Every so often, frequently in election years, there are public conversations about patriotism. There’s been no shortage of such conversations in recent weeks between Colin Kaepernick and the National Anthem or a proposal in Congress related to the American Flag.
In 2004, it was a 64-year-old veteran in Loup County who became the center of this ongoing conversation. Larry Lentz of Loup County expressed his concerns about the war in Iraq by flying his flag upside down. He supports his fellow service members and felt that criticizing the war was part of supporting those currently in uniform.
Larry was ticketed under a Nebraska law that prohibited “mutilation of a flag.”
The ACLU has a long history of defending free speech policies related to flags, including the confederate flag.
Loup County dropped the charges against our client after we intervened. The ACLU is currently defending the free speech rights of another veteran, incidentally also named Larry. Larry Ball was ticketed for distributing pamphlets outside of the Pinnacle Bank Arena. We are currently fighting that case on appeal.
2016 is the 50th anniversary of the ACLU of Nebraska. We will feature several memories from our five decades of defending freedom in the Cornhusker state here. Do you have a favorite memory? Share it with us!
