I was somewhat taken aback by the opening paragraphs of this post at Crooks and Liars, written by LeftJabber:
For nearly eight years, I have regularly ridden my bicycle past a house that has faithfully flown a Trump flag, right underneath Old Glory, without interruption in all that time.
The flag has been refreshed over the years — from the original MAGA slogan, to “Keep America Great,” to “Trump 2024”— but the political commitment, and the willingness to proclaim it, have never wavered.
I have had the exact same experience. Most of my bike rides (I am obsessive and ride almost every day, except when it rains or snows), due to where my home is situated, begin with a climb up Fort Hill, reputed to be the steepest climb on Route 1 in the nation. At the top of the hill, just as I begin my descent, there has been a Trump flag under Old Glory since 2016.
But the similarities end there. LeftJabber writes that in his case, the flag has now come down, hopefully permanently, and he speculates that the Trumper, who he assumes is a male, may have recently reaped what he has sown.
Not so in the case of the Fort Hill Trumper. I have it on reasonably good authority that it is a woman, and her flags continue to fly. But here’s where it gets even weirder. After reading LeftJabber’s article I stopped on my bike ride, crossed the road to get close, and took this shot of the Fort Hill Trumper’s flags.
Okay, not the greatest shot, but I did my best. Sometimes I wonder if the Fort Hill Trumper has in fact seen the light, and has continued to fly her tattered flags as a metaphor for what Trump, his enablers, and those who pull his strings have done to the country. But alas, I’m not buying that that’s her intent. Even so, I think that’s the message that most people in this blue part of the state take away as they drive (or bike) by.
I should add that I have biked by a number of houses displaying Trump flags (though none for as long and as constantly as the Fort Hill Trumper), and in at least one case the flag has indeed come down. So, maybe, as LeftJabber speculates, some of these folks have seen the light, though it is always a mystery how anyone could not have seen it from the start.
UPDATE: A couple of days after I posted this I rode by the Fort Hill Trumper again, and it looked like the flags had been replaced with some of a non-tattered variety! I wasn’t sure, as I passed by quickly, but I’ve subsequently confirmed it. I leave it to the reader to decide whether the Fort Hill Trumper got feedback about this blog post. (Added on the 9th)