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Americans should retain the idealism of our forefathers
Letters to the Editor
Published July 4, 2006
The Fourth of July should remind us that our Founding Fathers had the clarity of judgment that proclaimed human worth and enunciated the ideal that all men are created equal. They taught us that to be free is better - always. They fought a Revolutionary War to free us from the tyranny of the British crown. The idealism of our Founding Fathers should be injected into the practicality of public policy today. Our forefathers fought for individual liberty, and we must retain that mind-set. It is wrong to not retain our constitutionally guaranteed rights, and we must not let anybody endanger our public liberty. When we go to war, we as a nation should have a purpose that our people can understand and support, as they did in 1776. We must never let the clamoring multitudes of interests make a fiction of majority rule and our representative democracy. America must never outgrow democracy and evolve into some form of "thugocracy" of criminals or evil dictators. We the people must never become a nation of "selfaholics" indifferent to the public good. Robert B. Fleming, St. Petersburg Celebrate freedom of expression As we celebrate July Fourth let us reflect on what our country is all about. Today flags will fly high throughout the country. Our flag is a symbol of what our nation stands for. It is a symbol of our democracy, our freedom, and above all it is a symbol of our personal liberties. Recently, the flag was center stage in Washington. Our elected officials in Congress considered changing the Constitution to "protect" this symbol. Although Congress failed in its attempt by one vote, an important message was sent across this land. Old Glory won again. Congress proved that the flag could be used to express one's beliefs, or it could be used as a political ploy. Bravo, Congress! The flag has been used to protest a war, and some use the flag as an expression of patriotism. Therein lies the strength of Old Glory. We can still enjoy this July Fourth knowing that freedom of expression is alive and well in this great nation of ours. Manoug Manougian, Tampa Display the flag with pride The flag of our country, the emblem of freedom and the symbol of unity! What a beautiful sight to see it flying in the breeze. After the 9/11 tragedy, flags were flying all over the place, and rightfully so. But what happened? Some of those flags are still out there - torn to pieces, faded and many other disgraceful representations of the flag. Remember all the men and women in our armed services who are putting their lives at stake in the Middle East so we can stay free. They are fighting for the freedom that our flag represents. Don't let them down! Every American should fly our flag regularly. If you don't have one, go out and purchase one today and keep it looking like the proud symbol that it is. I fly a flag 365 days a year and change it when it starts to fade or become unsightly. Dispose of it in a manner that does not disrespect it. Elks Lodges, the American Legion, the VFW and Boy Scout troops, to name a few, have regular ceremonies to burn old flags. Please, if you fly a flag (and I hope that you do), check it regularly and change it when needed. Check your neighbors' flags and remind them if they need to be changed. Be proud to be an American and be proud to be free. Fly Old Glory! Joe Slatton, president, Chapter 14, Korean War Veterans Association, St. Petersburg No 'free speech zones,' please Re: Officials look at corralling protests, June 29. Gay pride day in St. Petersburg was a wonderful day of community celebration. It was a festive swarm of neighbors and friends gathering to celebrate the diversity and positive energy of our community. Yes, there were about five or six individuals spewing messages of religious intolerance, hate and nastiness. Yes, it hurt to hear my friends vilified and mocked in such ugly terms. At the same time, it is important that one use some reason and balance in considering the event. First, I was disappointed that these six people got so much newsprint overshadowing the much bigger story of a community coming together not just in tolerance, but in celebration of our diversity. That disappointment gave way to greater alarm to read that at least one of our City Council members, Richard Kriseman, is advocating forbidding protests or using "free speech zones" in the future. Why is it in this country that every time a problem arises, our leadership looks for ways to cut back on personal and individual freedoms? If gay pride day is about anything, it is about our right in this community to be different, to be and say what we want. In a way, these six individuals heightened the meaning of our celebration. In their self-righteous, spiteful way, they brought the true essence of our celebration into bold relief. Their ugliness brought out the beauty of what we are celebrating. No, Mr. Kriseman, we do not need "free speech zones." We do not need our civil liberties restricted, even if doing so protects us from hearing hateful insults. Mark S. Kamleiter, St. Petersburg A step in the wrong direction Re: Officials look at corralling protests. Setting up a "free-speech zone" is the first step to curbing free speech. For a democracy, all speech is free - no zones. Mary (Molly) Gill, Seminole An American shame Re: Forced to move on, July 3. As we celebrate this Independence Day by reminding ourselves of how fortunate we are to be free and paying tribute to our forefathers and war veterans who sacrificed their lives, I can't help but be disgusted with what America and Americans are becoming. I wonder how some people can wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and dare call themselves true Americans. I speak of greedy developers, investors and mostly of politicians who are allowing residents of mobile home parks to be evicted from their homes with no place to go or the monetary support to relocate themselves. So go ahead, Mr. Developer and Mr. Investor, wave your flags and enjoy your Independence Day! And you, Mr. Politician, make your hypocritical speech on how great this country is, how you are so proud of the sacrifices made by our veterans that allow us to remain free and how proud you are to be serving all your constituents. I will fly my flag in honor of this great day but I will also say a prayer for Erin Schultz and the many people like her being forced out of their homes to make way for what Americans are really becoming. This is surely not one of the principles on which this country was founded. Jack Burlakos, Kenneth City Election Day evaluations Re: House votes to cut taxes on estates, June 23. So our representatives gave themselves a raise and voted "to exempt from taxation individual estates up to $5-million and couple's estates up to $10-million while also blunting the impact on even richer families." It sure seems like they are desperately trying to recover from the severe loss to their income since the congressional bribery scandals came to light. And the GOP-controlled Senate killed a proposed minimum wage increase? Have they no shame? The good news is that these employees' performance reviews are coming up in November and "We the People" can fire these slackers! Megan Foster, Tampa
[Last modified July 4, 2006, 06:03:12]
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