Symbols can hold tremendous power.

The recent conflict between a sheriffís deputy and an Asheville couple over an upside-down American flag brought home just how powerful ó and divisive ó symbols can be.

To Mark and Deborah Kuhn, flying the inverted flag in front of their home was an act of patriotism. Signs pinned to it explained that it was meant not as an act of disrespect, but as a distress cry for the nation.

But to Deputy Brian Scarborough, a National Guardsman and veteran of the war in Iraq, it was an affront and a betrayal of the country he had served.

Scarborough, at the urging of a fellow Guardsman, took it on himself to visit the Kuhns and issue them a citation for violating the stateís anti-flag-desecration law.

A scuffle then ensued, the details of which are still in dispute. Scarborough says Mark Kuhn slammed his arm in a door. The Kuhns say Scarborough attacked Mark Kuhn.

At any rate, one thing is clear: The statute Scarborough was trying to enforce was in direct contradiction to two Supreme Court rulings that determined such laws unconstitutional.

Sheriff Van Duncan, much to his credit, was magnanimous, dropping all charges against the Kuhns, yet at the same time noting that their freedom to protest the war is protected by ìyoung men like Deputy Scarborough.î

Duncan, it would appear, remembers that he swore an oath to another important American symbol: the U.S. Constitution.

We believe that the right of free citizens to protest and express their consciences must trump any emotional attachment that others might have to political or religious symbols.

Clearly the flag holds great meaning to most Americans. But that meaning is rooted in the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution ó including the freedom to desecrate a flag.

If we truly love the meaning behind the symbol of the flag, then we must never seek to subjugate those freedoms for which it stands.
Scarborough should be disciplined for allowing his personal feelings to interfere with his duty to serve and protect the Constitution. At the same time, his service to the nation deserves our appreciation.

In a free society, patriotism takes many forms.