Man flies flag upside-down to protest election outcome
Story posted 2012.11.07 at 11:01 PM EST
A Mitt Romney supporter has chosen a unique way to express his dissatisfaction with the election results, and neighbors are taking notice.
News Center 7 received calls Wednesday night from residents in Beavercreek who were not happy about their neighbor flying the U.S. flag upside-down.
One caller said it might not be illegal, but it's offensive to the people in the neighborhood.
Despite what his neighbors think, Ray Lewis said flying the flag upside-down is an international symbol of distress and he felt compelled to do it as a form of "peaceful protest" following the re-election of President Barack Obama.
"I feel that my country is still in a dire situation and it's my way of silently protesting that we're still in trouble," Lewis told News Center 7's Kate Bartley. "I was a Romney supporter … I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but we're still in dire straits."
Lewis' upside-down flag is not the only one stirring controversy a day after Election Day.
A McDonald's in Follansbee, W.Va., temporarily flew its flag flying upside-down early Wednesday. The flag was taken down later and the franchise owner told local media it was a mistake made in the dark and was not meant as a political statement.
Lewis said he got the idea from a movie he saw years ago.
"Just a few more days until I can regain my sanity and we'll straighten it back up," he said. "We're Americans first. But today it's like, 'God help us.' "
There's multiple issues in this that I would like to address:
1. Please pay attention to the last section.... "Just a few more days until I can regain my sanity and we'll straighten it back up." Regain your SANITY?! You're really going to say THAT to a news reporter and think that it won't end up in the article?? In my eyes, that made the man look like a complete idiot, regardless of what message he was really trying to send.
2. The election is over and done with... get over it. Obama won in electoral votes AND the popular vote so obviously the majority of America thought that Mitt Romney wasn't cut out for the job. This really just makes this guy look like a little kid that's throwing a fit after not getting his way. (Trust me, my kids do it ALL THE TIME.)
3. He got the idea from a MOVIE??? Didn't his parents ever teach him that you don't always believe what's on TV?? Maybe TV is what warped this man's brain into thinking this would be ok to do...
4. That flag is there because hundreds of thousands of men and women over hundreds of years have been fighting for this man's rights. If it weren't for them, he wouldn't even have the damn flag to cause a ruckus with in the first place! So what's he do? He takes a symbol of all of their hard work and sacrifices - which includes sacrificing their lives - and makes a mockery of it?? How incredibly disrespectful! That's not only disrespecting them, but their families also.
Personally, I feel if this man wants to make a scene like this that completely disrespects the people that defend the very rights he's using to justify his actions, then he needs to find a new country to live in because he obviously doesn't appreciate the rights he has.
5. I saw many comments on WHIO's page about how liberals can burn flags and that's protected by out right to protest and that this shouldn't be any different. Well, I'm a liberal and I think it's appalling that someone would burn a flag... and I am equally appalled that someone would treat our flag in this manner.
Bottom line... this man needs to get a grip. If he doesn't like how the election turned out then he can go elsewhere... there's no law keeping him here and he's not imprisoned. So either he needs to suck it up and deal with it or get the hell OUT!!
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