A snake coiled up on a bed of grass, ready to strike, in front of a yellow background with the words in all capitals "DONT TREAD ON ME". Also known as the Gadsden flag, it was named after Colonel ...

E ighteen flags have billowed over the neat rows of plane trees in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza, among them a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, a Texas Lone Star flag and — until ...