John Swartley is an American — and a former New Yorker.
"I'm extremely upset and sad and confused," said Swartley, 54, who put up his flag — a nice, old one he found at an antique store — Wednesday at his home in Rainier Valley.
He's not sure how people look at flags these days.
"It's symbolic, but there's so much symbolism that's negative ... it's hard to make out any kind of logic to symbolism."
Swartley's message, however, is clear: "I love America. My family's been here for 250 years," he said. "My great-great-grandparents fought in the Revolution, and it's very confusing to try and make sense of these kind of acts."
