Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for April 2010: The cop who said, Put down those flags, Tea Partiers!

Last month's biggest busybody was the New York politician who's waging a war on salt.

This month's top honors could have gone to the US senator who wants to block betting on box office sales or the Silicon Valley pol who yanked toys from kids' meals.

But the Nanny of the Month goes to the North Carolina cop who clamped down on tax day protestors' right to carry flags and signs because he feared Old Glory might be used as a weapon. (Hey, we can't have those tea party loons goring people with flag poles!)

Presenting Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for April 2010: State Capitol Police Chief Scott Hunter!

Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Editor: Alex Manning; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick; Animation: Meredith Bragg. Approximately 1.20 minutes.

Go to Reason.tv for downloadable iPod, HD and audio version of this and all our videos.

Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel and receive automatic notifications when new content is posted.

Comments

[Tim]

God hates flags.

[St. V]

*Thumbs up*

[OGRE]

Ha! Including the scene from the Patriot is gold!

[Death Panelist]

The horse had it coming. Damn collaborator.

[r3VOLutionist777]

Ha. Good humor!!

[proud libitard]

Yes, my home town of Raleigh gets a shout out!! Wait, that's a good thing right? Damn...

[P Brooks]

Flags with snakes on them are scary.

[?]

Ya well... We wanted them to be impressive. Scary tends to impress.

Owe ya one, QT.

[New York]

'Bout time you picked on someone else for a change.

[Nick]

Those tiny flags are easier to wield, easier to conceal, and could poke your eye out, kid. Flag ninjas, people. Flag ninjas.

[Tim]

Assault flags while larger, have features normally only found on military flags, such as brass pointy eagles on the pole top, tassles and frills. There's no legitimate sporting use for these features.

[fresno dan]

Yeah, but there is no hunting reason for a hand-flag. And only a militia can carry flags - the constitution says nothing about the right of individuals to carry flags.

They can have my flag when they pry it out of my cold, dead, flag waving fingers.
And when we outlaw flags, only flags will have outlaws!

[SigP226]

Don't forget "the shoulder thing that goes up".

[Some Guy]

I wouldn't call that nanny behavior. I would call it generally being an asshole.

[Benjamin Lecrone]

I think mathematically it would look something like this...

neo-progressive nanny = giant asshole

So, in fact, you're both right!

[Some Guy]

Nanny is a subset of asshole, not the other way around.

[Nanny]

Now you kids play nice or I'll have no choice but to S.W.A.T. your lil' hineys!

[tony]

that was the shit right there!

[Mango Punch]

Can you carry a giant stick/pole without a flag attached?

[John Holmes]

Yes.

[Captain Kanuck]

Actually they're more dangerous with poles less than a foot. You could burn your hands.

[Brett]

To ban the carrying of flags in a peaceful protest violtaes the Firt Amendment. To do so because the flag could be used as a weapon violates the Second.

[LarryA]

So burning a flag is Constitutionally protected, but waving it isn't?

And, by the way, North Carolina is a right-to-carry state. I suspect a lot of the tea party folks were carrying more than a flag.

[Tim]

Shoulda tied the flag to a rifle...

[Almanian]

Oh, yeah, and since you picked the black guy:

RACIST!

[bluecrane]

All the while this cop parades around with a gun. Does anybody realize how much harm he can do with a gun compared to flags on pig stickers?

[TaterSalad]

Along with Obama's "IN-ACTION) with this oil spill he just might have another problem on his hands to deal with:

http://www.nationalenquirer.co.....rity/68589

[Martin Owens]

Wonder if that last-minute rule would've surfaced just in front of a demonstration where they were set to carry Viet Cong or PLO flags?

[Crispy]

So carrying a flag is not protected by the First Amendment unless you intend to burn it?

[Jason Furball]

Tell it to Ted Landsmark people!

[Tim]

Doesn't the capitol have its own flag on an ENORMOUS pole?

[Jeffersonianideal]

Reminds me of the line in Dr. Strangelove when President Merkin Muffley, played by Peter Sellers announced, "Gentleman, you can't fight in here, this is the war room."

[Scarpe Nike]

is good

[sd]

sd