Out of fear that there might be an incident of violence, North Carolina state officials are preventing a group of Tea Party activists from bringing flags or signs with long poles to an event on Thursday. The fear comes partly after recent events have escalated and spawned some particularly ugly behavior.
The ban doesn't violate anyone's first amendment's rights, as long as it's applied equally to groups of all stripes, and will be enforced by stripping the group of its permit to gather if anyone brings a flag:
The prohibition applies to the American flag, North Carolina's state flag or anything else carried on a pole more than a foot in length. Scott Hunter, chief of the State Capitol Police, said that the group will be allowed to carry tiny flags of the kind handed out at parades and Fourth of July events.
"It's sad our country has come to this," said Laura Long, the Apex woman who applied for the permit on behalf of Triangle Conservatives Unite.
Yes, it is. The most annoying thing about many of the Tea Party gatherings is the belief, by many, that they have a monopoly on patriotism. This is the kind of prohibition that the Tea Party Patriots will likely view as more evidence that government red tape is bad. But the need for this sort of rule to prevent violence also shows how ridiculous and childish we've become.
-- Monica Potts
