This is written in response to the letter to the editor in Friday’s issue of The Post titled “Disagreements don’t justify passive aggression.” I hope that my account of this episode will clarify a few things.
“I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it,” is a quote often misattributed to Voltaire. It was actually authored by S.G. Tallentyre. Regardless, the quote wonderfully illustrates the importance of protecting free speech, especially that which we disagree with.
The First Amendment and the concept of freedom of expression itself are integral to a functioning free and democratic society. The members of our military swear an oath to defend the Constitution, including the First Amendment. Unfortunately, the members of OU Combat Vets felt the need to silence our speech.
On Sunday night, Ohio University Students For Liberty set out to the graffiti wall behind Bentley Annex to paint a mural in opposition to U.S. military action in Syria. The centerpiece of this mural was an upside down American flag, the universal sign of distress, bearing on the white stripes, “No flag is large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
We as a group felt that this was provocative enough to draw attention to our cause, while still allowing us to prove the point that the innocent inevitably bear the costs of war. Within 24 hours, the mural was altered by the OU Combat Vets, who took it upon themselves to paint over our flag with the union facing upwards, covering our meeting times and displaying the phrase “‘Fixed the Flag’- OU Combat Vets.”
Members of OUSFL confronted them during their repainting of the flag and a constructive discussion followed. They were upset with us “desecrating the flag” while we were upset with them taking away our medium and essentially hijacking three hours of work our group put in the night before.
Acting on behalf of OUSFL, I invited them to our meeting Wednesday night for a more formal discussion between the two groups provided that they put our meeting times back on the wall. The following day members of OUSFL returned to the wall to repaint the text on the right-side-up flag as well as a quote from George Orwell’s 1984.
We kept the flag as they had left it, though we put the text back on. On Wednesday, during the time of OUSFL’s meeting, a member of the Combat Vets wrote “GET BENT” over our flag in black paint and crossed out the word “Students” in “Students For Liberty,” substituting it with “Anarchist.” The only one who accepted our invitation to our meeting showed up for 30 seconds to accept responsibility for the “GET BENT” graffiti.
My question is, who defaced the American flag more? OUSFL who used the symbolism of a flag in distress as an anti-war protest, or the member of OU Combat Vets who wrote “GET BENT” in big black letters over it, silencing our speech in the process? Which of these actions is more antithetical to freedom, liberty and the American way? I would argue that the Combat Vets’ actions were more hostile to the flag and what it represents.
Nathan Kelly is a senior studying political science and an executive board member of Students for Liberty.
