A military veteran was detained but not charged by Valdosta State University police after she approached a group of protesters on campus who were walking on an American flag and took it from them.
Michelle Manhart, an Air Force veteran, said she was not planning to take the flag from the group, but she had heard about the group’s recent campus demonstrations and wanted to take action.
“I did not want anything like this, but I got a call from a student who told me that the flag was on the ground, and they were walking on it,” said Manhart. “I was just going over there to pick up the flag off the ground. I don’t know what their cause is, but I went to pick it up because it doesn’t deserve to be on the ground.”
Manhart said she was taken into custody by VSU police officers who then returned the flag to the demonstrators. She admitted to The Valdosta Daily Times that she resisted arrest after seeing the flag being returned.
The group reportedly declined to press charges against Manhart. The officers attempting to detain her also declined to press charges for resisting.
The minute I saw the video up above I thought, "publicity stunt."
And I think my instincts are probably right, because as it turns out this "military veteran" is also a former Playboy model.
Like I said I highly doubt that her response to the protesters was fueled by patriotism, but if somebody was offended by what they saw the proper thing to do would be to file a complaint or even respectfully express your feelings to the protesters themselves.
But stealing the flag from them and then fighting with the cops who are simply trying to defuse the situation is ridiculous.
But like I said it will play well with the Fox News crowd who will undoubtedly be sufficiently outraged.
(H/T to Raw Story.)
Update: Well it looks as it Manhart has a history of disrespecting the flag, and her uniform, as well:
Manhart, a sergeant in the Air Force at the time, appeared in Playboy in 2007, posing in uniform, out of uniform and while draped with the American flag. She was reprimanded and demoted and quit the military the next year.
Can you say "hypocrisy?"
