Revamped CAS looks to reopen by Labor Day

By Jack Dusenbury-Dalto | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY – Have you ever noticed how American flags are often hung on public land and wondered who put them there?

In its February edition, Manor Ink published a letter from a reader who was disturbed by the flags that had been placed on telephone poles along DeBruce and Cooley Roads in the hamlet. He suggested the paper look into the matter.

“I think flying the American flag is everybody’s duty, not just veterans – though veterans have a special bond to the flag.” These are the words of US Army veteran Doug Sandburg, a Sullivan County resident who shared his thoughts on an individual’s right to display the flag.

It is every American’s right to proudly raise the country’s flag outside their home in respect, remembrance and celebration of the United States of America. Prior to the Civil War, flags were really only flown in an official capacity on ships, in forts and at government buildings. The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, however, quickly changed Americans’ attitudes toward displaying the flag.

Along many of the roadways in Sullivan County and, indeed, on thoroughfares all across the United States, patriotic Americans display flags.

For John Lemczak of Livingston Manor , who has hung several American flags along roads near his home, it’s a matter of devotion. “I displayed the flags to express my love of the country,” he said. “The flags are a little weathered now and that reflects the current state of things in the United States and the world, but they remain a symbol of the good that can be.”

Researchers have found that Americans report feeling a sense of pride and reverence towards the American flag. From charming folk art flags to the traditional Stars and Stripes historically flown above government and institutional buildings, and at national landmarks and historic sites, the flag is seen as an important symbol. Personal residences and other private locations also display the American flag, though some are flown with other symbols and banners promoting political causes and other movements.

Associating those other views with the American flag can make some Americans feel uncomfortable about flying Old Glory.

“Instead of displaying our flag, I try to support the idea that all people are created equal and are equal before the law,” said Barbara Martinson, a long-time resident of Livingston Manor. “While I choose to practice my patriotism in other ways than displaying our flag, it is still a flag that we all share.”

There have been times when Americans of all political views have claimed the flag. The American flag is not the representation of a single party or point of view. The flag belongs to all of us. It is the symbol of “we, the people.”