I frequent Bluffs Park on a regular basis and derive tranquility and serenity each time I take a stroll there with my wife and our rescue dogs. Late last June, I noticed the American flag near the baseball fields was in dire need of replacement (it had deteriorated over time). So, with the permission of the powers that be, I bought a new flag and hoisted it up just in time for Fourth of July. (I delivered the old flag to a fire station, in accordance with proper procedure.)
Then, only a few weeks later, the flag was missing. The park personnel and the baseball people had zero idea of how it disappeared. Apparently, it was stolen. So, our park was without a flag during part of the summer of 2014.
Then, right before 9/11, I decided to donate another new flag to the park. So, just as Pepperdine University presented its annual display of nearly 3,000 flags in memory of the victims of the 9/11 attacks, Bluffs Park, once again, had a U.S. flag, proudly waving in the breeze.
However, before month’s end, this second flag was also missing and, as before, the officials had no idea of how this happened. Unfortunately, this time, not only was the flag gone, but also the hoisting rope and pulley system was damaged so a new flag could not even be raised. Is this vandalism a reflection of the state of our union? Who could possibly be so disrespectful of the myriad freedoms we have to commit such an act?
My parents (holocaust survivors) would fly a flag at their home for each appropriate occasion when I was a kid. They were so grateful for all we have in America. And, over the years I, too, fly a flag at our home. Our country may have its imperfections, but, all things considered, I’d rather live here than anywhere else. Perhaps those individuals who denigrate our symbol of freedom should seek refuge in a country that better suits their behavior.
David Pepper