I am moved to write in response to what is clearly an unfair and
unmerited attack against our mayor, the Honorable Gus Gomez.
As you are most probably aware, our mayor is under attack by a faction
of our city that wishes to recall him on the grounds that he acted in an
unAmerican way, in violation of the U.S. Flag Code, when he signed a
proclamation, supported by a majority of the City Council, which included
lowering the American flag to half staff in recognition of the Armenian
Genocide last April.
Let me first address a couple of points, then I would like to quote
from the U.S. Flag Code, to make some of you more familiar with it.
Allow me to remind you that Mayor Gomez is not the first Glendale
mayor to sign such a proclamation. He is the third consecutive mayor to
do so. So why start with Mr. Gomez?
Then ask yourselves this: Since when has it been unAmerican to support
and join in the recognition of any people's sorrow or tragedy? And are we
not supposed to be unifying as one people instead of continuing our
segregationist attitudes? ...
It is important to note that the U.S. Flag Code is protocol, not law.
Protocol means ceremony. So the U.S. Flag Code is simply a list of ways
in which the flag should be treated. And let us also remember that even
laws grow out of date with time and need to be amended. So, in very
simple terms, Mayor Gomez is being accused of not following a set of
suggestions on how to treat the U.S. Flag -- a set of suggestions that
might need to be amended.
... I contend that if we attacked every person who violated the U.S.
Flag Code these days, we would be attacking the vast majority of our
citizens, who believe that they are honoring our flag and our country but
are actually themselves in violation of the U.S. Flag Code.
In recent weeks I have seen a number of violations of the flag code.
Let me share some with you, and you can ask yourself if you have violated
any of the provisions of the code.
* "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to
sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However,
when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a
day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness ..." -- U.S.
Flag Code, section 174.a.
How many of us have seen the flag outside, at night, and not lit?
Those who display the flag in such a way are in violation of this
section.
* "... The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is
