Respect Old Glory; follow flag etiquette and more letters to the editors

Letters to the editor tile
Letters to the editor tile

Respect Old Glory; follow flag etiquette

It is always gratifying to see homes displaying the American flag. Many homes display every day, and additional homes show their flags on holidays, such a Veteran's Day. Every once in a while it is requested that the flag be flown at half-staff.

Flags mounted to homes usually use one of two metal brackets. One of these brackets has two spots where the flag pole may be mounted - one that has the pole at an upward angle and the other which allows the flag pole to be horizontal. This horizontal position is for displaying the flag at half-staff. When it is requested that the flag be flown at half-staff, the lower portion of the bracket should be used.

Viktor Sachar, Hixson

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DA must remain independent

District Attorney Neal Pinkston has been unfairly criticized for failing to selectively prosecute.

Some claim that he is not following the Violent Crime Initiative to target gang members or serious criminals. These critics have a fundamental misunderstanding of his role as district attorney.

The district attorney is a constitutional officer in Tennessee elected to serve an eight-year term. By design the district attorney's office is independent. The district attorney is not subordinate to any elected official or police. To the contrary, the district attorney's power is independent from the power of elected officials or police. (He must prosecute them should they commit a criminal act.)

We expect the district attorney to use his independent judgment to evaluate evidence and proceed based on the merits of individual cases. It is contrary to this very independence of power that any other official should be able to direct state criminal prosecutions. The district attorney must be be fair, neutral, and detached from the priorities of other government officials.

District Attorney Neal Pinkston performs his duties exceedingly well. He prosecutes gang members, drug dealers, domestic violence perpetrators as well as the privileged and the powerfully, equally without fear or favor.

Lee Davis

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Hillary not so smart after all

I discuss politics with liberal friends and enjoy the back and forth that ensues. But the attitude of another liberal I met recently was that he did not wish to discuss any other points of view and was voting for Hillary because she was smart. I would have liked to talk with that man about some of Hillary's mistakes that seem to make her less than smart. For example:

Why could she not find records regarding Whitewater for months after a court requested them?

Why has she accepted all of Bill's foibles if she is such a great feminist?

Why did she allow foreign governments to contribute to her foundation when she was secretary of state, which raised questions of undue influence?

Why did she feel it necessary to lie about the Benghazi attack?

Why did she set up a private server to handle all her e-mail correspondence?

Why did she not recognize some e-mails as classified though not marked?

Why does she attack big corporations but take large sums from pharmaceutical companies?

Gene Rogers

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Book predicted terror threat

In 1996, Samuel P. Huntington published a New York Times bestseller, "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order." Five years before Sept. 11, 2001, he predicted that the major clash of the 21st century would be between Western and Islamic civilizations. On page 207, he wrote that "Civilizations are the ultimate human tribes, and the clash of civilizations is a tribal conflict on a global scale."

Huntington defined Islam as not just a religion, but an entire culture permeated by religion, and which is "convinced of the superiority of their culture and - obsessed with the inferiority of their power." From Islam came Islamic extremism, beginning with the 1979 revolution in Iran, and led to a quasi war between Islam and the West.

We now know how accurate Huntington's prediction was, and that on Sept. 11 Islamic extremists became Islamic terrorists. The latest result of their perverted doctrine was the cowardly murder of innocent and unarmed civilians in Paris on Nov. 13. They have no place in the civilized world.

Glenn L. Swygart, Sewanee, Tenn.

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A camp plan for Syrians

I have a solution to the Syrian refugee situation. Let's restore the program that was used for the Cubans who came to our country in the early 1980s.

Due to the flood of Cuban refugees, some of whom were prisoners set free by Fidel Castro, the government set up camps in unused military facilities to house, feed and "vet" the refugees. Once a refugee, or refugee family, was fully vetted, the individual/family was released to family already in our country and allowed to start their lives anew.

If they did not make it through the screening process, they were not allowed to stay here. However, during the time it took to "vet" the refugee, they had housing, medical care, food, etc., and were humanely treated.

If it worked successfully for the Cuban situation 35 years ago, why not institute it again for the new refugee crisis?

Tom Egleston Dunlap, Tenn.

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Signal plan brings benefits

Nov. 7 marked the one year anniversary of the conservation easement agreement between the Town of Signal Mountain and The Land Trust for Tennessee. This agreement that preserves 342 acres of park land has brought the town unexpected benefits.

In August, the town learned that because of the conservation easement, the Tennessee Hemlock Conservation Partnership has chosen to share a grant it received to treat the hemlock woolly adelgid in state and federal parks. The Hemlock group has included Rainbow Lake and Green Gorge in this project because of the town's demonstrated commitment to preserving the parks, as well as the focused efforts of Barbara Womack and the Signal Mountain Hemlock Conservation Task Force.

In October, the Chattanooga-based Land Trust for Tennessee professionals Joel Houser and Sarah O'Rear demonstrated their commitment to the town by volunteering to help a local Eagle Scout candidate with his project in Green Gorge Park. They worked side-by-side with Troop 60 to clear trails and repair bridges.

For the Town of Signal Mountain, the agreement with land trust translates into not only long-term protection of parkland, but also financial rewards and a valuable partnership with skilled and committed conservationists.

Annette Allen, Signal Mountain

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Our brightest students left out

To address the piece on the disabled student lawsuit in the Nov. 11 Times Free Press: From the parents' perspective, it's grand that they are fighting for and winning a better life for their child, but what is it costing the entire rest of the school system - teachers, students, taxpayers?

From the taxpayers' perspective, does anyone think about the cost to the taxpayer for "an array of modifications and support, including a special education teacher and a one-on-one assistant?"

Or the cost in the classroom for the teacher being diverted to the special needs student while the rest of the class waits?

The teacher in the classroom said, "I think at this point the gap is too large." Does anyone listen?

Whenever I read these stories, I wonder how much better our world would be if we put even half of those taxpayer dollars into the very bright students' education. Would one of those students come up with a "cure" for Down syndrome if their needs in the classroom were addressed in like manner?

The child in question is now being educated and is thriving in a private school.

Perhaps the other public school students and we taxpayers are better served by that approach.

D.L. Budnick Winchester, Tenn.

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