Nevada town to fine for foregn flags-USA Today

[Dr. Blutarsky]

By William M. Welch, USA TODAY
The Nevada town of Pahrump is taking a stand not just against illegal immigrants but flags they may bring with them.

The elected town board in the remote Mojave Desert community voted 3-2 on Tuesday to enact an ordinance making it illegal to fly a foreign nation's flag by itself.

Flying another country's flag, whether it is a British Union Jack or the flag of Mexico, is punishable by a $50 fine and 30 hours' community service, unless it is flown below an American flag.

"Old Glory is sovereign," says Paul Willis, a retired carpenter and board member. "You can't fly any other nation's flag higher than the American flag."

The American Civil Liberties Union says the flag restriction violates the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech.

"There's no doubt about it," says Lisa Rasmussen, a board member of the Nevada ACLU. "People have a right, as much as we don't like it, to fly ... any flag they wish."

Pahrump is a rural fast-growing town of 33,000 about 60 miles west of Las Vegas. It is part of sprawling Nye County, home of the closest legal brothels to Las Vegas.

The law passed as part of a package of measures that also declared English the official language of Pahrump and denies town benefits to illegal immigrants.

"We don't have any" benefits, town manager David Richards says. "If we ever have any, they'll be denied to illegal immigrants."

Supporters say the law is a stand on principle and doubts anyone will be arrested for violating it.

"I can't conceive of there being anyone cited for it," said board Chairman Richard Billman, who voted against the ordinance.

The ordinance's sponsor, Michael Miraglia, a retired Illinois state worker, said the flag restriction was a reaction to nationwide demonstrations in May against a crackdown on illegal immigration. He said he didn't like seeing protesters waving Mexican flags and demanding immigrants not go to work that day.

"In Pahrump, we had Mexican restaurants closed that day," he complained. "Only one restaurant stayed open."

Rasmussen said the ACLU would probably take legal action against the town.

"People are nuts out there," she says. "Totally nuts."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-15-foreign-flags_x.htm




-this is backwoods closed mindedness at its worst.

[supaplex]

what's more to say? i mean, "you can't fly a flag higher than the american flag"  i would go into some things here but it would turn into a pro-usa/against-usa thread.
but the law is stupid

[Grouse]

  I would so fly our flag everyday in that shithole

[Izzy]

Supporters say the law is a stand on principle and doubts anyone will be arrested for violating it.

I would have so much fun with this - get thousands of replica flags and charge around town one night sticking them everywhere

Where are the rebels when u need them?

[Ellroy]

There were just two episodes of Studio 60 where Pahrump, Nevada was heavily featured. I thought it was a made up place. Anyway, agreed. It is a stupid law, but there are a lot of stupid people out there.

[SLCPUNK]

There were just two episodes of Studio 60 where Pahrump, Nevada was heavily featured. I thought it was a made up place.

No, it's just over the mountain pass about 30-40 mins from LV. I thought about living there for a NY minute. You can buy land and nice house with mountain views in the desert for less than Las Vegas. But the place is odd, you'll have really nice homes next to trailers, horse property and then whore houses (complete with billboards.) Gravel and dirt roads etc. They have a winery there too. The place seemed to lack infrastructure, was much smaller than I had thought it was, and not as nice as I had been led to believe.

The ban on different flags is odd. Seems unAmerican (ironically) to me. If you are living in America, and you are paying taxes, you should be able to display any flag you like.

[Surfrider]

Don't worry, that law will be struck down pretty quickly.

[Where is Hassan Nasrallah ?]

i will always LOVE the american flag in the usa.

WE KNOW YOU ARE AMERICAN, you freaking live there!


just like the schoolspirit teeshirts that college students were ON CAMPUS, telling other students (from the same school obviously) that they go there .... REALLY?


oh, talk about a country where people need to be "part of something".

[The Dog]

i will always LOVE the american flag in the usa.

WE KNOW YOU ARE AMERICAN, you freaking live there!


just like the schoolspirit teeshirts that college students were ON CAMPUS, telling other students (from the same school obviously) that they go there .... REALLY?


oh, talk about a country where people need to be "part of something".

Or how about wearing a Guns N' Roses T-shirt at a GNR concert. What idiots right! 

Some people take pride in the things they are invested in and/or care about.

And that law is one of these moronic non-issues that the media and the talking heads LOVE to spend hours on instead of the real issues facing our country.  Dumb shit like this should just be repealed and ignored.

[axlrosegnr]

It's just their way of saying "enough is enough" with all the illegals here, and I agree enough is enough, it's time to do something, so my hats off to them.