Commemorative flag and state flag on Amherst Town Hall
Despite the Amherst Select Board ignoring my plea last night to allow the 25 remaining commemorative flags to fly today in the downtown, at least two of the original 29 flags that ended up returning to their perch eleven years ago on a brilliant day much like today, will indeed fly.
After a slew of negative publicity eleven years ago the town commandeered one of the flags and started flying it 24/7, 365 days a year (like the big flag on the town common and police and fire stations) attached to a turrent in Town Hall.
Last week that American flag was joined by a state flag.
And I will be standing in town center with one of the original commemorative flags given to me by the Veterans Agent eleven years ago, the one I flew over Ground Zero on December 1, 2001 and later had flown over the capital building in Boston and Capital Dome in Washington, DC -- one of the targets of the hijackers that awful morning.
However you grieve, grieve for the 2,977 innocent citizens slaughtered that horrible, horrible day.
30 comments:
Rather than vilifying the town, I encourage everyone to bring a flag downtown to mark this sad day. They are gone but not forgotten.
Larry, Thank you for taking on this fight year to year. You have more supporters across the country than they do. You are a true American Patriot.
People have different ideas about how to grieve on this day. That does not make one way more patriotic than another way.
"Larry, Thank you for taking on this fight year to year. You have more supporters across the country than they do. You are a true American Patriot."
It's true Larry.
You're a good man.
RP
The Holyoke Soldiers Home is decorated well today-
Flags lining their entire entrance road- and their large flag at half mast at the peak.
Very nice!
BTW- Northampton has their flag display up - what is their policy?
I am not from Amherst so I do not know the answer to this question. Does Amherst fly those flags on Memorial Day? How many of you think that that holiday is "Festive" ?
Larry, you can look this up because I don't have the time -- but the Mass Regs for Public Buildings (I think it is under A&F on the state website) clearly state that the American flag is *required* to have the POW flag flying underneath it when it is displayed in front of a public building.
Town hall is a public building, that tacky display is "in front of" it, and hence a POW flag is required *BELOW* (not behind) it.
OK, a decade ago, a tacky display like this was a "quick fix." But there is no excuse for them not putting in real flagpoles and I want to know why they can't.
Likewise, "Town Room" is the only such meeting room I have ever seen that does not have the US & State flag displayed. My *church* has the US & Christian flag displayed.
Why no flags for "Town Room"?
There's a flag pole that's on the common in front of town hall that also has the POW flag.
How anyone could miss seeing that flag pole is beyond me! Way to go Ed!
Anonymous 9:03 AM:
Your statement is ridiculous. An absence of any patriotic symbols is pretty much by definition less patriotic than a display. If you're ashamed of your flag, or think it's vulgar, then you are not patriotic and no amount of dishonest verbiage can change that fact.
It seems to that anger, hatred and divisiveness play a huge role whenever one country or group attacks another. Certainly the small group of terrorists felt that when they attacked the United States. And certainly many American citizens felt that way we the United States attacked Iraq without provocation.
Does anger, hatred and divisiveness do anything to bring about peaceful accord?
Maybe the best way to really show that one believes in peace is to quietly, calmly and peacfully stand on the common and wave your flag. Kelley is saying when he continues to draw attention to 9/11victims that they were peaceful, innocent victims. That no one should have attacked and killed them. Kelley is waging for peace, whether he knows or believes it or not.
The most important thing to remember about 9/11 is not that all of those innocents were American citizens, which they surely were not, but that they were people simply going about their lives. When anyone, anywhere is attacked and killed in the simple act of going about her life, then we should all stand up and work to end that.
I get the sorrow in remembering 9/11, but I don't limit that to the American flag.
Imagine what would have happened if the president at the time would have used all the incredible good will that people in the world felt for America at that time to do something good, rather than to turn our forces on a country that had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks.
Yes, I feel for the families who lost people, but our country certainly made a huge mess out of that situation. I don't run blindly into patriotism.
I wonder what the Iraquis who lost tens of thousands of innocents feel about the USA?
To only think about flag waving is undercutting the complexity of this situation, simplifying it to absurd levels.
Put your energy into world peace, Kelley, and then maybe we won't have to be so full of diviseness over when the flag flies.
You must be a HUGE Obama fan since you are so focused on 9/11 and he is the guy who gave the order to capture and terminate that evil terrorist.
Anon 2:04 - your statement is ridiculous. The Town of Amherst does NOT have an absence of flags. They just don't have the commerative flags on the flag poles. Some people see the commerative flags as appropriate for the day - some find them too festive. One cannot hold up either positiion as more patriotic than the other or assert that one person is more patriotic than the other. All people have different ways to express their grief. And my post is no more filled with dishonest verbiage than is yours.
Is voting a patriotic act?
The advisory warrant article that Town Meeting defeated by a two thirds vote five years ago clearly said the flags would fly on 9/11 "at half staff", which is CLEARLY a position of mourning.
Larry,
Quick question - can the commerative flags be flown at half staff?
Dave Keenan figured out how to do it 11 years ago. So yes, they can.
Amherst College Lord Jeff Inn has a commemorative size flag, on a commemorative type pole at half staff at the moment.
Imagine I was to decide my neighbor's observance of his wife's birthday was inadequate. A dozen roses was not enough. He should also give her a dozen daisies. And then I went on national TV to declare that my neighbor did not love his wife.
Most people would think I was an obnoxious busybody. How dare I try to tell others how to express what is in their hearts. How dare I suggest that their failure to agree with me means they don't have proper feelings.
So it is with Larry Kelly. How dare he suggest that he alone has the correct means of expressing grief for what happened on 9/11. How dare he suggest he loves his country and is a better patriot than his neighbors. How dare he disrespect the democratic process that made the decision about how to observe this day of mourning.
There is no doubt that the Fox News folks loves the flag. But they seem to have contempt for their neighbors.
I never thought I'd have to defend myself for simply being a resident of my hometown, Amherst Massachusetts. But here we are. Targets of anyone from everywhere accusing us Amherst citizens as non-patriotic, anti-american, against the flag liberal wimps. So Mr. Kelley, the next time you have to stroke your ego, I like many others who agree with me would appreciate you'd clarify your comments to the media. When you come off saying "the town of Amherst" won't fly the American flag, it makes it sound like the entire community is against the red, white and blue. That is hands down not true and you know it. Just because we have a few scared under-the-gun selectboard members and a small pack of whacked out town meeting members, that's no reason to lump us all together to satisfy your bent need for attention.
Your final sentence was on the money, but I never said the town of Amherst won't fly the American flag.
Anonymous 3:37 PM.
I can't agree more. This afternoon on my drive home, I was listening to the Mut & Merloni Sports Show on WEEI out of Boston. The guys were doing a 9/11 Remembered program.
The very first thing out of Lou Merloni's mouth was, "and what's with all those nut jobs from Amherst". "Good thing UMass moved to Gillette, we don't have to go there anymore".
All I thought was why do I, my family and friends get this kind of treatment? What the hell did I do to deserve this? I have never had anything what so ever to do with the flags flying ever five years or whatever the idiotic timetable is.
I can't remember when I been more embarrassed, pissed but mostly sad at the same time.
I feel sorry for all the hard working small businesses that have to hear people say they will never shop in Amherst. What did they do to deserve this?
@ September 11, 2012 3:37 PM
Blah bluh blab-blab blah blah, buh
blah blah buh blahbuh blab, blabuh blabuh blah.
Did I understand you correctly?
Yeah, that was indeed pretty moronic -- even for a Anon.
Yeah, how ironic is it that Kelley, supposed staunch defender of the small business owner, is hell bent on giving anyone from outside the valley with a thread pf patriotism every reason to never go to Amherst to spend money.
Way to go, Mr. Small business.
And another extremely intelligent comment from the oozing roach.
All around, this was an unfortunate episode.
It's true. We all got smeared by this.
Mr. Kelley should have known better.
And now it's time for us to forgive him and move on.
I'll forgive him when he admits his blunder. Larry Kelley has NEVER acknowledged ever having made a mistake or just plain being wrong. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be as perfect as he.
I'm not sure where someone got the idea that flying the flag required a festive occasion....(think military funeral), and even less sure why O'keefe, et al decided that that was a legitimate stance, (it is not), and felt the need to defend that lunatic fringe view. But the one thing I am sure of is that she and they are weak, and have contributed to Amherst looking foolish, to put it mildly. But, of course, as Ms. O'Keefe implied to me in email discussion, and said in print, it's all a misunderstanding. Everyone is confused except her and her ilk. They are more enlightened than the vast majority, they are the true patriots, because they are bowing to the wishes of the few. Richard Marsh.
Fun fact.
As a former state employee it's not the flags that give you this crazed reputation; it's the town politics.
Mason Dixon at September 11, 2012 3:37 PM:
You are exactly right.
To all of you who feel personally attacked by the statements in this blog...as I've said before; this is a blog, reading it is voluntary. If you don't like it, don't read it, or start your own blog.
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