Donald Trump, Flag Burning, Hampshire College, and the Media

Donald Trump set off a firestorm last Tuesday when he tweeted “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail.” The media went ballistic. They dumped on Trump because his view was "unconstitutional." The Supreme Court has upheld flag burning as constitutionally protected freedom of speech. They accused him of subverting traditional American values. The media hasn’t learned a thing from the Presidential election. They incessantly attacked him from July through November. He won big time; they lost. The more they dumped on him, the stronger he became with his base. They continue to question his every act. As with the American Flag. The hard working Americans in flyover country; President Obama’s clingers, Secretary Clinton’s deplorables and irredeemables, believe in traditional American values: hard work, family values, law and order, God, country and the American Flag. They voted for Trump and the Republicans. The media voted with its column inches and dollars for Clinton. The people won. The Flag is the symbol of America. We pledge allegiance to the American Flag, not the bald eagle, not the President, not Congress – The Flag. We pledge allegiance to the Flag in elementary school. We pledge allegiance to the Flag at City Council meetings. Our national anthem is the Star Spangled banner. The elites and media in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have forgotten American values; they no longer understand the Heartland. The Heartland understands Donald Trump. The AP is still fact checking Donald trump. The Heartland is listening to Donald Trump. The media’s incessant fact checking of Donald trump didn’t hurt his campaign. Hillary Clinton’s jibes in the debate about fact checking Donald Trump didn’t hurt him. There are facts, and there are beliefs. The fact is that Americans believe in the Flag. Most believe, regardless of the Supreme Court, that flag burning should be a crime. Hampshire College, a private university in Massachusetts, lowered the Flag to half-staff the day after the election. Someone on campus burned the Flag that night. Jonathan Lash, the President of Hampshire College, then ordered the Flag removed from campus. He emailed the Hampshire community: “We hope this will enable us to instead focus on addressing racist, misogynistic, islamophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and behavior.” The response was not quite what he expected. Many vicious and some supportive emails were sent to the campus. I000 veterans and supporters showed up on Sunday waving American flags. Hampshire College is an alternative college. You can call if Alt-Left. Who do the American people support on the Flag? Donald Trump or Hampshire College? The media still does not understand the Trump phenomenon.