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I mentioned on the radio program last week that a seventh-grader, identified in the media only as Jaiden, carries his school work to school in a backpack that includes artwork and several patches, one of them the famous Gadsden Flag.
I noted that the flag patch was a point of contention for the school district. In fact, they told him he could not wear his backpack with the Gadsden.
In a hurried meeting with Jaiden’s mother, which she videoed and shared on X, formerly Twitter, a school administrator explained the district did not want the patch displayed due to its “origins with slavery and the slave trade.”
Here's the rest of the story.
Be informed, not misled.
About the flag.
The famous Revolutionary War symbol may not be well known by its formal name. But the moment you see it, you know it.
It contains a yellow background with a coiled rattlesnake on a patch of grass and includes the famous words “Don’t Tread on Me” across the bottom.
The rattlesnake was a popular symbol of American colonists, and historians say the rattlesnake and the motto were first combined in a flag that flew above the naval ship USS Alfred.
The flag, named for Christopher Gadsden, a delegate to the Continental Congress, was also adopted by Marines who were sent to Pennsylvania to capture gunpowder on two British cargo ships. As they marched, the Marines followed drums painted yellow with a rattlesnake symbol and a "Don't Tread on Me" motto.
About Jaiden's mom.
We won! #JusticeForJaiden pic.twitter.com/Y8dX43e9Sp
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
“The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history,” the directors wrote. “At this time the Vanguard School Board and the district have informed the student’s family that he may attend school with the Gadsden flag patch visible on his backpack.”
The flag is no stranger to controversy. It was the subject of a formal complaint in 2013 when a federal employee said he was offended by a co-worker’s cap with the flag because Gadsden had also owned slaves.
So did George Washington. And other of America's Founding Fathers. The Civil War was about righting that wrong and abolishing slavery. Over 600,000 Americans lost their lives in that contest. No other nation in the history of the world has fought a war with itself over a moral principle.
The left apparently can't quite grasp that truth.
The Democrat governor's response.
When the recorded teacher-student confrontation went viral on social media, Colorado Democrat Gov. Jared Polis apparently took notice. In an online response to GOP political consultant Jim Pfaff, Polis staked out a position that defended the 7th grader but did not throw the school itself under the bus.
“The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American Revolution and an iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans," Polis wrote. "It appears on popular American medallions and challenge coins today, and Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the union of the 13 colonies. It’s a great teaching moment for a history lesson."
In an appearance on American Family Radio regarding the controversy, Pfaff said Gov. Polis has limited political power in the state.
“In Colorado, there are two major aspects of education. There is a state board of education filled with elected officials, and Jared Polis was one of those by the way, but it’s a home-rule, local control state," Pfaff explained. "And that keeps the state from encroaching on many local governing principles unlike a lot of states in this country."
Polis has the ability to “really use that bully pulpit to say this kind of stuff’s got to stop,” Pfaff said.
The Vanguard Charter School, located in Colorado Springs, serves grades K-12.
Pfaff called on the school district to apologize to Jaiden and his family. We'll see what happens with that.
Takeaway
Pfaff said the incident was an all-too-common example of the government’s thirst to control peoples’ lives.
“We have government power saying that if you oppose us in any fashion, and this is happening at every level of government, then you are an insurrectionist," he warned. "Let’s just put it in those terms. They think you’re an insurrectionist if you push back on government authority. It’s just the opposite. This country was founded on the authority of the people to oversee government. That’s really what’s at stake here."
The Gadsden flag, he said, elicited a snap response to a leftist talking point that designates many American symbols of bygone eras as racist.
“That’s why the Gadsden flag bothers them," he said, "as opposed to a rainbow flag which says, ‘You’re an intolerant human being who needs to be put down if you don’t believe in transgenderism.’ Listen, we can all learn to live together under an equal set of laws, but that does not mean your life choices, particularly transgenderism, has to be called out as acceptable. I don’t accept it. As a believer in Christ, I have a real problem with transgenderism.”
And speaking of the "thirst for control of people's lives," Dr. Fauci said over the weekend he's worried that people will not take the next mask mandate seriously.
Have a great Labor Day.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Blessed. Be Prayerful.