Gadsden Flag Patch Drama: Why This Needs to go to Court… Pronto.

First of all… WTF.

Second of all… WTF.

I know I really shouldn’t be surprised when this stuff happens anymore, but seriously?

From the Daily Wire:

A Colorado middle-schooler was kicked out of class on Monday for wearing a patch of the Gadsden flag on his backpack.

Jaiden, a seventh grader at The Vanguard School, a charter school in Colorado Springs, was pulled from class on Monday after school staff noticed the Gadsden patch.

His mother came to the school with a younger child in tow to discuss the situation.

She was told that her son “needs to take that patch off” and that the Gadsden flag is not allowed in class because it has “origins with slavery” and the “slave trade,” a video of the conversation shows.

“We can’t have that in and around other kids,” a woman who appears to be school staff tells Jaiden’s mother in the video.

The Gadsden flag, a yellow flag depicting a coiled rattlesnake with the words “Don’t Tread On Me,” a warning to Britain, was flown during the Revolutionary War. The flag was designed in 1775 by U.S. brigadier general Christopher Gadsden, who critics have pointed out was a slave owner.

On Friday, Vanguard School Executive Director Renee Henslee told Jaiden’s mother in an email that they noticed his “unacceptable” patch at the end of the day. She warned that if he returned to school on Monday with the Gadsden patch, he would be sent to the front office until it was removed, emails show.

The school said Jaiden’s Firearms Policy Coalition Official Member patch, which includes a picture of a semi-automatic rifle, is not allowed at school either. However, his Dogecoin and “Bear Arms And Bitcoin” patches are allowed, the school said.

Vanguard School Director of Operations Jeff Yocum emailed Jaiden’s mother an explanation that cited several news articles about the flag.

Yocum cited a decision by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which said that while it is “clear that the Gadsden Flag originated in the Revolutionary War in a non-racial context,” nevertheless, “it also has since been sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts.”

Yocum also said in his email that the Gadsden flag is “tied to the Confederate flag and other white-supremacy groups, including ‘Patriot’ groups,” citing an article by an associate professor of graphic design. He also said the Gadsden is “tied to hate groups” and cited an article that noted the flag was flown at the Capitol riot.

Jaiden appeared to return to school on Tuesday wearing the Gadsden patch, as well as a tricornered hat, according to a social media post from Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute, who first sounded the alarm about the school’s decision.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis reacted to the video of the exchange with school staff on social media, saying the Gadsden flag is “obviously” a “proud symbol of the American revolution.”

We would jump at the opportunity to provide a kid who thinks they’re a cat with a box to sh*t in, but this kid can’t have a patch on his backpack? Somebody needs to brush up on their amendments…

Also… I’m pretty sure you could ask most seventh-graders what this flag represents, and they wouldn’t have a clue where it’s from or why it was made. The feelings getting hurt here belong to the people in charge of teaching your kids. Scary…

If y’all wanna play ball, then let’s play ball. I hope these parents sue the hell out of those people. Focus has shifted so far away from what really matters, teaching and learning, it’s no wonder this country’s full of kids who can’t read or do math. Good grief…

Not to mention… that flag doesn’t have roots in slavery and racism. It was one of the first examples of pro-American propaganda from the Revolutionary War. It was our fun way of flipping off the British and warning them to leave us the f*ck alone, so… I’m still looking for the two legs this argument would need to stand on to survive a court case.

The teachers and administrators who were responsible for providing this kid with a proper education have undoubtedly failed him. They’ve allowed their own personal politics to stand in the way of them doing their job. Again.

If we don’t start making examples out of idiocy, which has skyrocketed to an unbelievably outrageous level, then we’re no better than they are. Actually, we’re probably worse. They know what they believe, and they’ll act on it, no matter how batsh*t crazy it is.

Money needs to start showing up where our mouths are… if not, then we’re pretty much doomed.