On this day, April 4, 2020, New York state got 1,000 ventilators after the Chinese government facilitated a donation from billionaires Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai, the co-founders of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state of Oregon had volunteered to send 140 more breathing machines. New York had 113,700 confirmed cases as of this morning. At least 3,565 had died in New York and more than 115,000 had tested positive.
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January 6 has been engraved in American history as a day of revolt with a mob storming the United States Capitol. When President Trump invited everyone to come to their State Capitols and Washington DC, a big U.S. flag became the center of attention. There were several people hunting down the 30ft by 60ft “Flag Called Freedom†that had been seen at multiple events up and down the west coast. Last year the flag was seen at "We the People of Lane County" events in Springfield and Salem, the Dunes and Deplorables event at the coast, and the star of the Creswell 4th of July Parade.
The flag belongs to a man named Paul who lives south of Eugene. Ultimately, Paul, his brother and nephew drove the flag on a 42-hour drive to DC for the January 6 celebration. There were at least 20 people that traveled to DC from Oregon.
Once there, the morning of the 6th, the flag was released into the crowd at the Washington Monument where it “Patriot Surfed†through hundreds of thousands during President Trump’s speech. Then parading to the capitol steps, it crowd-surfed with just hands of everyone keeping it up. It was going well like a great celebration should. When the flag made its way to the front of the Capitol, where some scaffolding was standing, it was swept up in the emotion and someone climbed the scaffolding and lifted the “Flag Called Freedom†vertical for all to see, and where it stayed well after sundown.
What happened next has been the topic of the news for the past six months and we still don’t know the truth on what transpired. But the fate of the “Flag Called Freedom†ended up in the Capitol Police hands, when the area was closed off. Since then it has been held in an evidence locker pending an FBI investigation.
None of the people from Lane County are known to have entered the Capitol, but that hasn’t stopped the FBI from interviewing at least seven people from Oregon. So, when Paul was notified, he could have his flag back, it seems people in DC are afraid to retrieve the flag for Paul and send it to him.
Paul purchased his “Flag Called Freedom†as a way to share his love of this country. He has made a legacy of special value for the flag. He plans to get his flag back even if he has to fly to DC and get it himself. In the meantime, he is working several angles including attempting to get staff from Representative Cliff Benz’s office to ship it, whom also seems to be afraid of getting into a political mouse trap.
Paul says his plan for the “Flag Called Freedom†is to auction it off and give the proceeds to a nonprofit veterans group. That isn’t the end. Paul plans to buy another “Flag Called Liberty.†In the meantime, the “Flag Called Freedom†will again be at the Creswell 4th of July Parade, and if you see it there or the next time you attend a rally, look for the enormous “Flag Called Freedom†and give Paul a thumbs up.
