Good Americans, bad artists

Angered by California Department of Transportation removal of an American flag mural from a highway hillside, two men have painted a replacement in time for the Fourth of July.
Steve Giordano and Jim Gallagher scaled a hillside in Sunol on Saturday and had the flag back in place for Sunday’s Bay Area Independence Day celebrations. There was no word from Caltrans whether or not the new rendition would be removed.
On Friday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was unhappy that Caltrans had painted over the original mural. In a prepared statement, Schwarzenegger called the flag patriotic and meaningful. He said that to remove the flag "only a few days before we celebrate our independence and reflect on the freedoms we are lucky enough to enjoy in America is unconscionable. I extend my apologies to the artists whose mural inspired drivers along 680 for over eight and a half years."
Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Andrea McCarthy said the state Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, which oversees Caltrans, "will work with the community and the artists to try to reach a resolution."
Interstate 680, in and out of the Silicon Valley, is one of the bay area's busiest freeways. And every day for the last eight and half years there was a hillside mural motorists passed on the Sunol grade. "It just made me feel really patriotic, just seeing it everyday," said motorcyclist Dave Freely.
Until Wednesday, motorists saw a 35 foot mural of the American flag painted on a concrete retaining wall. On Thursday, it was just gray concrete painted over by Caltrans.
"It was put on the list for graffiti removal and yesterday morning they painted over it with grey concrete paint," said Allyn Amsk of Caltrans.
"It should not be classified as graffiti. I mean it was a well-done flag, and and I felt like it's part of America," objected the flag muralist Eric Noda.
About a week after 9/11, Eric Noda was photographed roller-painting the flag mural. It took him three hours to finish. He and friends R.J. Waldron and Thomas Hanley picked the spot to express their patriotism after the terrorist attack. "It's kind of a landmark for me and it reminds me of that day and the time in the wake of 9/11," said Noda.
But why did Caltrans wait so long to remove the original mural? "Maintenance wasn't aware that it was on the state right-of-way or you know it would have been removed sometime in the past," said Amsk.
Regular 680 commuters said they were upset. "I don't know why they would consider it graffiti. We live in America. It should be a patriotic symbol that everybody should enjoy," said Joseph Gross of Tri-Valley Towing. Sandy Kraft said, "I drive this every day, and to not see it up there waving at me, even though it doesn't wave, it's still waving at you."