School tells student to remove American flag from his bike
Cody Alicea is a thirteen year old boy and like many children his age he rides his bike to school everyday. For the last two months Cody Alicea has been flying an American flag on the back of his bike. He does this to honor veterans–including his grandfather–and he hopes to join the military himself some day.
Last week the superintendent of the Denair Middle School told Cody Alicea that the American flag was no longer allowed on school property because some of the other children were offended by the flag and the school did not want to provoke any racial tensions.
Cody fought back:
In this country we’re supposed to be free,” said Cody. “And I should be able to wave my flag wherever I want to. And they’re telling me I can’t.” Cody had to take the flag off his bike and put it in his backpack, where he kept it all week.
And eventually he won, although not in time to fly the flag on Veterans Day:
After being contacted by FOX40 Friday morning, Denair’s Superintendent says Cody will be allowed to keep the flag on his bike. He told FOX40 he and the school are patriotic, but their main priority is keeping students safe; the school will focus on the students who are causing uprisings. Riding a bike is still not allowed on school campus just like mini skateboards, but when Cody rides his bike to school he can now fly the flag
While it is great news that in the end Cody prevailed and will be allowed to fly his flag after all, this should never have happened in the first place and it does highlight a problem that is all too prevalent in today’s society.
What led to this situation in the first place? Political correctness: the school was concerned that there would be a racial uprising if Cody continued to fly the American flag on his bike; the superintendent of the school should have taken the students who were offended aside and explained to them what that flag stood for, and he should have explained to them that while they have the right to express their opinion on the flag, Cody had the right to express his opinion by flying the flag. He should have explained to these children that part of what makes America great if the fact that we are allowed to have differing opinions and that we but that we accept these divergent opinions. And he should have explained to them that the flag they are so offended by is the symbol of where their freedom to express their displeasure comes from in the first place.
But instead of doing what was right, the superintendent took the easy way out; he acquiesced to those whom he felt would become violent if they did not get their way. We are all tought to be tolerant of others and their opinions, and we should be, but there was no tolerance displayed in this case and, in fact, by telling Cody he had to remove his American flag the superintendent was supporting intolerance.
The lesson that the superintendent taught these students was that the mere threat of violence–even if the threat is simply perceived because there is no mention that these students threatened violence–is enough for a person to get whatever he or she wishes for, and that is exactly the wrong message to be sending to anyone.
There is one ither issue that arises from this story: where did this attitude towards the American flag originate if not at home? These student’s parents must be teaching them that America is a bad and unjust nation even as they have chosen to live their lives in this nation. I find it ironic that people can come to this country to find a better life and then claim to be offended by the mere sight of our flag.
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America's Watchtower 
Dear Superintendent Parraz,
Add this letter to the outcry to the stupidity of that lady who told Cody Alicea to remove his American Flag under the phoney guise of “safety” based upon possible complaints from another racial group.
In case she doesn’t know, we LIVE in the United States of America, which has a flag that flys PROUDLY over her land. I fought for that flag in several trips to a land called Vietnam, to defend and obey the government desires in service to this country. Cody shows support for veterans for several months without an issue, along with the American Flag that flys from the flagpole at the schools.
If there is an “issue” of a certain racial group, tell them to go back to the country they came from, and don’t tell us how to live in our land. Then tell that “lady” who created this issue to drop her liberal agenda and beliefs and come to understanding of this country we live in. If she doesn’t like it, tell her to teach her liberal views in another country and move there.
Respectfully submitted,
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Thank you for your service sir. =)
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I appreciate that.
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Seconded…emphatically!
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Well said Jon, and thank you for your service. You mentioned the flag that flies over schools and that is something that I was wondering about while I was writting this post. Does this school fly the American flag?
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I thank you Steve, and yes it does. You’ll actually see and hear about it on the Fox40 newscast, hence my mentioning it.
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Fox40 had several of those webcasts on their site, and one of them showed it.
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Thanks for the info, the only video I saw was the one in the article that I linked to and in that video I couldn’t see a flag flying at the school. That makes this story a little more confounding. Why was this boy in harm’s way because of the flag, yet the school was flying the flag also?
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Here is that videoSteve which address both the flag on school, and first mention of Miss Oie (but by her position only) who told Cody to take down his flag.
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http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-school-officials-respond-to-fl-111210,0,2143331.story
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Thanks for the link Jon. I sm glad to hear that the school will be meeting with the parents of the students who threatened Cody. That is what should have happened from the beginning, but at least it will happen soon.
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There are some flag-waving situations that can be thought-provoking – the fellow who wants to fly an oversized garrison flag in a small development, for example, or the fellow who painted, using chalk, an American flag on the pavement of his cul-de-sac, so that rain or normal traffic would ruin it.
In most cases, though, prohibitions on flying or displaying our flag seem to be grounded in control freakishness (those who try to exercise power because they can) and stupidity (school officials wrapped up in a myriad of responsibilities and regulations and pressures).
Now when I was in high school, our attitude about the flag was a bit different – at 6:30 AM, we’d fall in and salute as the flag was raised to Reveille; ditto lowering the flag in the evening. Every last one of us knew the proper way to fold and otherwise honor the flag. And let me tell you, it was the highest of honors to be on the color guard!
Enough nostalgia. This school’s actions were so ridiculous as to make you think there was a hidden camera somewhere, recording our reactions to how stupid some things have become.
Take good care and may God bless us all!
The Georgia Yankee
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I can understand if a person lives in a community housing developement that has certain rules and regulations, and is not allowed to fly a flag. While I disagree with that rule, if the person knew the rule when he bought the house he has to live by it. But this certainly takes this issue to another level. I don’t know how we came to live in a country where displaying the flag could be considered a dangerous activity!
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I cannot we believe that we have even reached this place in America where displaying a flag in a school is offensive enough to prompt this ridiculous action. I agree with you when you say the real source of this problem is the parents of the children that were so offended. Whether you agree with the action America has taken in the past, present, or future, as a parent you have an obligation to your children to explain the importance of the flag and the liberty and freedom it flies over. If you do not you are derelict in your duty as a parent. That’s my two cents for what it is worth. Thanks for the post Steve.
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It is hard to believe it has reached this level. It is sad really. Well said John!
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Meanwhile, illegal aliens protest Arizona while flying Mexican flags and we are supposed to grin and bear it because we a re a “tolerant” society.
This story pisses me off so bad. I can understand if he was in Sri Lanka or Mozambique or something, but for God’s sake he was in America. Flying an American flag should be a complete non-issue on public property. Well it is California, so maybe its not that different from Sri Lanka or Mozambique.
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Tolerance should work both ways, shouldn’t it? I can’t get over the fact that the child who tried to fly the flag while the students who threatened violence were the once rewarded because they got their way.
This story saddens me more than anything else.
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Thanks for sharing this with us, Steve. I find it very sad to know that there are people who live in America and either do not know the significance of the Stars and Stripes or simply do not care. As others have said, I wonder how this situation even progressed far enough that this young man was told he had to remove the flag.
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The thing is, the parents of these students chose to move here in the first place, yet must be teaching their children that America is a bad nation. Why did they move here? They moved here to change their lives for the better, but instead of adopting the United States as their country they look to bring their country to the United States. It seems like backward thinking to me.
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It would appear that the PC liberals are cowards. They cave to threats, and, as you point out, only encourage more of it.
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So true Matt, by punishing the boy that was flying the flag they are actually rewarding the children who were threatening violence. These children have learned a lesson that they will not forget, and that lesson is that all they have to do is threaten violence and they can get whatever they want.
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On the schools website are the names and e-mail addresses of the five members on the board, the superintendent, and Miss Oie who started this mess, and the school address too.
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I think it may be time to send a couple of emails out to the school!
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Way ahead of you Steve, get to work. (grin)
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I’m on it! 🙂
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I don’t know how it is at that school, but I have a few shirts that sport the American flag and there are sections of town where I will not wear those shirts because I know it will be inviting trouble. There are those in this country that hate America even as they feast on the bounty she offers. The school may well have been looking out for the kid, but I think the priority should have been focusing on the ones posing the threat, not the young patriot flying his flag.
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It is unbelievable to me that you could actually be provoking trouble simply for wearing a shirt with the flag on it! What a sad state of affairs we are in as a country when we have allowed our nation to fall to this level!
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They certainly do here in New Hampshire!
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Don’t they have open carry laws where you live for when you walk down those streets you send a subtle message?
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I think your analysis is spot on. Threaten someone and thus the authorities will deal not with you but with them. Shameful behavior. These “little” stories are so important because they always make a larger point.
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It is amazing to me that the first reaction the school had was not to confront the bullies, but to confront the one person that did nothing wrong. I can’t get over that part of this story. These “little” thing add up and judging the reaction to this story all across the nation I am beginning to think that Americans have had enough.
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I’ve been thinking about this ever since I first read it (and became angry about it). I’m wondering if we are missing something here. What if this is about desensitizing the public. As one of your astute commenters stated, we are seeing many of these situations.
I am reading, The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America” by Daniel Hannan. He was talking about how EU basically shoved their plans down the states throats. They did it by doing it over and over and over until people just gave in or gave up.
What if that is the game we are watching unfold here. The liberals/progressives just keep working at it until we become so accustomed to it, it no longer bothers us, or we get so frustrated we just throw our hands up and give in.
I really wonder if this principle really “caved.” Or if she is just moving through the liberal script?
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An interesting point. We know that liberals never give up, they just keep pushing and pushing their agenda forward until they get it passed and they do not care how long it takes.
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This seems to be a good day for great news, and thought you all might like to see this…………….awesome.
Thank God for Americans.
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I love it! Thanks for sharing the video. I am going to use it in a post tomorrow.
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You can add this one to it too Steve…………outstanding…………..and also thank you for starting this posting.
Jon
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Thank you again! What a great ending this story had for Cody. Seeing all the support that he gained at home and judging by how big of a national story this become, it gives me hope that we haven’t lost our country to political correctness just yet!
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I agree Steve, and my next hope will be that heads roll in the school administration, then seeing an exodus of Mexicans heading south…………….Am I asking too much?
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Not in my opinion. We have already seen Mexicans leaving Arizona in anticipation of the new law, it goes to show that if we only enforced the laws we have we could start to solve this problem.
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I’m glad you posted this. These cases have been driving me insane for a decade. The kid was being targeted unlawfully even by the liberal PC standards. I just taught symbolic speech at the college where I work. We were discussing how students who chose to wear arm bands to protest the war in Vietnam were suspended. The case went to the SC which ruled that such symbolic speech was protected and students 1st Amendment rights need to be strongly guarded. If you can’t take an American flag into an American school it’s time check into the asylum.
We should get that drill sargeant from the Geico commercial to take these limp wrist administrators over to “mamby-pamby land” where they can talk about their feelings.
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I love that commercial! While I am not sure it was intended, that commercial highlights something that I feel is wrong in this country, America has been headed down this path of “mamby-pambyness” for far too long and it is time for us to grow up and stop being offended at every little thing!
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