Tea Party Members Raise Flag On Own Pole

Members of the tea party in Connecticut raised the flag they've adopted as part of their movement even after police at the state Capitol said it could not fly over the building. The group wanted to raise the Gadsden flag and its "Don't Tread On Me" slogan atop its own flag pole near the Capitol during its rally Friday. State Capitol police approved Friday's flying of the Gadsden Flag atop the Capitol. Dating back to before the Revolutionary War, the flag is well known for its serpent and its warning of "Don't Tread on Me." However, on Thursday afternoon, the decision was reversed and the flag will not be flown. "The same way I don't think we should have a Democratic flag or a Republican flag on top of the Capitol, I don't think they should have a Green Party flag or a Working Families Party flag," said Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven. The group raised its adopted flag on a different flagpole on the south side of the building near Capitol Avenue. "This is not just a movement, this is the tea party nation. This is about that flag, which for 300 years has been a representation of the people who rule government, not government ruling the people," said Duffy Acevedo, who is currently running for the governor on the Republican ticket...more