The town of Mead is a small Podunk in the west of Kansas, about a two hour drive from the thriving metropolis of Wichita.
What could put such a small town on the map? A rainbow flag that restaurant owners JR and Robin Knight put up a flag their son bought in California because, according to The Wichita Eagle:
“The rainbow flag was given to them by their 12-year-old son, who said it reminded him of Kansas and "The Wizard of Oz."
But to local bigots saw otherwise. Believing it was a symbol of gay pride, they tour it down and have thrown brinks through the window of the Lakeway Hotel and Restaurant all over a flag. The Knights have had to deal with vandalism of their place, a drop in business and they still refuse to take the flag down.
Also according to the Eagle:
“Thomas Witt, head of the Kansas Equality Coalition, a group whose mission is to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, said he doesn't see evidence of widespread gay intolerance in the town.
"We really think it's not the whole town," he said. "Most of the people out there are live-and-let-live; that's their culture. There's a few bad apples out there who think it's OK to write hate speech attached to a brick and throw it though people's windows."
On Monday, the Knights shared with a visitor a thick notebook filled with e-mails, cards and letters from people who support their right to fly the rainbow flag, for whatever reason.
'A nice scrap of news'
The southwest Kansas chapter of the equality coalition held its regular meeting Sunday at the Lakeway Hotel. "The meeting was fine," Witt said.
Although there was talk of a demonstration, only about half a dozen young men actually showed up to protest the meeting, he said.
"They said their piece... that they didn't want us in town," Witt said. Then, they left and drove up and down the street, he said.”
So a few Kansas rednecks have made a big stink over a flag. With the blather about terrorists wanting to destroy us because we value free speech, it’s it’s ironic that Kansas patriots want to muffle the speech of those they disagree with.
Why does Kansas always get national publicity for the worst of us.
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