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Name:
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LifeTime Laker
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Subject:
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There is hope for our youth!
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Date:
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8/1/2004 7:49:21 PM
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This from todays Alexander City Outlook:
Letter to the Editor
I'm a 16-year-old high school student and have discovered that I keep up with the news better than the Alexander City government officials. Being a teenager and high school student I like to enjoy my summer and have fun, especially on the fourth of July, but I am not totally uninformed of current events. I was appalled, shocked and saddened to see that our beautiful, national flag was flying at half-staff on the fourth and fifth of July. It is customary to fly our national flag at half-staff for 30 days after the death of a president. The problem arose when the 30-day observance of the death of former president Ronald Reagan overlapped the fourth of July. President George Bush understood this predicament and signed an executive order for the flag to fly at full staff for the Fourth. I am certain that this is what Ronald Reagan would have wanted. Ronald Reagan was a great American patriot and would rather the flag fly for our veterans who have served our country, some having made the ultimate sacrifice, than to fly at half-staff in recognition of his passing. The flag represents our American treasure, our citizens who have served their country in uniform and our declared independence. This tradition began when this country declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
My maternal grandfather served in the Navy on several ships during the Korean War. My paternal grandfather was a medic during WWII in France and Belgium and was in the Battle of the Bulge. My uncle, Sgt. First Class Bill Taunton, served in both the first and second Gulf War in Iraq and was decorated. I have another uncle who was a captain in the Special Forces Reserves and is now with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
My uncle who served in Iraq was concerned about the flag flying at half-staff and made a phone call to Washington D.C. to confirm what exactly was suppose to be done. He was informed that the president issued an executive order to have the flag raised to full staff effective 12:00 am the Fourth of July. He then telephoned two radio stations, WSFA TV in Montgomery, the State Trooper post in Alexander City and the Alexander City Police Department and advised them of the president's order. On July fourth my dad passed through town and noticed the flag was still half-staff at the police department. He also called the police department and advised them of the executive order and that notice of the president's order was on several radio stations and major news networks. My dad asked the police dispatcher not to take his word, but to please call to make sure. The dispatcher's reason for not raising the flag was that the person normally on flag duty was on vacation. On the fifth of July I was with my family and saw the flag still at half-staff. We all were shocked and decided to see just how many citizens and patriots listened to the news and raised their flags for the Fourth. We rode through town and discovered that the following still had the flag at half staff: Alexander City police department and court house, Alexander City fire department, Russell main office, Sportplex at both entrances, Western Sizzlin, American Legion, Southtrust Bank and the Lighthouse. The post office had no flag at all. Perhaps the saddest lack of initiative was that the National Guard Post continued to fly the flag at half-staff on the Fourth and the fifth. I would like to point out those private businesses and state agencies who cared enough to proudly fly the flag at full staff: Bill Nichols Veteran Home, State Trooper post, Alabama Food Group, Henderson and Coker, and Bailey Feed and Seed. It seems that someone with authority in our city government was asleep at the wheel. I'm sorry, but, "The man who raises the flag is on vacation" is an absolutely pathetic excuse. I have seen a lot of political signs around town that say, "A proven community leader"- not! This is probably the first time in the history of Alexander City that the flag has been at half-staff on the Fourth of July and I hope it's the last. It's a sad commentary on our times and on our government when a 16 year old has to expose the lack of patriotism that was displayed this past Fourth of July.
Adrienne Wilson
Patriot
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