Amherst, MA, "Sees the Light"

As an example of how a united US can move even Liberal mountains, read below. Just before the declaration of war against the US by terrorists on 11 Sept, the selectmen of the Town of Amherst, MA, voted 4-1 to ban the flying of more than three US flags in downtown because so many students and faculty on the campuses of the Univ. of Massachusetts and Amherst College "displayed great anger" at having to see "that symbol of imperialism, racism, and violence" flown over the town* (the Univ. of Mass. is a public, tax-supported college which has, over the past 35 years, actively recruited to its faculty people who have shown a strong dislike for the US).

Following the attack on the US, Amherst hastily reversed itself and posted the page below. This is surprising, considering the anti-American sentiment that has dominated the five colleges that ring Amherst.

The question in Amherst has never been whether its citizens should fly flags (as implied by some news reports) or even whether the Town Government should fly flags (it has flown three U.S. flags in the center of the town every day for years, and there are a total of eight U.S. flags visible, every day, from the center of town). The question was how long (not even if, but how long) a new display of 29 flags should be flown from light poles downtown: for months at a time, as was recommended by one appointed Town official; or to commemorate specific holidays, as finally decided by the Town’s elected Select Board.

Funds for the 29 flags were recommended by the Town Manager in the Town’s “Commemorations” budget and were approved by Town Meeting, the Town’s legislative body, without discussion. The Town’s Veterans Agent, who is an employee of the Town Manager, and several volunteers put up the flags on August 11, in the words of the Veterans Agent, “…as a test of the equipment and attitudes…until after Labor Day…then raise them again for Veterans Day.” The Veterans Agent also proposed having the flags displayed from Memorial Day weekend through July 4th and from Labor Day weekend through Veterans Day “in the future.”

It was clear to everyone that the Town’s elected officials, the Select Board, which has jurisdiction over the streets and everything on them, would hold a hearing and decide when (not if, but when) the flags should be displayed. Many people expressed support for the flag display. But when many others expressed opposition to such a display for an extended period of time, the Veterans Agent and at least some veterans decided that the flags should stay up until the Select Board made a decision. The Town Manager, an employee of the Select Board, ordered the flags to be removed after Labor Day, after the three-week “test,” as originally recommended by the Veterans Agent, because the flag display had not yet been authorized by the Select Board.

The Select Board held the hearing on September 10. The issue was how often and how long to fly the new commemorative display. The Select Board heard a wide range of opinions, after which it agreed with an opinion that had been expressed by several speakers, including a number of veterans, and by many residents, including a number of veterans, who had written or called in comments: The special flag display will be most appropriate and effective by being a commemoration of special holidays and occasions to add to the flags displayed year round by the Town.

It is most unfortunate that this decision has been reported in a way that implies that no flags would be flown the rest of the year. Eight or more flags will continue to fly over the Town center; the 29 new flags will be used for special holidays and occasions.

The overwhelming events, the very next morning, brought a tragically appropriate occasion to mark and commemorate. The Town immediately lowered its three permanent flags to half staff; citizens immediately obtained and put up the 29 flags, and the Chair of the Select Board, himself a veteran, then helped adjust the 29 display flags to half staff.

Part of this is false if I remember correctly. I was at that town meeting. True, they fly 8 flags throughout the town, with the U.N. flag RIGHT IN FRONT of the town hall.

But, the killer here is their statement that it was never about whether to fly flags on main street or nto, that is false. THEY NEVER FLEW FLAGS ON MAIN STREET before.

These flags were up for the first time, and there was no one in the town counsel who remembered any flags ever flying from the light poles on main street on any time or for any reason.

To state that the only concern was the dates they flew, that is false..

Here is my report of the town meeting with links to photos

I was at the town meeting last night.

I was invited by columnist Izzy Lyman, and responded to her cry on this!

Here is alink to Veteran's outcry on this. I met some of these people last night.

While at the town meeting, one of the left wingers there was offended/frightened because he sat next to me! I was wearing my "Imagine World Police" T-shirt which I wore to protest the flying of the U.N. Flag instead of the United States flag in the front of the Amherst Town Hall. This weasel, who was about 6'2". and 195 pounds, sounded like a true coward, and stated to the council that he was intimidated by my presence!! After he made his cowardly reponse, I walked right up to the front of the council, sat down in the chair in front, and spoke to the people of Amherst. I explained how I was outraged by the accusation that anyone should be ofended by the fact they sat next to a patriotic American! I reminded the people that the People of Massachusetts were the brave ones who started the United States revolution with the Minutemen and the battle of known as the shot heard round the world. I then went on to chastise them, for they ashamedly flew the UN flag, yet the American Flag had to be hung in controversy, and now they are taking them down by order. They never ordered them to go up in anyones memory. That's right, no one in memory ever thought of putting up a flag display for any patriotic reason.

I went on how I was a Marine veteran, one off the coast of Iran for the Hostage Rescue Attempt in Iran, and that one of my clearest memories was of the Iranian criminal student burning our flag, and how that offended me.

What also offended me there, was this communist, brainwashed woman who got up to say how the flag represented a terrorist nation, the U.S was a terrorist nation!!

Here is the story of the town meeting

There is an add-on to this story. I was contacted by some of the people who are involved in this, and when we heard of the murderous actions this morning in Washington and New York City, we went and put the flags back up, and hung them at half-mast in memorium. People from all over the town came up to us and thanked us, from the Police to the average citizen. What is ironic, is that they had to be 'stolen' from the town garage where they were kept. the town garage people said, "Hey, we don't know where the flags are", then pointed with their fingers after opening up the closet...you get the idea...

One of the town councilmen heard of the flag raising today, and even though he was one of them that opposed the hanging of the flags, he immediately joined in. We did not give him grief, he understood this WAS a time to hang them, he will have to learn on his own...

Here is a link to photos of the flag rally

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