(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) To celebrate Flag Day, Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser may have violated federal law by adding a 51st star to represent the District of Columbia.
Bowser ordered her team to hang the 51-star flags along Pennsylvania Avenue, “as a reminder to Congress an the nation that the 700,000 tax-paying American citizens living in Washington, DC, demand to be recognized,” Fox News reported.
Critics argued that the desecration of the flag might be a violation of 18 U.S. Code § 700.
But Bowser shrugged off the offense—and pushed for an even greater violation of the US Constitution by demanding statehood.
“On Flag Day, we celebrate American ideals, American history, and American liberty,” Bowser said in a statement.
“But the very foundation of those ideals, and the basis for our liberty, is representation,” she continued. “DC’s disenfranchisement is a stain on American democracy—a 220-year-old wrong that demands to be righted.”
DC’s statehood remains a contentious issue among lawmakers.
The city’s population has more than 700,000 residents—greater than some of the smaller states—but the residents don’t have representation in the House or Senate.
The district also does not have control over its own local affairs.
In April, Democrats of the House passed the DC Admission Act, in an attempt to grant DC statehood and allow them full representation in Congress.
Republican lawmakers have argued that because DC’s establishment is based in Article 1, section 8, clause 17 of the Constitution, changes to the district must come in the form of a constitutional amendment, not congressional legislation.
Conservatives also argue that allowing DC statehood is an attempted power grab on part of their left-leaning colleagues, in an attempt to expand the Senate from a largely liberal area.
Roughly 90% of DC’s population votes Democrat, which would make it even bluer than far-left California.
Moreover, the political corruption within the Beltway became evident after the recent trial of Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, during which the judge and several jury members all revealed personal ties to the defendant.
Bowser cited many personal reason she believes D.C. should be a state, including that the city’s residents had a right to choose whether or not to abort their children.
“As Americans nationwide brace for a decision on the future of Roe v. Wade, we are also reminded that DC’s disenfranchisement impacts not just Americans living in D.C., but Americans nationwide who share our values,” Bowser said.
“While the stakes are even higher for Washingtonians, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans who believe in a woman’s right to choose.”
The 50th and most recent star which was added to the flag, representing Hawaii, was admitted on Aug. 21, 1959.
