First item I find time to write about and it is this recent bit of nonsense.
http://www.military.com/news/article/flag-burner-pilloried-by-veterans.html?wh=wh
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=846181
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=846181
All that I write below I also posted at the first link.
I served in the 90s in the US Army as an enlisted soldier starting from the lowest rank.
I consider my self neither Liberal nor Conservative nor Socialist, Green Party or any other party. For reasons I will not get into now, I don’t apply political labels because I think politics has become too involved in almost everything and I will soon find myself not being able to use a public urinal without some nut peeking at me to determine my party affilitation based on how I pee.
Regarding this story, Nick Normile failed in his duty.
Far too often I find people in my country believe, "The end justifies the means." That’s bull. Taping someone to a flagpole is an act of humilitation, just a few steps away from what Islamic fundamentalists do to our soldiers today. It is an act to degrade, insult and belittle the subject.
I’m not advocating the kid should have gotten off. Ask your self not whether you respect the flag, but how you came to do so? I recall that, for me, it involved classes on what the flag meant, what the various parts (colors, stripes, stars, etc.) meant, changes made to it, how to fold it, how to raise and lower it. As someone told me when I left the service, "When you can take something you learned here and apply it somewhere else, you have developed the ability to adapt and made yourself a better person." Citizens on the United States are not required to do the things I listed regarding the flag, but nothing prevents using it as a punishment. That’s what should have been done. Have the kid for a week or more learn all the things I described we (soldiers) had to.
If anyone were to approach this kid today and ask what the flag stripes meant, he cannot tell you.
If anyone asked him how to raise and lower it, he cannot tell you.
If anyone asked about the flag’s history, he cannot tell you.
And so on.
Where did he learn anything?!?!?
Where did Nick Normile teach a lesson?!?!?
By making the kid afraid by humiliating him?
What next, someone on Halloween puts shaving cream on your car, you get to tie them to the rear bumper and drag them around?
And the part about, "they came to an agreement." I’ve heard that used to describe bullying that is a cowardly thing to do.
If you want to debate me on this, don’t expect a response. As a New York State resident, not only is this offensive, I will be too busy writing every official and possibly some news outlets about this so I will have no time for any debate.
Nick Normile had a golden opportunity to actually make the punishment fit the crime and actually teach not just respect for the flag but how to learn respect the same way every other servicemember did. He screwed up by taking the cheap way out and indulging in his base desires. If I were a member of VFW 1938, I would ask to have him removed, if not granted, I would leave that group and find a VFW that remembers what’s important.
I consider my self neither Liberal nor Conservative nor Socialist, Green Party or any other party. For reasons I will not get into now, I don’t apply political labels because I think politics has become too involved in almost everything and I will soon find myself not being able to use a public urinal without some nut peeking at me to determine my party affilitation based on how I pee.
Regarding this story, Nick Normile failed in his duty.
Far too often I find people in my country believe, "The end justifies the means." That’s bull. Taping someone to a flagpole is an act of humilitation, just a few steps away from what Islamic fundamentalists do to our soldiers today. It is an act to degrade, insult and belittle the subject.
I’m not advocating the kid should have gotten off. Ask your self not whether you respect the flag, but how you came to do so? I recall that, for me, it involved classes on what the flag meant, what the various parts (colors, stripes, stars, etc.) meant, changes made to it, how to fold it, how to raise and lower it. As someone told me when I left the service, "When you can take something you learned here and apply it somewhere else, you have developed the ability to adapt and made yourself a better person." Citizens on the United States are not required to do the things I listed regarding the flag, but nothing prevents using it as a punishment. That’s what should have been done. Have the kid for a week or more learn all the things I described we (soldiers) had to.
If anyone were to approach this kid today and ask what the flag stripes meant, he cannot tell you.
If anyone asked him how to raise and lower it, he cannot tell you.
If anyone asked about the flag’s history, he cannot tell you.
And so on.
Where did he learn anything?!?!?
Where did Nick Normile teach a lesson?!?!?
By making the kid afraid by humiliating him?
What next, someone on Halloween puts shaving cream on your car, you get to tie them to the rear bumper and drag them around?
And the part about, "they came to an agreement." I’ve heard that used to describe bullying that is a cowardly thing to do.
If you want to debate me on this, don’t expect a response. As a New York State resident, not only is this offensive, I will be too busy writing every official and possibly some news outlets about this so I will have no time for any debate.
Nick Normile had a golden opportunity to actually make the punishment fit the crime and actually teach not just respect for the flag but how to learn respect the same way every other servicemember did. He screwed up by taking the cheap way out and indulging in his base desires. If I were a member of VFW 1938, I would ask to have him removed, if not granted, I would leave that group and find a VFW that remembers what’s important.
Eric's Writing 