OUR FLAG IS STILL THERE – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  Some students at the University of California at Irvine wanted the American flag taken down from a public space because it "upset" them.  And, of course, being upset is the worst thing that can happen to a college student.

So the flag came down, and upset disappeared.

But a lot of students were ticked.  There was a backlash.  And the flag went up again.  Chalk one up for our side.

But you will not believe the logic of those offended by the American flag.  From Breitbart:   

IRVINE, California — Students at the University of California Irvine (UCI) spoke to Breitbart News Sunday, sharing their shock and disappointment at recent legislation by six members of UCI’s Associated Students (ASUCI) to remove an American flag from their building’s lobby this past Thursday.

A student who spoke with Breitbart News on condition of anonymity that she heard a member of the ASUCI discussing “the [American] flag and how it triggered people.” She then said she believed a major line of reasoning behind the legislation to remove the flag could have been a “precautionary step” to prevent a trigger situation where if someone is an “illegal citizen or [they] have citizenship issues, it makes them feel bad.

“But me and my friends were like, ‘Dude, you’re in America. It’s the American flag,'” she added.

The issue, according to her, was that the flag was placed in a common space, and she felt that if it were placed in a private area like a personal office, it would not have been a big deal. “And then there were people who were like ‘the flag triggers me’ — that was their exact wording, too.”

She added: “Everything can be a trigger. How far is it going to go? If everyone says something bothers them about a shared space then that could be a problem because then there will be nothing on any walls.”

UCI student Matthew Guevara, who sits on the Student Association board, authored the resolution (R50-70) to ban the U.S. flag from the association’s lobby wall. The resolution passed narrowly on Thursday in a 6-4 vote in favor, with two abstentions, but was overturned and vetoed on Saturday during a private meeting held by the Associated Student’s Executive Cabinet by a 4-1 vote.

UCI administrators also issued a statement on Saturday following the vote to ban the flag, stating that they do not endorse what they described as a “misguided decision” by a political minority that they claim is not representative of the school nor the broader student body.

COMMENT:  Just read the whole thing.  I'm glad there was pushback on this, and that the flag is back up.  It may only be a symbol, but symbols are important to the culture of a society.

I'm also glad the university administration issued a vigorous statement opposing the banning of the flag.  Maybe some educators are entering the world of adulthood.

March 9, 2015