Teh One Who Knocks
07-06-2015, 02:56 PM
By Jonathan Constante - Opposing Views
http://i.imgur.com/46FF0gg.jpg
A volunteer firefighter has been suspended after he decorated his department’s fire truck wit the confederate flag at a parade in Minnesota.
Brian Nielsen, 43, says he’s not a racist. He said he flew both the Confederate and American flags on the back of the Hartland Fire Department truck because he is tired of political correctness, KMSP reported.
Despite his intentions, Nielsen’s decoration was not well received by others. Someone at the Third of July Parade posted a photo of the fire truck online and it quickly went viral.
"It was my decision and I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but boy was I wrong," Nielsen told The Associated Press.
Hartland Fire Chief Trent Wangen suspended Nielsen on Sunday. An investigation has been launched. Nielsen said he believes he will be asked to step down.
The Confederate flag has become a topic of heated debate following the Charleston Shooting, where Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at a historically black church in South Carolina.
Major retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, Sears and eBay have already agreed to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise, CNN reported.
Still, Nielsen says his actions were not motivated by race.
"I don't see race," he said. "Black and white are the same to me. My belief is that `politically correct' is going too far."
http://i.imgur.com/46FF0gg.jpg
A volunteer firefighter has been suspended after he decorated his department’s fire truck wit the confederate flag at a parade in Minnesota.
Brian Nielsen, 43, says he’s not a racist. He said he flew both the Confederate and American flags on the back of the Hartland Fire Department truck because he is tired of political correctness, KMSP reported.
Despite his intentions, Nielsen’s decoration was not well received by others. Someone at the Third of July Parade posted a photo of the fire truck online and it quickly went viral.
"It was my decision and I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but boy was I wrong," Nielsen told The Associated Press.
Hartland Fire Chief Trent Wangen suspended Nielsen on Sunday. An investigation has been launched. Nielsen said he believes he will be asked to step down.
The Confederate flag has become a topic of heated debate following the Charleston Shooting, where Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at a historically black church in South Carolina.
Major retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, Sears and eBay have already agreed to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise, CNN reported.
Still, Nielsen says his actions were not motivated by race.
"I don't see race," he said. "Black and white are the same to me. My belief is that `politically correct' is going too far."