She arbitrarily suppressed the First Amendment.
Via Penn Live:
This is a story about freedom of speech.
It’s a story about the freedom to learn, and certainly the freedom to feel outrage and anger over another’s speech.
And finally, it’s also now become a quickly-moving story about who gets to decide whether any of the above is right and proper.
Our tale begins with the Hanover Area Historical Society’s summer display of 50 flags from different chapters of North American history at the state Capitol’s East Wing Rotunda.
The collection of handmade replica flags spans the age of early exploration – starting with a flag believed to have flown on Viking quadroons – through colonization and expansion to the present day.
And yes, there is a chapter devoted to the Civil War era, including the flag of the Confederate States of America – then and still one of the most controversial political symbols in our heritage.
That’s where the plot thickens, and Harrisburg started to feel a little bit like, say, Jackson, Mississippi.
The flag was in its place at least as late as 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
But Wednesday morning, shortly before a press event to draw attention to the display, its curator, Debra Markle, found a gap in the display. The Confederate flag and it’s accompanying placard was missing.
Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, a Philadelphia Democrat and the current chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, told PennLive Wednesday morning that she took the flag down Tuesday night.
Brown, who said she was offended by the flag’s presence in the Pennsylvania Capitol, said she turned it in to unnamed House officials. She is expected to address the issue further at a press conference today.
Capitol Police, however, confirmed that the flag ultimately wound up in the hands of House Speaker Mike Turzai’s office, and it was returned to its place in the Capitol display – briefly – about 11 a.m. Wednesday.
But by 11:45, there was another twist.
Acting on what she said was a direct order from Gov. Tom Wolf, Department of General Services employee Lori Sherlock removed the flag, apparently for a final time, from the display.