The Texas Flag Flap

A hospital supervisor in Mansfield, Texas was ordered by her employer to take down an American flag she had hung in her workspace just prior to this past Memorial Day weekend (bolds are mine):

Debbie McLucas is one of four hospital supervisors at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield. Last week, she hung a three-by-five foot American flag in the office she shares with the other supervisors.

When McLucas came to work Friday, her boss told her another supervisor had found her flag offensive. "I was just totally speechless. I was like, 'You're kidding me,'" McLucas said.

McLucas' husband and sons are former military men. Her daughter is currently serving in Iraq as a combat medic.

As it turns out, the offended co-worker was an African immigrant who came to this country 14 years ago, and apparently has little or no appreciation for her adopted country of residence. But it gets worse:

...McLucas said that supervisor took down the flag herself...

"The flag and the pole had been placed on the floor," McLucas said.

So, not only was this African immigrant offended by the sight of our nation's flag, but totally disrespected it by placing it on the floor.

You will find the entire CBS11TV story here.

Of course, due to the adverse publicity this affair has generated, McLucas' employer, Kindred Hospital, which is owned by Kindred Healthcare, has since apologized and has allowed for the flag to be put back up.

My problem is, this should have never happened in the first place.

I do not give a damn that someone might be offended by the sight of the American flag, whether they are from here or not.

I am sick to death of people offended by our flag telling us that we, citizens of the United States of America, have no right to display it. I'm sorry, but there is no constitutional protection against being offended.

As for this African immigrant, she should be invited to return to the land whence she came, as I feel rather strongly that people like her should not be allowed to live in this country.