Sunday, June 14, 2015

A Day Of Respect

You can tell BigY is family owned

Oddly enough I've never been a h-u-g-e fan of Flag Day simply because I believe every day should be a day to respect and honor our national symbol.

I once even tried to trade Flag Day for 9/11 with our illustrious Select Board.  A deal they refused to take.

As most of you know by now the Amherst Select Board, keepers of the public way, voted 4-1 on the early evening of September 10, 2001 to allow 29 commemorative flags to fly in the downtown to mark only six anniversaries: Patriots' Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4, Labor Day and Veterans Day.

Since that normally obscure public meeting took place about 12 hours before the first plane found its target in Manhattan, September 11 was still just another late summer day.  And that particular 9/11 dawned sooooo stunningly beautiful ...

But acrid black smoke soon crowed out that crystal clear blue sky leading to a gaping hole in the New York City skyline.

This fast approaching 9/11, the 14th anniversary,  the commemorative flags are not scheduled to fly in downtown Amherst.

Next year they will, however, because it's a "milestone anniversary."  And then not again until 2021, when the average incoming freshman to our three institutes of higher education had not even been born on the awful day.

Since Amherst forgot to put the commemorative flags up today, Flag Day, maybe now the Select Board will take my deal?  
 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the failure of the Town to ensure the commemorative flags would be raised today is simply an honest oversight by well-meaning people. Like so much of what goes on in Amherst.

Unknown said...

An honest oversight by well meaning people can also kill someone. How many honest mistakes are you willing to endure? Who is the individual responsible to make sure the flags are displayed at the appointed time? It is time for that person to be replaced with someone that will take the job more seriously.

Larry Kelley said...

It's actually a little weird in that this is at least the 3rd and possibly for 4th Flag Day they have forgotten to put them up. But I have no doubt it's simply an honest oversight.

This coming 9/11 however ...

Anonymous said...

When W was President to fly the flag was implicit support of his policies. So NOT flying the flag now is fine with me.

Anonymous said...

Classic response from an Amherst left-wing nut job. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Larry,

Why don't you volunteer to by the Captain of the Color Guard, in charge of all ceremonial raising and lowering of the Stars'n'Stripes at Amherst Town Hall?

It's an awesome responsibility, and you'd probably be joined by many folks of diverse political stripes that still salute the flag.

-YF

Anonymous said...

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands. Apparently Amherst is not part of that Republic.