America in Distress- put your debate face on!!!

So, there was a story on the local news this evening about a museum director from Danville, IL who was flying his American flag upside down.

Now, for those who are unaware, the upside down flag is used as a sign of distress. It can be and is also used as a sign of protest. This is exactly why this man flew his flag this way.

The 86 year old man has recieved many complaints about his seemingly disrespectful sign. However, on TV, he assured everyone that he never meant disrespect to men and women in the military, as he served in three wars himself- WWII, Vietnam, and Korea.

He went on to say that he is disgusted with the lawmakers in Washington. It is because of how the men and women in the military are treated that he chose to fly his flag this way. After hearing that there was a chance that some men and women fighting were not going to get paid for their service by the originally planned date, he felt it was the last straw. He believes the country is in distress.

Frankly, this type of thing restores my faith in humanity. When people assert their freedom of speech, I honestly get chills. People are, after all, the most powerful force of this country. It's refreshing to see people remember it.

The local news has a facebook page, and today their status question was asking what people thought of this. I couldn't believe some of the comments.

-"I'd say take the flag down and put him in distress."
- "That is not right..very tacky and it is a insult to the american people, is he from this country? lol"
-"Fire the jerk! ... he needs to find another country to live in."

Those are just a few of the worst statements.
Thoughts????

*EDIT* There's a good article on this story here.