Much ado about nothing

The Democrats and the mainstream media are trying to make a big deal out of flags being displayed by the Alito’s and others. They’re claiming that because the flags or the way flags are displayed were seen in the January 6 protests that whoever displays flags this way or has these flags must be insurrectionists 

Nonsense. 

If you believe the Democrats anybody displaying an American flag in it’s normal orientation must be an insurrectionists 

The flags and the way flags can be displayed have long-term meanings of either patriotism or distress.

Alito’s wife flew the American flag upside down for a few days in mid-January 2021 during an ugly spat with a neighbor who had vulgar political signs in his yard and used vulgar language towards her. I. An upside American flag is a sign of being in distress.

At the Alito beachfront house in New Jersey they have a nautical flag display that includes the nautical “An Appeal to Heaven” flag. 

The Appeal to Heaven flag was designed by Colonel Joseph Reed, who served as the personal secretary to George Washington. Originally commissioned for use on six military cruiser ships, the flag was adopted on October 21, 1775. It became the official Massachusetts navy flag in 1776.  

Washington's secretary chose a simple yet impactful design featuring a singular pine tree, a symbol of strength and resiliency within the New England states. The words “An Appeal to Heaven" stretch atop a white field, boldly proclaiming an appeal to God to save the colonists from the King's oppressive ruling. 

Long used on merchant ships, the flag featured an eastern white pine and soon signified colonial resistance to Britain. General Washington chose the tree as a further symbol of independence. He believed that although the colonists were going against a tremendous military force, an even greater power sustained them. They could directly appeal to heaven without an intercessor. 

The “Don’t Tread on Me”, also also known as the Gadsden flag represents a period in history when the United States was still fighting for independence from Great Britain. Its words still resonant today.

Gadsden designed the “Don’t Tread on Me” Flag in 1775, during the American Revolutionary War. It was flown as a motto flag by the Continental Marines. The Libertarians revered it for the symbolism it showed to the rights of the individual and a minimalistic form of government during the 1970s.

https://reason.com/volokh/2024/05/25/the-old-gray-lady-in-distress/

https://x.com/optimistcskeptc/status/1793803348451205507?s=46&t=Y4fVsDnz2q8uZ3VNKeco4A