She swears, she didn't do it for the free publicity. She did it because "freedom!"

Megyn Kelly interviewed the female veteran (Air Force) who was detained for attempting to protect an American Flag from desecration.

A U.S. veteran was detained but not charged Friday after she intervened in a university protest where demonstrators were walking on the American flag.

Cell phone video taken at Valdosta State University (Valdosta, Ga.) shows Air Force vet Michelle Manhart take the flag from protesters and refuse to return it before she is tackled and handcuffed by university police.

Manhart told Megyn Kelly on "The Kelly File" tonight that she felt the need to go to the campus after hearing about the flag being disrespected.

"It's my freedom, it's your freedom, it's everybody in America's freedom," she said. "I don't think I can turn a blind eye to that anywhere, even if I saw it walking down the street just randomly, I wouldn't have been able to turn my eye to it."

How on earth could this have happened? The right to protest is protected under the First Amendment, just like the ammosexuals' favorite Second Amendment. This was a demonstration by a group who was well within their legal rights.

One member told the Valdosta Daily Times they were desecrating the flag as “a symbol of our protest."

“When a slave understands his situation and understands he doesn’t want to be in slavery, he does not respect or revere anything his slave master has put in front of him, a VSU student told the newspaper.

In defense of the protestors, the university president sent this statement:

“The American flag represents everything that is best about our country,” Dr. William McKinney said. “As the Supreme Court has held, one of those things is the right to free speech, which includes the right to disrespect even the symbol of our country. While I firmly disagree with the actions of the protesters, I understand their right to protest.”

McKinney's statement prompted this response from Todd Starnes:

In other words, Valdosta State University loves flag burners more so than flag wavers.

As a footnote, Starnes posted an update.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Manhart was reprimanded by the military in 2007 after she appeared in 'Playboy.' She posed wearing her uniform and also draped in the American flag. The newspaper reports she was demoted and quit the Air Force the following year. Manhart told me she was honorably discharged.

So much for respecting the etiquette of the symbol of freedom.