For all the grief we give Ryan Walters, it’s hard to deny that Edmond Public Schools can be an “Easy A” for providing him with right-wing controversies to exploit.
First, they let students lick each other's toes for charity. Now, they’re not allowing students to fly the American flag on school property!
Earlier this week, some Jr. Captain America wannabe took to social media to complain that Edmond North High School wouldn’t let him fly a super-sized American flag from the back of his patriotic pickup truck.
As a result, bored Edmond North students – who probably couldn’t identify half the states on a US map – decided to rally together and fly American flags on their cars as a sign of protest.
The local news media – seeing the Nielsen ratings’ red glare and social media clicks bursting in air – quickly descended on the scene to milk the story for all it was worth.
Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big American flag guy.
I’m patriotic in the sense that I cheer for the US in sporting events, wars, and foreign currency manipulation, but that’s about it. I also take a George Carlin approach to flags, emblems, and little yellow ribbons – let’s leave symbols to the symbol-minded.
That being said, even I think this is an absurd practice or policy or whatever the school wants to call it!
I can see a school perhaps regulating the size of a flag or how a student may display it, but come on. This is America! We already force students to pledge allegiance to the flag each morning and sing the anthem before sporting events, so what’s the big deal with displaying it on a car like it’s an OU football flag from the year 2000?
(By the way, that was 24 years ago.)
Here's the statement Edmond Public Schools issued to try to justify their stance:
Really? They implemented the rule to prevent “disruptions and distractions” during the school day? What do they think Edmond kids are going to do? Form a prayer circle around it each morning?!
Okay, based on my own experience at PC West High School, I guess that’s a possibility, but come on – about the only time an American flag causes a “disruption or distraction” is when you try to burn or ban it.
Naturally, seeing a grand opportunity to pander to right-wing nuts, fight his manufactured woke liberal bogeyman, and distract the media and general public from the damage he’s inflicted on Oklahoma public schools, Ryan Walters is already spreading the controversy in the right-wing outrage machine:
God and country are now hated by the woke left. @edmondschools has a lot to explain. https://t.co/TIPHCNcWmA
— Superintendent Ryan Walters (@RyanWaltersSupt) August 23, 2024
Ryan’s eagerness to exploit the controversy makes me seriously wonder if the whole thing is a contrived attempt to provide a distraction.
“Mr. Walters, we have a problem! The House is investigating you, the Attorney General has you in his crosshairs, and the feds are now coming after us. What should we do?”
“Does Edmond still have that stupid rule where you can’t fly the American flag on school property?”
“I think so.”
“Grab my phone from the girls' bathroom. I have some calls to make.”
Anyway, if you want to read more about the controversy, stop by News 9, Channel 5, or The Oklahoman. Or better yet, just watch Fox News over the weekend. With Ryan’s PR hacks still working moderately hard on the taxpayer’s dime to promote him, I’m sure they’ll score him on a couple of segments.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
