Local Conservative Activist Covers Up Boise’s Pride Flag, Puts up ‘Appeal to Heaven’ Flag
By Greg Pruett • April 20, 2025Local conservative activist David Pettinger used a ladder at 4:30 a.m. this Easter morning to cover up Boise’s LGBT flag, which violates Idaho law, and put up the Appeal to Heaven flag at the same time.
What’s Happening: Boise’s mayor, Lauren McLean, has not taken down the LGBT flag that violates a new law under HB 96. With no enforcement mechanism in the bill itself, McLean isn’t budging, despite a letter from Attorney General Raul Labrador telling her to do so.
Digging Deeper: In a video posted by Casey Whalen, a ladder is put up against the flag pole. Pettinger then climbs up and puts up the Appeal to Heaven flag. After doing so, he puts what appear to be trash bags over the LGBT flag and the “Donors” flag, a flag to celebrate organ donors, which is also technically against HB 96.
The Appeal to Heaven flag was an official Massachusetts state flag during the Revolutionary War. In 1971, Massachusetts removed the “Appeal to Heaven” wording and kept the tree on the flag. Under HB 96, official flags of other states are acceptable.
Note: The following images were sent to Idaho Dispatch from Casey Whalen.
Tags: Appeal to Heaven Flag, Boise, Casey Whalen, David Pettinger, HB 96, LGBT Flag
The American Flag: A Christian Symbol
Back in 1986-87, I was living in Ellensburg, Washington. I was attending a small Pentecostal church called Bethel Gospel Church. Some friends at the church invited me to a church conference in Seattle, so I went along.
We were staying at some friends’ place in the Seattle area when there was a knock on the door. This older lady walked in and she talked with our friends for a little. Then she turned to me and said that the Lord told her to come and give something to me. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this. She gave me a piece of paper and she had written some things down for me to read.
On the piece of paper was written Psalm 60: 4: “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.” She also wrote that there are thirteen stripes on the flag: seven red stripes and six white stripes. Thirteen stands for rebellion–in this case rebellion against Satanic oppression (King George III and British mismanagement of the Colonies, breaking away from the world system of governance). Seven is God’s number; the color red is the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Six is man’s number; the color white stands for man’s sins washed white as snow by the Blood of the Lamb. The fifty stars represent Pentecost or the power of the Holy Ghost.
I have always remembered that lady and what she wrote on that piece of paper. Whenever I see the American flag (I think it is the most beautiful flag on the planet–I also like the British flag and the Israeli flag), I don’t see another flag waving in the breeze, I see the Stars and Stripes of Jesus Christ.
She needs to be arrested. There IS a mechanism to do it.
We do not need an emergency session to amend the law in this hour to include a specific punishment.
IC 18-315 and 18-317 are sufficient to stand in place of the absence of a penalty in the new statute. We need a Sheriff who understands his role. We need a Governor who wants what he signs into law to be taken seriously.
Certainly the legislature expects the laws it writes to be obeyed and enforced.
So why the timidity? Why the lack of balls to put the mayor of Babylon in check?
If she flew the Confederate flag (which by the way is not a racist symbol — if you know the history) the Left, including the Governor and Sheriff would steamroll her.
Gov’t has the means but not the will to stop this. We are a purple state.
The very definition of a crime is an act or omission in violation of a law requiring or prohibiting something. She is breaking the law.
Now watch the city prosecutor come at David Pettinger with a disorderly conduct charge for peacefully and harmlessly covering up what law forbids to be flown over City Hall.
The guy was heroic in his action. He was brilliant in his approach. Assuming a charge for disorderly conduct is coming, it will be hard to prove and likely require a change of venue.
If it gets in front of a jury they should nullify the charge.
Doug, I agree with your wholeheartedly, legislature should expect laws to be obeyed and enforced, but you have to understand, we are dealing with the liberal minds of Boise, and the laws should have been written with teeth right from the get-go! If the left can find a loophole, you KNOW they will exploit it to the fullest extent!!!
As for the Sheriff, he’s no better than McLean and will not do anything to upset her and the liberals in Boise.
My beef is that the legislature dropped the ball on this, there should have been clear consequences written into the bill before it passed, but they failed to do so, either by not realizing what I’ve already stated above, or because they wouldn’t have gotten it to pass if there were some sort of actual penalty for not complying with the law when passed.
Its sad but not really surprising, after all, it is Boise and we all know that the city does what it wants. Likewise, its not surprising that the governor cares less if the law is followed, he’s no better than the liberal people he caters to.
Ada county dodged a bullet when you lost the sheriff’s election!
So the guy goes to city hall and climbs up the city’s flag pole and raises his own flag and covers up another. Did he break any laws?
Hi Dave it’s Jean D. He may have, but sometimes civil disobedience is a tried and true measure used by many, to right the wrongs and overreach of our government.
We need NO additional flags other than the ones that represent ALL. I don’t want a flag representing Christian Conservtives any more than LGBTQ community, because though I have many people I love from both of these communities, I recognize the reason for the law, as it protects against special interest groups, dominating.
We like that, do we not? That you don’t have to wake up tomorrow and see a Nazi flag flow in your city? I do, too. And though one represents hatred, and the other, love, it matters not. The law is the law, and nobody is above it, for good reason.
The mayor is disgusting!
So proud of our Mayor! Seeing all the culture warriors here being upset that they got beat at their own game is beautiful. “Sheriff” Doug chiming in only makes it that much better.
Traubel praises a dude who dressed up as Hitler. Unreal! I was there on Tuesday when he asked the mayor “Will you put the 10 Commandments back in the park?”. What? Go back to California, chode.
Idaho GOP are clowns.
My guess is he’s making a point, one that was lost on you. NO special interests given. Not to the Christians, not to the LGBTQ. It’s the only way we will heal this divide, to stop this nonsense. Nobody is special, and we deserve equal rights, but not special rights.