Topic: U.S. Flag

Flying the U. S. Flag at half-staff is no grandstanding gesture

By Turner McCullough Jr. | August 18, 2008 |

City and County Mayors’ Proposal, while noble, oversteps the authority of their office. The U. S. Flag Code delegates half-staff order authority to the president.

Clarksville High School Color Guard post The Colors during Memorial Day Candlelight Vigil

Recently our city and county mayors announced plans to fly the national flag at half-staff on a monthly basis. They proposed to do this in honor of our fallen soldiers. The gesture certainly strikes an undeniably appealing accord. It is, without a doubt, noble in its initiative.

It would unquestionably be a notable, emotional salute to our military personnel, especially in light of the fact that soldiers from Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division are facing daily peril in the Iraq and Afghanistan war theaters.

However, upon closer review, there is cause for reconsideration of this action. The flying of our nation’s flag is governed by specific and strict protocols that must be observed. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Events, Issues, News, Opinion, Politics | 1 Comment »

Unlit flame on July 4th a symptom, could it be Clarksville just does not care?

By Turner McCullough Jr. | July 6, 2008 |

The Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire  aka the Eternal Flame was conspicuously AWOL on July 4th! Our Eternal Flame seems to spend most of its time unlit. What does this signify about our dedication to “Supporting Our Troops!”

As the Independence Day weekend moves on, the smoke from fireworks has dissipated and the residue from our recent fireworks show have been cleared away. The traffic jams cleared up, and we each go on our merry way. Yes, the city’s celebration was quite a sight. And as noted in previous coverage here, the Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire Eternal Flame Memorial was burning bright and strong at 11:30PM on July 3rd. The flags at City Hall were still sadly un-illuminated but the eternal flame did shine for that night. Hallelujah!!!

Alas, it was too good to last. It was not burning during the daylight hours on our nation’s birthday, and when the evening of July 4th dawned upon us the flame was still NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. It was AWOL again! We took date stamped photographs to verify this.

Are our public officials really committed to keeping our pledge to light the flame, and in doing so honoring our fallen military personnel? Or is this just a “showpiece” there only to be utilized during special promotions and city events? «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Events, Issues, News | 1 Comment »

On Flag Day, Honor our Flag!

By Turner McCullough Jr. | June 14, 2008 |

As the holiday created to pay homage to our national icon arrives, it’s time to review the responsibilities attached to displaying the national emblem.

June 14 is Flag Day. This day celebrates the 1777 adoption of the official U.S. flag. Many people and businesses display the flag as a gesture of respect, patriotism, devotion and community spirit. All admirable attributes to be sure. To be sure your display is within guidelines, here are a few helpful excerpts from the Flag Code, United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1:

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Events, News, Politics | No Comments