Letters to the Editor, Dec. 26

Editor:

I am writing in strong support of the letter of Thomas Hamilton in a recent issue regarding perpetual lowering of the American flag to half-staff.

On Sept. 11 my wife and I were driving. At the intersection of Routes 137 and 39 the flag was at half-staff. "What is it this time?" I complained. "It's Sept. 11," was her concise reply. I was embarrassed. Yet at the same time I was frustrated and not a little angry. On a legitimate day of national mourning, I missed the significance because of all the other days where, with no explanation whatsoever, the flag is lowered. My wife has found an app which tells why on a given day the flag is calling us to mourn. Almost never is it a person I have heard of or a person of any national importance. In most cases the need to recognize a death would be met by the lowering of a state or municipal flag. Even here, some communication identifying the reason would be helpful, perhaps an e-notice from The Chronicle.

I am not aligned with any political point of view. I am a citizen of this country for whom our national symbol has become diluted of all significance by this, to me, trivializing practice. Far from being lowered for every conceivable reason, let our flag remain at full staff high above our personal trials and tribulations — a source of hope and inspiration.

Stewart Pattison

Chatham

Editor:

A 12-year old boy lies in a Gaza hospital bed stricken with leukemia, malnourished and crying in pain, when seen by a UNICEF official in late October. His family had asked Israeli officials six times for a permit to evacuate him out of the country for potentially life-saving treatment, each time denied without explanation. Three days after being seen by the UNICEF representative, he died.

A 2-year old toddler with retinal cancer is the subject of two separate requests by the World Health Organization for evacuation for treatment. Again, permission was denied without explanation and he is expected to have his eyes removed. According to UNICEF there are at least 2,500 sick children needing immediate evacuation who will almost certainly die unless granted permission to leave, which is unlikely. These are innocent children!

Together with the constant refusal by Israel to allow food, water and medical supplies to pass Israeli checkpoints and the constant bombardment of hospitals, refugee camps, schools and homes, this is clearly genocidal. More than 42,000 Palestinians have been murdered, often explained by the Israeli military as necessary to flush out Hamas fighters. While it is probable that there are occasions where Hamas uses civilians as cover, the disproportionate killings cannot be justified.

How can the United States justify these acts of war by sending millions of dollars worth of lethal weapons and other material in support of Israel's determination to eliminate Gaza as is the stated goal of indicted war criminal Netanyahu? I submit that it is unjustifiable.

Ralph W. Smith

Harwich Port