Old Glory’s omnipresence in America doesn’t diminish its sanctity

To the editor: Flags make Mark Oppenheimer uneasy? (“Flags are great for holiday celebration, but hyper-patriotism is un-American,” Opinion, July 1)

The American flag didn’t make the Marines uneasy at Iwo Jima or at the Citadel in Hue City when they saw it rise above those bloody battle grounds. It never made me uneasy when “Attention to Colors” was sounded at Camp Pendleton and the huge holiday flag would be lowered from the flagpole at 21 area against the vivid backdrop of a brilliant Pacific Ocean sunset.

About the only time the flag makes me uneasy is when I see it draped around the sweaty shoulders of some athlete enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. But then I recall the times I have rightly seen it draped over the caskets of some true heroes and I forget the pompous posturing of the vainglorious pretenders.

True, the flag is just a symbol. But for many, it’s a very, very powerful symbol.

Michael Murphy, San Pedro

..

To the editor: Oppenheimer writes that “crude patriotism quickly turns on the underdog, the minority.” This statement assumes the worst about those of us who love to fly the flag.

Yes, some conservative politicians have been trying for years to steal the American flag for their own political purposes. Trumped up tea party activists have convinced many people that the flag belongs to Republicans or to warmongers or maybe to those who want to keep the downtrodden from rising.

I see the flag differently. It belongs to all of us.

When I fly the flag, I do so because I see it as a symbol of peace, of a nation that longs for freedom and justice for all. The day that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right, I proudly displayed the flag on my front porch. I was so proud to be an American.

Patriotic Americans who believe in these ideals cannot allow one ideology to claim dibs on the flag, which belongs to us all.

Mark Shoup, Apple Valley

..

To the editor: Oppenheimer’s flag-ambivalent neighborhood is, unfortunately, not mine. All year long, through winds and rain, flags hang on almost every house in spite of the existence of a flag protocol all Americans should read (it can be found on the Internet).

I will happily fly my flag on the Fourth of July and on other appropriate occasions, but leaving it outside without a purpose other than to proclaim to passers-by that I am a patriot is a senseless and thoughtless act.

Anneke Mendiola, Santa Ana

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook