Mob Justice: Vets Tie Flag-Burner to Pole
21-year-old humiliated in front of VFW post.
By EDWARD J. CARR
Updated 1:45 PM EST, Sat, Sep 26, 2009
Pillorying is a public embarrassment punishment dating back to the Middle Ages, but it was used to great effect recently when a young man in Valley Falls, New York, allegedly lit an American flag in front of a VFW Post on fire .
According to the Albany Times Union, a young man entered the bar at VFW Post 1938 on Sept. 18. When he was turned away for not having proper identification, he supposedly cut the American flag from a flagpole in front of the building and lit it on fire.
Someone saw him do it, the Troy Record reported, and it didn’t take long for enraged vets to find the fire starter.
They offered him three choices. They could hand him over to police, beat him up or duct-tape him to the flagpole for six hours, wearing a sign identifying the crime he allegedly committed.
He chose the latter option.
"He'll never disrespect the flag again, I can tell you that," said Post Commander Nick Normile, a Vietnam veteran.
Normile also said the burnt flag will be disposed of properly at an official ceremony sometime in the future.
First Published: Sep 26, 2009 12:29 PM EST
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