The Edison Township Council in New Jersey has banned citizens from having American flags, copies of the U.S. Constitution or “other props” at meetings.
A citizen who objected to the new rules was told by council president Nishith Patel that he was in violation ordered police to remove the man from the council chamber.
“To consider the American flag and the Constitution a prop when someone raises it is an insult to what the flag is, what the flag stands for and what this country is,” resident Maryann Hennessey told MyCentralJersey.com. “For you to consider the use of the American flag a prop is disgusting.”
Patel told the Edison Reporter that “any props will be considered not conducive to good order and as the President I am making that call.”
“The American flag is a symbol of our nation and our values,” resident Joel Bassoff told the Edison Reporter. “To suggest that displaying it is disruptive is an insult to everything it stands for.”
Edison Republican Chairwoman Sylvia Engle said that banning the flag from council meetings “goes beyond normal political discourse between parties and will be destructive to our diverse community. This goes beyond common sense, quite frankly it’s absurd.”
https://www.toddstarnes.com/values/nj-town-bans-american-flag-from-council-meetings/