A town meeting with a routine agenda was overtaken Monday night by a theater of passionate arguments for and against a selectman’s controversial actions over the last two weeks.
The town’s former Democratic first selectman Melissa Schlag is under fire by Republicans, residents and those around the country following her decision to kneel when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited at the July 16 Board of Selectmen meeting. The act is a silent protest she intends to practice until the tenets of the oath are held true across the country, including for undocumented immigrants.
“If you don’t like the flag then I’ll help you pack your bags!” Says a veteran to Haddam Selectman Melissa Schlag. “When you’re in the office, you respect that flag!” @Middletownpress pic.twitter.com/ijRMWXg0A1
— Cassandra Day (@cassandrasdis) July 30, 2018
Monday night, she kneeled on both knees during the pledge.
Schlag has said she was motivated primarily by President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that same day in Helsinki, Finland, during which he denied Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Council woman Melissa Schlag knelt during the pledge of allegiance again! Here’s what a Veteran had to say! #IStandForTheFlag #AmenBrother pic.twitter.com/SyyHgx0Vvy
— Frances Bates (@wartracebates) August 1, 2018
One elderly man, a veteran, was among the first to address Schlag during the hour-long public comment session. Thousands of veterans never came home, he said, referring to those interred in the Arlington National Cemetery.
And here is how citizens react to it.
Crowd reacts as Haddam Selectwoman Melissa Schlag kneels during the Pledge of Allegiance. #NBCCT pic.twitter.com/I9JacAtqM5
— Matt Austin (@mattaustinTV) July 30, 2018
