Flags Replaced With Swastikas in Wash.

 

By Associated Press

 

Mon May 28, 9:35 PM

 

 

 

ORCAS ISLAND, Wash. - Vandals burned dozens of small American flags that decorated veterans' graves for Memorial Day and replaced many of them with hand-drawn swastikas, authorities said Monday.

 

 

 

Forty-six flag standards were found empty and another 33 flags were in charred tatters Sunday in the cemetery, authorities said. Swastikas drawn on paper appeared where 14 of the flags had been.

 

 

 

Members of the American Legion on this island off Washington's northwest coast replaced the burned flags with new ones Sunday afternoon.

 

 

 

The vandals struck again on Memorial Day after a guard left at dawn, the San Juan County sheriff's office said. This time, the vandals left 33 of the hand-drawn swastikas.

 

 

 

"This is not an act of free speech. This is a crime," Sheriff Bill Cumming said in a statement released Monday afternoon.

 

 

 

Investigators believe there's more than one culprit, based on the number of flags that were vandalized, Cumming said in a telephone interview. But authorities have no suspects, he said.

 

 

 

The sheriff said deputies were trying to lift fingerprints off what little physical evidence they were able to recover.

 

 

 

What do you guys think? I find it utterly disgusting that someone would take the trouble just to ruin the celebration of sacrifices made by US armed forces. It disturbs me.

 

 

 

btw, I know memorial day is a US holiday, but I'm sure everyone here can have similar emotions to this act of vandalism.

 

 

 

Freedom of speech? I'll respect anyone's opinions of they think these vandals were asserting their rights, but I don't necessarily agree with them, because last time I checked nowhere did it state we had rights to destroy the memorial of soldiers just to assert your "freedom of speech"

 

 

 

discuss.

:? Just a bunch of troublemakers thinking its cool. They are just trying to get a reaction out of patriotic people. Just dont freak out, and you won't be giving them what they want.

Well, I don't consider myself to be "freaking out", I'm just utterly disturbed. What DO the vandals want? Yea, to see the horrified reactions of the americans. does that mean that this thread gives them that? ehh... i'm pretty sure discussing it isnt the same thing as vomiting at the site or shedding tears (all of which are LEGITIMATE actions, don't get me wrong).

There was something similar here in Aus on ANZAC day. Some kids spraypainted something to the effect of 'all diggers are warmongers' on a memorial wall (a digger is slang for an Aussie/Kiwi soldier).

 

 

 

Just anoter raft of people who need a firm slap up the side of the bleeping head. I could write an essay on why but it would give far too much undue attention for attention seeking losers.

I dont know what to say, because thats discraseful..

 

I dont understand in any way how people would want to draw swastikas....

That's disgusting.

That's disgusting.

 

 

 

Haha, for some strange coincidental reason, when I read the post title and your name as the newest poster, my brain got 'SirHitler' :lol:

It's sick, but what the idiot vandals don't realise that the swastika has long in history been seen as a symbol for peace, not just the Nazi symbol.

I don't consider myself a patriot (or even a supporter of the US army in general), but this is still wrong.

 

 

 

The Nazis were far worse post-1937 than the US have ever been in their history (except for perhaps Nagasaki and Hiroshima). Therefore, I can't really see the logic behind their protest.

 

 

 

If, as the previous poster said, the sign is meant to represent peace, then they're just hypocrits to their own cause. Burning flags and graffiting is itself a break of the peace...

It's sick, but what the idiot vandals don't realise that the swastika has long in history been seen as a symbol for peace, not just the Nazi symbol.

 

 

 

Or maybe they were well educated vandals who, instead of wanting to offend people by drawing the Nazi swastika, were wanting to please them by drawing the peace one.

It's sick, but what the idiot vandals don't realise that the swastika has long in history been seen as a symbol for peace, not just the Nazi symbol.

 

 

 

Or maybe they were well educated vandals who, instead of wanting to offend people by drawing the Nazi swastika, were wanting to please them by drawing the peace one.

 

 

 

Heh :P Possible, but do we have that amount of faith in people today? Probably not, and with probably good reasons.

^ The point remains, we don't actually know what their symbols meant. We're just presuming it's Nazism or Peace. It could also be a sing of Hinduism. We just don't know...

No, we do know because it would be idiotic to think it was a gang of rogue Hindus.

No, we do know because it would be idiotic to think it was a gang of rogue Hindus.

 

 

 

You've missed my point... do you actually know why they did it or what those signs represent?

I have not missed your point. I am saying that your point is a pedantic one which, in the real world, holds no water.

 

 

 

If you think I've still missed your point, spell it out for me and I'll spell out why it's irrelevant.

All they're doing is proving how stupid Nazism is. They're extremely good at that. Each time they do it it's more and more pathetic.

 

 

 

And in case you didn't know, Russia beat them. :P

It's sick, but what the idiot vandals don't realise that the swastika has long in history been seen as a symbol for peace, not just the Nazi symbol.

 

 

 

Only when you add dots in the four quadrants does it become the symbol for Jainism. :wink:

Only when you add dots in the four quadrants does it become the symbol for Jainism. :wink:

 

 

 

Swastika has been used by many different cultures all around the world. Some got points in it, some is in 45ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâôankle and so on. Heck, even Finnish air forces used it before even NSDAP was found.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

This seems to have turned into a thread on swastika general knowledge.

my 2 grandfathers fought it that war and almost got killed out there people like them FOUGHT FOR THEM AND WHAT DO THEY DO THEY REPLACE IT WITH A SWASTIKA OH IM ANOYED IM UBER ANOYED :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

This seems to have turned into a thread on swastika general knowledge.

 

 

 

Yea people seem to like to show off how much they know about this stuff. Even though we all know the vandals didn't intend it as a peace symbol so its not really relevant.

my 2 grandfathers fought it that war and almost got killed out there people like them FOUGHT FOR THEM AND WHAT DO THEY DO THEY REPLACE IT WITH A SWASTIKA OH IM ANOYED IM UBER ANOYED :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

 

 

Man I think I just about lost it there. :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

Its just some troublemakers like Lionheart said. Really nothing that is a big deal.

my 2 grandfathers fought it that war and almost got killed out there people like them FOUGHT FOR THEM AND WHAT DO THEY DO THEY REPLACE IT WITH A SWASTIKA OH IM ANOYED IM UBER ANOYED :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

 

 

Oh, the irony. :mrgreen:

my 2 grandfathers fought it that war and almost got killed out there people like them FOUGHT FOR THEM AND WHAT DO THEY DO THEY REPLACE IT WITH A SWASTIKA OH IM ANOYED IM UBER ANOYED :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

 

 

Oh, the irony. :mrgreen:

 

 

 

I thought about that one for a little bit before getting it.

 

ROFL. Thats hilarious. :lol:

the vermin. where it up to me they would find themselves drafted and used as cannon fodder to protect our troops in the field. I.E. Need some one to see if a building has enemy insurgents in it? send one of the flag burners to find out. a few months of that and they would quickly have a new found respect for our fighting men and women. that is of course if they survive that long.