As many of us have heard, Michelle Manhart, once a drill sergeant in the Air Force, was arrested at Valdosta State University in Georgia after she stole an American flag from protesters. I won't go into all the details of the actual incident as it has been covered nicely by Steven D here.
Manhart was upset because the protestors were "desecrating" the flag by standing on it, a Constitutional act. Manhart spoke with Fox News seemingly oblivious to the irony and hypocrisy of her statement.
When it comes to the flag, it’s our iconic symbol. It stands for everything that we are. It stands for the freedom to allow those individuals to do what they want to protest or have an organization. So how are you even gonna justify ruining or walking upon something that’s given you the right to do what you’re doing?
--snip--
“I have seen that flag on caskets returning home. It was just the thought of those demonstrators standing on someone’s casket. I was so internally frustrated.”
When you put it that way, well of course you can see why she and so many right wingers are upset with her arrest, if it weren't for her own past military conduct and what I imagine most conservatives would consider disrespect of the American flag.
Manhart was discharged from the Air Force after posing out of uniform for Playboy. The Air Force advised her that such behavior was a violation of the standards of the service. She was demoted for violation of the standards of service and left the military to pursue an acting career.
Manhart also appeared in the nude in an anti-fur ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) using the flag as a prop and letting it touch the ground. While it is commendable that she made a statement for animal rights it is not likely the kind of thing conservatives would consider respectful of the flag. Nevertheless, conservative media went into a tizzy defending her right to steal property, try to suppress free speech and resist arrest.
The usual suspects including the Daily Caller, Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze, Newsmax, and of course Fox Nation, all published stories exalting the Porno Patriot. The Pope of Fox News, Todd Starnes, hyperbolically declared that “Valdosta State University loves flag burners more so than flag wavers.” However, besides the fact that no one here burned any flags, the university actually loves free speech and obeying the law more so than thieves and censorship. Source: News Corpse
Ordinarily I wouldn't complain about Manhart posing nude to express herself, promote awareness of animal rights, or even her using the flag as prop. People use the flag for less than patriotic promotional purposes all the time. Heck, even George Bush walked on the flag. Using the flag in this way, even in protest, has been held to be Constitutional as a part of free speech. So we can do without the manufactured outrage and false patriotism.