Sign up to get Today’s Best Articles in your inbox
Join 350,000+ subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of
The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Lindsey Graham is really concerned about the Massachusetts state flag
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) would really like to know what's up with that disembodied arm on the Massachusetts state flag:
(Image credit: iStockphoto)
(iStock)
"What are y'all arguing about with your flag? You got an Indian with a — what's that all about?" Graham asked TheBoston Globe and Boston.com during an interview on Thursday. "What is that — is the guy holding a severed arm?"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Graham got on the topic of flags with the Globe after he discussed the controversy in his home state surrounding the removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina State House grounds following the racially motivated shooting of nine black churchgoers in Charleston (Graham advocated for the flag's removal). And, while Massachusetts' flag "was not immediately visible" during the interview, it was a subject Graham wanted clarified. "Isn't there something about your state flag? I never understood what that was all about," Graham said.
The seal on Massachusetts' flag, which The Boston Globe has called "blindingly archaic," depicts a Native American man holding a bow and arrow, with the arrow pointed down — a peace gesture. The Latin words around the seal translate to, "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."
Sign up to get Today’s Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the day’s biggest news and analysis – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
