U.S. flag being desecrated after "stomp on flag" challenge issued on Facebook

It was just a few weeks ago that I mentioned the disgraceful acts of some college students at the University of California, Irvine, voting to remove the American Flag from an "inclusive" space on campus. If that was not insulting enough to all Americans, a man by the name of Eric Sheppard has now started a Facebook challenge "stomp on U.S. flag." What is even worse is the amount of people who are posting videos on the internet showing themselves jumping, walking, and stomping on our flag. According to a news story by the Inquisitor, Eric Sheppard was quoted as saying, "I'm a terrorist toward lies. I'm a terrorist toward liars. I'm a terrorist toward those who are wicked. So yes, I am a terrorist toward white people."

I have no doubt that Mr. Sheppard is confused, and thinks he is making some kind of a statement; but whatever issues, or problems Sheppard has, the only "statement" you can make from desecrating a U.S. Flag, is that you hate America. Since the beginning of the American Revolutionary war in 1775, hundreds of thousands of men and women have given their lives to create, keep, and protect a nation that has become a safe haven for people from all over the world. Mr. Sheppard wants to somehow connect stomping on the U.S. Flag to some kind of protests against racism in the U.S. I hope Mr. Sheppard knows that the blood, tears, and death that has been given by so many people were not given by a race of white people. It was given by people with all colors of skin, by both men and women from all over the world who now call America their home. Unless you are from a Native American heritage, your blood line came from somewhere other than the U.S. We are a people that have come together to form the greatest nation in the world. There are plenty of disturbing things going on in our country, but compared to other parts of this world, America is still very blessed.

The people doing this to our flag are being protected because they claim it is their "freedom of speech." As I have said many times before, I am strongly in favor of less government control and more citizen rights. I will say however, that I think it may be time for our legislators to pass some type of legislation protecting the symbol of our freedom, or those who try to protect it. Everyone should have the freedom to say whatever they want, but if we want to keep that freedom, we have to protect it. As far as I see it, if you are going to burn, stomp, jump, spit, and tear up our flag, you are not exercising a freedom, you are destroying it. As a sheriff, I have sworn to uphold the laws of our land and will do so to the best of my ability so long as it does not put me in the position where I feel I am doing something morally wrong. Abraham Lincoln said, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." I will never stand by and watch an American flag be desecrated and I hope other sheriffs and members of law enforcement around the country take the same stand. Our flag has not just changed this country, but has affected the entire world for the better. I have said before if you don't like our flag, go live somewhere else. You don't ask a doctor to save your life and then protest the existence of doctors, and you don't use the freedoms in America to protest freedom in America and that is what people are doing when they desecrate our flag.