LSU Student Decides Against Burning Flag as Thousands Stage Counter Demonstration

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

A student’s plans to burn an American flag on the LSU campus were cut short when thousands of combative counter demonstrators arrived on scene, prompting police to escort the student to safety.

Crowds wearing red, white and blue and chanting “U-S-A” threw water balloons and ice at Benjamin Haas, a communication studies graduate student, while he tried to read a prepared statement in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500 to 2,500 students and community members.

Haas publicized the event on Facebook and obtained a permit for peaceful protest from the university, according to LSU Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard. But when he found out he also needed a burn permit from the city to set fire to a flag, he decided to read a statement instead – but the rival protesters still would not let up.

“The crowd was following him because he moved from one location to another, so I think the police wanted for everyone’s safety involved to escort him out of the area,” Ballard told FoxNews.com.

Horse-mounted police worked their way through the crowds until they were able to escort Haas off the premises in a police cruiser, according to LSU's student newspaper The Daily Reveille.

Haas organized the protest in response to the arrest of fellow LSU student Isaac Eslava, who was charged last week for taking the American flag at the Baton Rouge campus’ historic War Memorial and burning it hours after news of Usama bin Laden’s killing by U.S. Navy Seals.

The 10-by-15 flag burned by Eslava flew atop a 102-foot pole 24 hours a day at the campus and honors all the war dead from LSU. Police said there was about $7,530 worth of damage at the memorial and called it very "coincidental" that the event took place so soon after bin Laden's death.

“I think that (Haas') goal from this protest was to have LSU drop charges (against Eslava) and handle the matter internally,” Ballard said.

Haas said in his statement that he “initially began this flag burning protest to define due process for students and suspected terrorists alike,” The Daily Reveille reported. “Solidarity means standing with those who are treated as guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other day around.”

LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said in a university-wide press release that he was pleased Haas opted not to burn the flag.

“I’m happy that after talking to university officials and realizing how many people are against flag-burning, that he thought better of it,” he said in a statement that appeared to contradict Ballard's explanation for Haas' decision. Officials were not immediately available to explain the contradiction.
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Well, now Haas will get his own due process...

[Sanguine]

Excellent! As it should be.

[SrWoodchuck]

One year, at the King Bacchus parade. before MardiGras Day [usually a celebrity is honored as King Bacchus, and the parade runs down Canal Street in NOLA.....starting at dusk] I found myself locked in the median, between North & South Canal Street; with about 8,000 other people [they put police barricades on both sides of the median & also on the opposite sides of Canal Street....to contain the parade route.] Everyone had been drinking prior to, and as the parade progressed.....only to find that there were only two Port'O'Potty's for the whole crowd & one was protected by armed guards at the reviewing stand! The only solution was to jump both barricades & head into a dark alley of the French Quarter [if you're a man....it's easier.] Unfortunately, the police had mounted patrols [like those described above] and they would run you down between the barricades, and beat you senseless with 3 foot hard rubber truncheons, and then throw you back over the barricades to bleed & whimper. I waited in the Port'O'Potty line with my wife for 45 minutes [watching big, strong men weep, and beg] and then had to take my own chances with the mounted police.

 

The trick to a successful.......break.......was to wait until the police were beating the hoo-haw out of some other guy, and do a swift high hurdles into the Quarter. I can say from experience......the mounted police are experts at crowd control.....and flag-burning dude was lucky they didn't tune him up instead.

[AceRimmer]

SrWoodchuck!

 

Other than Endymion, Bacchus is the biggest parade before Fat Tuesday. Add 10 times the number to your estimate of people who are drunk and desperately needing to reach a bathroom. My last trip to N'Awlins for Mardi Gras was almost 20 years ago. It's just too crazy now, even for a former frat rat like me(though it would have been fun to see the Saints on their Super Bowl victory parade).

[SrWoodchuck]

SrWoodchuck!

 

Other than Endymion, Bacchus is the biggest parade before Fat Tuesday. Add 10 times the number to your estimate of people who are drunk and desperately needing to reach a bathroom. My last trip to N'Awlins for Mardi Gras was almost 20 years ago. It's just too crazy now, even for a former frat rat like me(though it would have been fun to see the Saints on their Super Bowl victory parade).

Ace!

 

There were Port'O'Potty's in the Quarter at different locations, and I'm sure businesses would allow you in, if you were drinkining or buying......but on that median.......only 2 johns! People were going where they stood. You had to be more than normally careful to pick up any "throws" from the Krewe floats. During the King parade on Fat Tuesday, we were guests of the Shrine Temple downtown on the parade route......and had bathroom privileges......and all the beer & hot dogs we could eat. I was able to get a Zulu coconut......and we had to ship back the beads, cups, panties & medallions that we picked up over the two weeks of parades before the King parade. Lot's of "suckin' heads & pinchin' tails" too. I remember wandering the Quarter with a 96 ounce beer in one hand & a 72 ounce 'Royal Rum' [seven different rums in fruit juice with 151 proof floated on top. It was pretty surreal.......400 pound hairy guy in nothing but a pink leotard & tutu...Al Hirt's Half-Fast Marching Band......pornographic nuns....

 

We went to two Mardi Gras over the years......and that seems to be enough.