Vivek Ramaswamy, America’s self-professed and de facto CEO of Anti-Woke Inc, weighed in on the Gadsden flag debate after a 12-year-old was told to remove the patch from on his backpack. The incident occurred at The Vanguard School in Colorado. The yellow flag features a coiled rattlesnake with the phrase: Don’t tread on me. A video was posted on Twitter which showed the school’s administrator telling the mother the patch had to be removed because of the flag’s “origins with slavery and slave trade”.
Reacting, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said: “The idea that the Gadsden flag is rooted in racism is beyond ridiculous. It served as a warning to King George and Britain not to violate the liberties of American colonists. In fact, in 2014, a USPS worker in Denver, CO filed a complaint of racial discrimination with his employer that dealt with a co-worker wearing a Gadsden flag hat to work. It was held under the law that the Gadsden flag originated in a non-racial context & is *not* a racist symbol.”
Read: Eminem tells Vivek Ramaswamy to stop rapping Lose Yourself
He added: “Our Founding Fathers put free speech in the *First* Amendment for a reason: without it, the rest of the Constitution is toothless. Remember Orwell: the way to control a society’s mind is to control its language first. We’re living in a 1775 moment in this country right now & the American people are tired of being tread on. The Revolution is coming 🐍🇺🇸”
Incidentally, even the US military has used the “Don’t Tread on Me” symbol in war and Navy Seals have worn the message into combat.
What is the Gadsden flag?
The Gadsden flag is also known as the ‘Hopkins Flag’ or ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag. The historic flag was used by Commodore Esek Hopkins, the United States’ first naval commander in chief. He used it during the American Revolution (1775–83), as his personal ensign.
The flag is named after Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and brigadier general in the Continental Army, who designed it. He gave the flag to Commodore Esek. Notably, it was unfurled on December 20, 1775, on the main mast of Esek’s flagship USS Alfred. Christopher made the flag as a warning to Britain, demanding that it does not violate the liberties of its American subjects. The flag is called the “most popular symbol of the American revolution.” The rattlesnake drawn on the flag appears ready to strike. Read more.
www.hindustantimes.com
Source link