Ironic quote of the day

Okay, so here's the set-up. A Tampa resident, Donnie James White, was arrested Monday for "public mutilation of a U.S. flag," which is still nominally illegal in Florida.

According to arrest reports, White got off his bicycle and stomped on the flag numerous times. When police confronted White at 3611 W. Hillsborough Ave., he rubbed himself with the flag, threw it on the ground, stomped on it and sat on it, the report said.

Yesterday, the state's attorney's office dropped charges, on the grounds that the 1919 statute creating the offense is unconstitutional and White's behavior was protected by the First Amendment.

As you might expect, not everyone was pleased with White's behavior.

Hernando County firefighter Pete Paolillo said he was one of several witnesses who saw White threatening to defecate on the flag Monday in Tampa. He was upset but not surprised after learning of White's release from jail.

"It seems like everyone takes freedom of speech for granted," said Paolillo, who claimed he tried to wrestle the flag from White. "I don't think that when our forefathers were coming up with the Constitution they thought people would be using freedom of speech to desecrate the United States flag."

And now for the irony:

"The fabric of the Constitution is being stepped on just like that flag was," Paolillo said. "And I think it's pretty sad."

One wonders if Mr. Paolillo is a Republican and, if so, if he is aware of who has been doing most of the stepping on the "fabric of the Constitution" over the last six years or so ...