Wisconsin man caught in Flag flap has his flagpole chopped down

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=10790568

Not only was a Marinette County business owner's American Flag allegedly stolen, but now he believes someone also chopped down his flag pole. Vito Congine, Jr. says he started flying the upside down flag in protest outside his un-opened Crivitz restaurant earlier this month. He says he's protesting because the Crivitz Village Board denied a liquor license application for his business. He's been flying the flag upside down ever since, that is until Friday morning.

(snip)

"I guess this kind of ends the controversy of the upside down flag," says a local Crivitz business owner, Jerry Herrell. "If he doesn't have a pole to put it on then I don't know, I guess it's kind of a chess game. We'll find out what happens next."

(snip)

According to Congine's neighbor, Steven Klein, who's been watching the flag when Congine is out of town, the stars and stripes disappeared Thursday night. It wasn't until Friday morning when Klein noticed the entire pole had been cut down.

[hobbit709]

1. Another "real" patriot in action

Chopping down a flag pole in the middle of the night and stealing the flag-what a lot of courage that takes.
:sarcasm:

[baldguy]

3. Darkness & (probably) alcohol: the source of conservative "courage"

[FreakinDJ]

7. Just like the "other Real Patriot"

flying the flag upside down because he can't get a liquor license

[Buzz Clik]

2. Flying a flag upside down because he couldn't get a liquor license?

[hobbit709]

4. Yeah, it was a stupid reaon

But it was his right to fly the flag that way.
My theory on freedom of speech is that everyone has the right to open mouth and see how far they can insert foot. It's their mouth and their foot-I have the right to not listen if I choose or insert my own foot into my mouth.

[foginthemorn]

6. Yes, it was

a silly reason, Now someone is in trouble for destruction of property. It was stupid to chop down the pole also.

[TheMightyFavog]

5. He was pretty much signed, sealed, and delivered for the license...

Then the village board changed their mind at the last minute, sparking his upside down flag protest.

[LiberalFighter]

8. I doubt that a liquor license denial qualifies as a reason to fly the fly upside down.

Then again, the action does bring attention to the person's possible mental status and needs some medical attention.

If local authorities were to come up to him and say they are responding to his distress call (upside down flag) and willing to take him to a psychiatrist he might have second thoughts about using the flag.

[TheMightyFavog]

9. The Cops were invioved initially...

They Confiscated his flag.

[Stevenmarc]

10. Vito isn't the sharpest businessman in Crivitz, pissing off the townfolk doesn't fill the seats

[TheMightyFavog]

11. Yeah, but Crivitz is a big-time tourism town.

The town's always crawling with out-of-towners during the summer up for vacations at cabins or local resorts..