/p>\n We hope this will enable us in the near term to instead focus our efforts on addressing racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and behaviors. I ask our campus to join me in a commitment to living up to the ideals of our mission: to insist on diversity, inclusion, and equity from our leaders and in our communities; to constructively resist those who are opposing these values; and to actively and passionately work toward justice and positive change at Hampshire and in the world.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Diversity and inclusion for everyone, unless you are a veteran or someone who stands in awe of a country that holds freedom as the number one priority.<\/p>\n Click CONTINUE to witness the commitment our veterans made to serve this country:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n