RV retailer Camping World defies order by California officials to take down giant American flag



A major recreational vehicle retailer was ordered to take down a giant American flag. However, the RV retailer has defied the order mandated by officials in California.

Camping World RV Sales is located in French Camp, California — about 80 miles east of San Francisco. The RV retailer had flown a giant American flag above its dealership until April when county officials ordered it to be taken down over concerns over the flagpole.

The Camping World CEO declared that the American flag would stay up — no matter what the county says.

San Joaquin County officials told KTLX that there were concerns regarding the flag pole's foundation and the pole's proximity to property lines and Interstate 5, should the pole collapse.

“Camping World’s flagpole was installed with neither a building permit nor planning approval, therefore they are in conversation with the code enforcement division," the county said in a statement to the outlet.

On Monday, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis ordered the dealership to restore the American flag to the top of the pole. Lemonis said Camping World's flagpole is installed securely and "rooted deeply in the ground."

Lemonis noted that there are "hundreds" of Camping World locations with giant American flags, and there are no issues.

"If we felt like we were putting people in danger or causing any issues with air traffic, which would absolutely not be okay, then I wouldn’t do it," Lemonis told KTLX.

"It's symbolism about how we feel about this country. We have a lot of veterans who work for us, and a lot of veterans who shop with us," Lemonis added.

He declared, "I happen to be an immigrant. I was given the blessing of being able to enter this country and become a citizen, and I'm grateful for it. It's been part of my life since I was a little child down in Miami, Florida, where we had the largest flag pole in Miami at our car dealership."

Lemonis conceded that he may have kept a flag down if it was used for marketing purposes while ironing out the permit issue with the county. The Camping World CEO declared that the American flag would stay up — no matter what the county says.

San Joaquin County officials said Camping World has applied for a building permit for the flagpole and the application is under review.

This is not the first time that Camping World has faced government scrutiny for flying a massive American flag.

In May 2019, the American flag was declared to be too large at the Camping World location in Statesville, North Carolina — roughly 40 miles north of Charlotte.

Camping World defied the order by Statesville officials to take down the flag. The business was fined $50 a day for the flag violation.

Lemonis told Fox Business at the time, "We have flown this flag for a long time. As I told the city ... it’s not coming down under any circumstance."

Attorneys for Lemonis declared in a filing that the huge American flag "represents the fundamental values — freedom, courage, and equality before the law — that unite all Americans and transcend party politics. ... In keeping with this tradition, The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that the act of flying the flag is a form of political expression protected by the First Amendment."

Attorneys for Statesville cited a North Carolina state law that declares there can be size restrictions on flags "for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety, and welfare."

In a settlement with the city, Camping World was allowed to keep the American flag up, but had to pay more than $14,000 in fines for originally breaking the town's ordinance, plus pay an additional $2,000 in legal costs.

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Are You Proud to be an American?

Are You Proud to be an American?

Poll finds only about a third of young adults are proud to be American



A poll published Monday, the day after Independence Day, found that a majority of young people do not identify as being proud to be American.

The poll, conducted by Issues & Insights and Tippinsights, found that among young adults age 18-24 only 36% said they were very or extremely proud to be Americans. Young adults were also the group most likely to say they were only slightly or not at all proud to be an American, with 35% saying so.

Overall, on the 245th anniversary of American Independence, a 68% majority of surveyed adults said they were very or extremely proud to be an American. Another 15% said they were moderately proud.

Only 6% said they "aren't proud at all" and another 8% said they were just slightly proud.

Senior citizens were the age group most proud of their country, with 86% of respondents age 65 and over saying they were very or extremely proud. A 75% majority of middle-age Americans between 45-64 and a 59% majority of adults 25-44 said the same.

The poll found that majorities of blacks (55%) and hispanics (57%), often described as the victims of a supposed structurally racist American society, said they were very or extremely proud to be Americans.

"The results show that the concerted attempts by the left to describe the country as fundamentally racist, corrupt, unfair, and in need of a 'transformation' have not had much of an impact on the general population," Issues & Insights reported, the exception being with young adults.

Men were more likely than women to say they were proud of their country. A strong majority of 81% of men said they were very or extremely proud to be American, compared to 65% of women.

Single women were less proud of their country than married women (51% vs. 70%).

Majorities within all levels of education said they were proud to be Americans, though those with college degrees (75%) were more likely to say they were very or extremely proud than those who only held high school diplomas (62%).

Conservatives were far more likely to say they were proud of America than liberals, but majorities across the political spectrum said they were very or extremely proud. A whopping 81% of conservatives said they were proud, as did 66% of self-identified moderates and 55% of liberals.

The I&I/TIPP poll was conducted by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence from June 30 through July 2, and includes responses from 1,424 adults, giving it a margin of error of +/- 2.8 points.