In Fairfax County, Virginia — a Democratic stronghold outside of Washington, D.C., where nearly 75% of ballots last fall were for President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump — flags have become an issue.
So much so that the county is looking into enacting an ordinance that would regulate the size, height, and number of flags that residents and businesses can fly, WDVM-TV reported — and that includes the American flag.
Image source: WDVM-TV video screenshot
The station said a public hearing was held on the matter last month.
What are the details?
"We're not stopping anybody from flying an American flag if they want to," Leslie Johnson, zoning administrator for the county's Zoning Ordinance Modernization committee, told the public, according to WDVM. "All we're doing is putting parameters around the size, the location, and the height."
But Daniel Gade — a former Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate — wasn't too understanding. He's concerned about the proposed flag requirements since they call for smaller flag sizes than those that are draped over fallen soldiers' coffins, the station said.
"Let's make a stink about this because it's ridiculous," Gade said, according to WDVM. "And the idea that a bureaucrat would tell us how big of an American flag to fly, right here in America, is offensive."
Image source: WDVM-TV video screenshot
Others expressed similar sentiments at the public hearing, the station said.
"No other flag or display can in any way be equated to the American flag," Robert Maggi, a county resident, said during the hearing, according to WDVM. "For me, it is the right of every American to fly the American flag on their property. Please ensure this right is made clear in the pending zoning regulations."
Resident Adrienne Whyte asked "why flags and flag poles were rushed into the agenda. It seems like solution in search of a problem, and I fear the solution could be worse than anything we are experiencing now," the station reported.
WDVM added that some also have raised questions about why the American flag is not distinct from other flags, as the proposal treats the American flag the same as all other flags.
No comments:
Post a Comment