She simply doesn't want to be tread upon

She simply doesn't want to be tread upon.

When 23-year-old Megan Geller was fired from her waitperson job at an Outback Steakhouse in Crystal Lake, Ill., in early October, she felt she was being discriminated against for her political leanings. Geller had been wearing a bright yellow bracelet with the words "Don't Tread On Me" inscribed on it "for months,".  

But after a couple that she was waiting on complained about the bad service they said they were receiving, Geller was let go from her job. And Geller says it was because the couple complained about the bracelet's tea party association.


The management at Outback rejected the notion that Geller was fired for any political affiliation.  "Miss Geller was not let go because of her 'tea party' bracelet" Outback's chief legal officer, Joseph Kadow, said. "On the night in question two separate tables complained about her lack of attention."


When Geller was approached about the complaints, she allegedly responded with an outburst, and Outback says that it was that behavior which prompted her dismissal. For its part, Outback reported to the Illinois Department of Employment that Geller was fired for misconduct. However, the chain is not contesting Geller's claim for unemployment benefits which would be considered normal when an employee is fired for misconduct.


 Wwhile the tea party movement has sought to embrace the image at rallies, often through attaching the emblem to the American flag, the Gadsen is in fact as inclusive an American image as they come. Having been used as a symbol of defiance throughout U.S. history, it was originated during the Revolutionary War. As the website Navy Jack, which is devoted to the flag, reports, the "Don't Tread On Me" rattlesnake was originally a symbol of resistance to British rule in America.


One wonders that if you have a DON'T TREAD ON ME flag on the back of your car, would a trouper arrest you if another motorist complained?  


Yes.  We HAVE reached that point.