27 September 2013

RESPONSE TO SUN-NEWS "NEW FLAGS TO HONOR MILITARY" STORY


Response to “New Flags to Honor Military.”  Sun-News 9-24-13, pages 1 & 8.

There is no mention as to who approved this project while other more important City projects go needy.  This project appears to be nothing but a distraction from more pressing secular expenditures that would benefit all residents.  The city already has a Veterans’ Park on Roadrunner Parkway to honor Christian veterans.
          City Manager Robert Garza is quoted as saying, (The flags are) “a symbol of the city’s continuous support of our service men and women as well as all veterans who have served.”  That’s a nice sentiment, but so politically self-serving.
          Garza has missed the point.  As long as these representative flags are flown under the neo-pagan sun symbol and Trinitarian crosses mounted on the front of City Hall they do not honor “all” of America’s service personnel - past and present – just Christians.  Are active-duty non-Christian service personnel and veterans ‘honored’ by having a Christian Church-flag waved in their faces in front of the seat of government – City Hall?
          To add the ‘insult to the injury,’ the plan to fly those service flags side-by-side with the City’s exclusionary hegemonic, Crusades-like white Christian, neo-pagan flag, signifies that only Christians served and died in the service of the United States.  Then the city’s pride in self-proclaimed religious bigotry and ignorance will be so honored.  The insult and dismissal of non-Christian service personnel, citizens and visitors will be perfectly clear.
          Are the neo-pagan icons on the building not enough to continue to claim and reclaim Las Cruces as a “Christian city” and promote the fakelore ‘history’ of Las Cruces?  This project is a lot of money and time spent to get the neo-pagan flag out front of City Hall on the public’s property and declare it a Christian site.  That’s the intent, right?

Paul F. Weinbaum, Captain, Infantry, Retired

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