Go Fly a Flag Coos Bay
Coos Bay City Council Meeting:
When: Tuesday, June 21, 7pm – 9pm
Where: Council Chamber, Coos Bay City Hall (map)
Since the city council of Coos Bay has decided to display flags other than the US flag, State flag or city flag, it only makes sense that the city should fly everyone’s flag equally.
Right now, only the city councilors get to choose what flags will fly over the city. Every individual has the right to the equal application of the law, so that means the city should allow everyone to display their flag of choice over the city of Coos Bay. The council has made inclusivity one of its goals for creating a more welcoming place, so allowing everyone the same opportunity to freedom of expression would be the best place to start.
Other city councils have tried to use the flag law to refuse people’s request to display their flags of choice, but the Supreme Court recently ruled against those city officials and agreed with the citizens.
Unanimous Supreme Court rules in favor of Christian flag | The Christian Century
Several of us are going to request the city council to display these two flags.
The Christian Flag
The Gadsden Flag
Coos Bay City Council Meeting:
When: Tuesday, June 21, 7pm – 9pm
Where: Council Chamber, Coos Bay City Hall (map)
Contact the Mayor and City Councilors and request them to display these flags.
Mayor Joe Benetti
Councilor Lucinda DiNovo
Councilor Drew Farmer
Councilor Stephanie Kilmer
Councilor Carmen Matthews
Councilor Rob Miles
Sara Stephens
While the Council related action items such as resolutions and ordinances are signed after approval or enactment, policy documents are not. Such is the case with the Council Flag policy. You can find the staff agenda report on the matter and when it was discussed by the Council on September 21, 2021 online at: https://coosbay.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/Coversheet.aspx?ItemID=2520&MeetingID=442. A link in the report will take you to the policy and it is also attached. In addition, you will find the minutes from the meeting posted online for September 21, 2021 at http://coosbay.org/government/search_agendas-minutes which are also attached. Lastly, a video recording of the meeting can be found online at https://coosmediacenter.viebit.com/player.php?hash=toHlwdSn9I4M. The discussion regarding the Council Flag policy begins about 31 minutes into the meeting.
Other flags the city should display.
POW/MIA Flag
The Thin Blue Line Flag
The Betsy Ross Flag
History of the Gadsden Flag:
Gadsden Flag (revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com)
The Gadsden Flag was created by South Carolina Congressman Christopher Gadsden for the first Commander-in-Chief of the United States Navy, Esek Hopkins. The yellow flag with a rattlesnake and the words "Don't Tread On Me," was flown by Hopkins from his flagship the USS Alfred and hoisted by Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones. It was also the first flag of the United States Marines.
In 1754, during the French and Indian War, the colonies sent representatives to Albany, New York to discuss their joint defense. At this meeting, called the Albany Congress, Ben Franklin presented a plan to unite the colonies. He published America's first political cartoon in support of the plan.
The cartoon had a snake cut up into 8 pieces, each representing different colonies. Underneath the snake were the words "Join or Die." It played off a common superstition at the time, that a snake cut in pieces would come back to life if you put the pieces back together before sunset.
The meaning of the cartoon was that the colonies must unite and work together to defend themselves against the French and their Indian allies. Otherwise, if they stayed disjointed, they would be defeated. Franklin's plan was not accepted at that time, but it was the first call for the colonies to unite, 20 years before the American Revolution.
The History of the Christian Flag:
Do You Know the History of the Christian Flag? | Christian History | Christianity Today
The Christian flag dates back to an impromptu speech given by Charles C. Overton, a Sunday school superintendent in New York, on September 26, 1897. The guest speaker for the Sunday school kick-off didn't show up, so Overton had to wing it. Spying an American flag near the podium, he started talking about flags and their symbolism. Along the way he proposed that Christians should have their own flag—an idea that stayed on his mind long after the speech. In 1907 Overton teamed up with Ralph Diffendorfer, secretary to the Methodist Young People's Missionary Movement, to produce and promote the flag.
The colors on the flag, not surprisingly, match those on the American flag. White represents purity and peace, blue indicates fidelity, and red stands for Christ's blood sacrifice.