After September 11, some intrepid hikers planted a large American flag on top of Peak 1, the northernmost peak of the Tenmile Range near Breckenridge, and overlooking Colorado Route 9 and I-70. At the time the peak was on private land, but when the Forest Service took over the peak, they let the flag stay, despite a general aversion to a proliferation of displays of any kind in the backcountry. Since the American flag represents the government that the Forest Service serves, they were willing to bow to a wave of public pressure and let the flag stay.
Then, this weekend, some bastard burned down the flag, bent the pole, and left a nasty anti-War message. There's some doubt as to whether or not the flag will go back up. What's most disheartening is that the leader of the group who put the flag up in the first place "doesn't want a fight." Why not? Why on earth should we let some idiot take down the flag? The guy who did so has already started a fight. The only question now is whether or not we fight back.
