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Stokes man inverts U.S. flag to protest Obama's election
Journal Photo by Paul Garber
Tony Heath marked his flag with an X and turned it upside down to protest the election results.
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Published: November 8, 2008
GERMANTON
A Stokes County man is protesting the election of Barack Obama as president by displaying an upside-down, X-ed out flag on his property.
Tony Heath said he believes that Obama was elected because of his skin color and that he is not qualified.
"I believe it is a racist problem, and the racism is, he was put in there because he is black." Heath said. He said he wouldn't have a problem if a qualified black man was elected president. He said he voted for John McCain.
"Wednesday morning was the first time I've ever got out of bed and was ashamed to be an American," he said.
The flag is stretched upside-down between two poles in a field, with a black X running from end to end. The X is a reference to the Confederate flag, Heath said. It reflects his belief that the Confederate flag has been unfairly targeted for protest by people trying to be politically correct.
The flag has caused controversy on Rosebud Road, a five-mile section of road off of N.C. 8 where at least nine other residents flew their American flags properly yesterday afternoon. One of those residents, Kemp Jones, said that the protest was an over-reaction to the election result.
"I don't think it's right to desecrate the flag because of politics," said Jones, who has lived on the road since 1963.
His nephew, Mike Jones, agreed: "It sounds crazy. There's a lot of people who lost their lives protecting that flag. It's the No. 1 thing we stand for."
Mike Jones said he voted for Obama.
Kemp Jones said he voted for George Bush in the last two elections but declined to say whom he voted for this year.
Heath said he knows that some people will take offense at his protest but nonetheless plans to leave it up until Obama is inaugurated in January.
According to the U.S. Code, a flag should not be displayed with the stars down "except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
The code also states that the flag "should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature."
The Greensboro News & Record reported Thursday that employees at an Ace Hardware store in Greensboro flew the flag upside-down at that business, also in protest of the election results.
■ Paul Garber can be reached at 727-7327 or at pgarber @wsjournal.com.
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