Time to Fly Your Flag At Half Mast

Enterprise Record News Gate ^ | 5/1/10 | Chuck Wolk

[Tom Hawks]

On the morning of March 22, I raised my flag to the top of the 25 foot pole In my front yard.  I must have forgotten to tie it off, because when I returned later in the afternoon from presenting my Sunday message I noticed that the flag had been lowered to half mast.  That evening I watched the the House of Representatives vote on the Senate's version of the Health Care legislation.  As the remaining votes needed to pass the legislation were cast, I began thinking about the damage this legislation would do to America.  It was then that I realized it was time to fly our flags at half mast.   So I decided to leave mine where it was until I believe that God Himself has moved me to raise it back to the top. 
 
Like me, many of my friends and relatives believe that we are experiencing what could very well be the last decades of what has been called the greatest civilization the world has ever seen.  Yes, I believe that unless we change things drastically, that the America we once knew could very well be gone forever.  I say so because, unless we gain control of congress this November by a super majority then we will never be able to overturn the Health Care bill.  Fact is, even with a Republican super majority, it will be difficult to overturn this unconstitutional law. Does everyone remember that we were never able to convict Bill Clinton and remove him from office?  I do pray that if and when a challenge to the law gets to the the Supreme Court that the conservatives will prevail and thus rule it unconstitutional.  The problem we have is the moderate conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy who has shown a propensity to.............

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[rlmorel]

Oh, that’s a great idea, the pasting of the stamps upside down. I know every little bit counts.

I am certain the Post Office will forward those envelopes to the White House in huge bags, where Obama and his team will see the folly of their ways and stop our march to socialism.

Yeah. I better start putting those stamps on upside down as well. Time is running out for our country.

[rlmorel]

MHGinTN, I apologize for the tone of this discourse. Bitterness and hatred are two things that, like many things, do not disappear in time, but only become more concentrated and powerful with its passage. I cannot afford to carry this with me as I view life around me, in this country. The burden of seeing it would only be compounded by animosity I might feel towards those who I should view as allies.

I strive to speak to people online in the same fashion I would speak to them face to face. But in the last two days, I have twice found myself failing to keep discourse civil, regardless of the cause. I am human, and as such, fallible. As a Christian, you understand that. I don’t know you personally, but that shouldn’t be important. No matter who you are, I should strive to keep the discourse civil. If you accept my apology or even reciprocate is not the issue, but being a Christian as you apparently are, I hope you will accept this apology.

I said things in my postings I would never say to nearly anyone except in the most dire of circumstances, and this thread on FR does not meet that criteria.

I want you (and other people on this thread who think this particular subject is important) to know that I have never castigated any other person for how much or how little they engage in affairs outside their home.

I have never thought less of people because the only way they can express themselves is by doing things like putting ribbon magnets on their cars or posting on Free Republic. This is because no matter how much each one of us does, there is always MORE that can be done.

If someone were to denigrate another because the only way they can support some political cause is by having a magnetized ribbon on their car (and I have seen people criticized for this) how can the person doing the criticizing be immune, if the only thing they do is give money to candidates?

If someone were to castigate another because the only way the can support some political cause is by giving money to candidates, how can the person doing the criticizing be immune, if the only thing THEY do is go to demonstrations?

And so on. In my case, it might boil down to someone saying “Why do you engage in that pointless stuff like going to demonstrations or emailing donations? How come you don’t run for office?”

And it would be a valid point. Do I feel badly because I cannot force myself to do what is necessary to run for office, even at a local level to begin changing government? Yes, I do. I feel that as a capable person, I should be doing that instead of leaving it in the hands of people who don’t have our best interests at heart. But it against my nature to engage in that, and in the end, is an excuse like the many we all have for choosing our level of protest.

What it comes down to is people resist in every way they can. If a man is chained to a wall, his only recourse to fight back may to spit on the floor that the jailer must clean. People do what they can, and that is enough.

So I just wanted all posters on this thread to understand, that while your method of resistance is not my method, I do not belittle it. I disagree with it, but I understand people must do what they feel they can do, be it run for office or put stamps on envelopes upside down.

[OneVike]

As the author of the article that has brought forth such venom and anger, I want to thank you for your letter of conciliatory regret towards the way you carried yourself in this thread.

When I wrote the article about my flag flying at half mast, I did not expect to see so many who are on the same side in this fight to be fighting against each other. Especially over the way we all decide to protest any given situation we disagree with.

I do wish to thank Tom Hawks for posting my article here, it is obvious that he feels as I did when I wrote it. However, I must admit that I have learned some valuable lessons from reading everyone’s opinion about the idea of using the American flag for a tool of protest. Like you stated, I too do not desire to belittle the way anyone feels moved to show their displeasure of the political situation we are presently faced with in America today.

Together we must stand and fight the enemy from within, or else divided they will defeat us.

Thanks again for the heartfelt letter.

Chuck Wolk (OV)

[rlmorel]

Thanks. Your article made me realize not everyone on what I view as “my” side of the political spectrum views the symbolism of the flag in the same way I do.

Thanks for posting it. It was illustrative.