A couple in St. John’s, Michigan recently took down the red, white and blue flag of Norway displayed on the porch of their bed and breakfast after receiving continuous complaints by ignorant liberals who accused the couple of flying the Confederate battle flag.
The Michigan bed and breakfast known as the Nordic Pineapple, run out of a mansion built in 1861 by a Union general, was started two years ago by Greg and Kjersten Offenbecker. The couple flew the Norwegian flag from a pillar opposite the American flag to honor Kjersten’s Norwegian heritage (her grandfather immigrated from Norway), according to Gateway Pundit. Last week, both the U.S. and Norway flags came down as the complaints intensified in recent months as so-called woke liberals have embarked on a campaign of violence and intimidation against public reminders of the Confederacy, even defacing tombstones of American soldiers.
Before the Nordic Pineapple was was a nearly 9,000-square-foot bed and breakfast the house was a local landmark. It was built in 1861 by Oliver Spaulding, a brevetted brigadier Union general and attorney. Spaulding served as a regent of the University of Michigan for six years, was a U.S. Congressman and a former Michigan Secretary of State.
An ironic twist in the story…the couple adopted two black children, boys aged 12 and 15. The couple told the Lansing State Journal that racism has not been an issue for the boys since moving to the small conservative town:
Their children experienced racism at a school district they attended on the west side of the state, she said, but so far their experience at St. Johns Public Schools has been positive.
“Having experienced that before and moving to a small conservative town in the middle of Michigan and have that not be an issue has been wonderful,” Kjersten Offenbecker said.
The Nordic Pineapple posted a statement to Facebook last week:
It is a sad day at The Nordic Pineapple. We have decided to no longer fly The Norwegian flag on the front of the inn. This flag is so often mistaken for the Confederate flag and people are often offended by it before they realize that they are mistaken. I am very proud of my Norwegian heritage and will fly it on special occasions like Norwegian Independence Day and maybe I will find a less conspicuous place to fly it but, for now we feel that it is the best decision to take it down.
I urge people to slow down and see the world through less jaded glasses. When we think of the worst before we have all the facts, we lose sight of all of good that out there that we should find. If you got to know us you would see that we are very proud Americans and very patriotic. Greg served this country in the Navy during Desert Storm and was a proud employee for the Department of Homeland Security. We have 2 adopted children who are both black and we have tried to teach them not to judge on first glance or outward appearances. We love being members of the St Johns community and are heartbroken to have had to make this decision. Given the current cultural climate and the idea that people are judging us based on the misconception of the national Norwegian flag vs. the Confederate flag, this is what is best for our family and our Inn.
-Kjersten
Kjersten Offenbecker still remembers the first time she heard that someone thought they were flying a Confederate flag on the front of their bed and breakfast. The couple, still new in town, was visiting a shop in the city’s downtown when the owner told them a customer had mentioned their bed and breakfast to him. “I was so happy at first,” Kjersten Offenbecker said. Then he told her the customer thought we were flying the Confederate flag out front.
“We were panicked initially because we were like, ‘Oh my Gosh. This town thinks that we’re hanging the Confederate flag.”
While the Norwegian flag contains the same colors as a Confederate flag, the patterns and symbols on each are different…just goes to show the ignorance of the left.
How far will the radical Democrats go to harass upstanding American citizens and businesses in an attempt to wash away American history?
