If a flag is politically, socially or racially controversial would you hang it up? What if you were trying to make a point? In my neighborhood one resident placed a politically-sensitive flag in his home. Three days later it disappeared.

Here is another case of a flag being stolen. As reported in www.dnj.com.

A Middle Tennessee State University student was arrested on charges of stealing a controversial rainbow-colored flag that included the “union” or the 50 stars of the U.S. flag from a student group’s display.

Jacob Lisemby, a junior majoring in organizational communication, received a misdemeanor citation for theft under $500. Was this a fraternity prank gone bad, or something more sinister?

Lisemby is a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity.

The president of MT Lambda, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student group at MTSU, said the flag was returned in good condition.

The flag, which has the U.S. flag union of 50 stars, but has six rainbow-colored stripes, was stolen Saturday from an exhibit put together by MT Lambda. The exhibit in the library shows several MT Lambda historical documents and three flags to commemorate 25 years as an LGBT group on campus.

There is no doubt the flag with the multi-colored stripes is covered under free speech. I can understand how many fervent patriots might take offense to such a flag. In this case I would chalk it up to a fraternity prank. I would mandate the entire fraternity to take an online anti-theft course.