Honor all those who defend our liberties
On Memorial Day, according to the United States Code, the nation's flag is to be displayed at half-staff until noon, when it is raised to full-staff.
The sentiment, it is said, is meant first to give reverence to the more than 1 million people who have died under arms in service to the country and then to the living who continue in their stead in defense of liberty.
Perhaps for some that notion has been lost, as Memorial Day has become a threeday weekend gateway to summer vacation, barbecues and road trips. But as we travel the flag-draped neighborhoods this weekend, the knowledge that our fellow Americans remain in harm's way this Memorial Day should never be far from our minds. Nor the reasons they are there.
Those who carry on for their fallen predecessors take a sacred oath to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Ordering America's youth into harm's way in defense of that mandate is a solemn undertaking; volunteering to defend it even more so.
The siren song of war is but a drumbeat away. With conflict continuing in Ukraine, America is seemingly always involved in a war or military conflict somewhere on the planet. Many of the same people lamenting U.S. withdrawal from the pointless forever war in Afghanistan are now agitating for military action against drug cartels in Mexico. The allure of solutions via military violence remains sadly popular.
That is why it is so important to be sure that conflicts abroad really do involve the core interests of the United States — that they are not undertaken for reasons of petty pride or moralistic goading. There are reasons to doubt that some of the engagements
Americans have been sent to in recent years fit these criteria. But there is no reason to doubt the bravery and devotion of those sent to fight those battles or the sacrifice of those who will not return to their loved ones.
Some call for a return of Memorial Day to its original date of observance, May 30, the day chosen when it was called Decoration Day, in 1868. They believe the change would restore the historical and solemn reflection to the holiday that for some has become simply the tail end of a three-day weekend.
The origins of the first Memorial Day are hard to place, though. After the Civil War, at different times in different places, it became customary to decorate the graves of Union and Confederate war dead. The practice itself is an ancient one, and was done in smaller settings across the country long before the War Between the States.
However, whatever the day, whatever it is called, and whenever or wherever it started, the reason remains the same. Each human life is precious, and each young person who makes the ultimate sacrifice deserves respect and honor, however wise or foolish the decisions of his or her superiors, this Memorial Day.
Rolling Hills Elementary School performance of “The Sound of Music”
Re “Removal of swastikas from school's `Sound of Music' show stirs mixed reactions” (May 25):
“The Sound of Music” by the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II is a masterpiece of 20th-century musical theater inspired by the 1949 memoir of Maria Augusta von Trapp. To remove the Nazi symbols from a production of this landmark achievement is to neuter and falsify essential elements of the plot. Teach “The Sound of Music” as theater arts, music appreciation and as history and literature. To scar this profound musical by scalping it of its historical context is a disservice to art and to education.
— Ben Miles, Huntington Beach
L.A. Ballona wetlands
Re “Ballona wetlands project blocked” (May 22):
The community is thrilled with the Superior Court ruling that the bulldozing plan proposed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is flawed and does not pass the CEQA standards. Unfortunately even with indisputable evidence that the CDFW's plans are a failure, they won't concede and acknowledge the facts, evidence and decision. The survival of the wetlands is still tenuous because the CDFW will use all its power and resources to push this failed plan through because it will bring too much money to their department. We need the governor to know that CDFW has failed to meet the standards and incompetent to protect wildlife. We need the governor to end this waste of millions of taxpayer money and to save nature, an ecological reserve that is thriving with a million animals/insects.
— Christina Ku, West Los Angeles
LGBTQ+ Pride month
Most have accepted gay marriage, gay pride parades, etc. The problem is it is never enough. The backlash is the over-the-top of giving a platform to Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at a national baseball game, Target putting the gay collection in the front of the store, Adidas swimsuit ad for men with the pocket for genitals, drag queen stories in libraries, males winning sports titles from biological women. The pushback — is there no end? As a Republican, I have attended three unrecognized gay weddings of friends and co-workers long before legalized. Live your life without making a showpiece. Don't allow others to make a mockery of your cause.
— Lynda Goddard,
Redondo Beach
Senate Bill 58
The California Senate has passed SB 58 — Controlled Substances: decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances. It was introduced by Scott Wiener (San Francisco.) There are too many brain-damaged drug users on the streets of California. The mayor of San Francisco has asked for National Guard assistance to get control of the SF streets. Wouldn't it be smart if Scott Wiener was on the same page as his city's mayor? There were 21 senators voting for this bill and 16 voting against. In our area, Ochoa, Bogh, Rubio and Seyarto voted against this insanity and each deserve our thanks. The bill now moves to the Assembly.
— Debbie Owen, Rancho Cucamonga
Lake Forest partners with nonprofit on new affordable housing
Re “Families Forward, city start affiliation” (May 21):
Thank you Ms. Bahnsen and the newspaper for writing about Lake Forest's efforts toward housing our neighbors who need affordable living space. Your story helps people who live here to better understand the fact that providing access to safe living conditions not only benefits the unhoused, it is also key to preventing people from crowding into dangerous areas like garages, which can ultimate lead to fires or poor sanitary conditions that end up affecting everyone else. Housing needs have been historically used as political footballs when the real needs just must simply be addressed. I'm happier to live in a city where we treat people with respect, rather than forcing them to hide in the creekside brush or park areas. Thank you for covering the people and organizations who are doing the work that needs to be done to help vulnerable people who need the most services.
Ma■y of the same people lame■ti■g U.S. withdrawal from the poi■tless forever war i■ Afgha■ista■ are ■ow agitati■g for military actio■ agai■st drug cartels i■ Mexico. The allure of solutio■s via military viole■ce remai■s sadly popular.