McDonald's Upside-Down Flag Flown Half-Mast in West Virginia Day after Obama's Presidential Victory, Intentional Diss or Mistake?

There were many different reactions to President Barack Obama's victory in the 2012 presidential election Tuesday evening (Nov. 6) - some positive, some rather negative - but a large, upside-down American flag flown half-mast at a McDonald's in Follansbee, West Virginia really had heads turning. The sight caused quite a stir Wednesday morning, just one day following the election, leaving early bird passersby wondering if the disrespectful act was intentional, or simply an oddly-timed mistake. The upside-down, half-mast flag (which typically represents some sort of American protest, distress, or mourning) was promptly taken down and replaced with three properly assembled stars-and-stripes banners.

When local West Virginia news station News9 contacted the McDonald's in Brooke County on Wednesday, one employee told a reporter that the fast food restaurant's owner had intentionally set up the flag that way following Mitt Romney's defeat. Not too long after, a person identifying themself as the manager of the McDonald's in question contacted News9, insisting that the flag being flown upside-down and at half-mast was a coincidence and total mistake. The individual stated:

"I just want to say: I am a manager at that McDonald's. The flag was to be flown at half-staff as per McDonald's Corporation. As for it being flown upside down--it was a complete and total accident. NO ONE at our store would PURPOSELY fly the flag upside down. Our flag pole is actually broken, and we are unable to move the flag."

McDonalds' franchisee Karen Mezan also contacted Huffington Post through email, reiterating that the flag being flown in such a disrespectful manner was completely unintentional, and did not represent any sort of political message or statement:

"Unfortunately, a flag cable broke and during the process of trying the fix the flag, it was inadvertently turned upside down. It wasn't noticed that the flag was upside down until a customer inquired about it. We are working on fixing the flag right now. It's important to note that this was an accident, not intentional."

As already stated, the upside-down flag was promptly taken down and the supposedly damaged flagpole was fixed - three new, upright flags now wave in its place.

Even so, some individuals still believe that the flag was hoisted that way on purpose, as a sign of disrespect towards Obama - so, what do Mstarz readers think?