Solemn observances and respecting flags at half-staff
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
I remember and most likely always will remember where I was on September 11, 2001. I will suppose that most of you remember as well.
For me, the day began as any other publishing deadline day. That was until the first plane struck the World Trade Center in New York.
As publisher and editor of The People’s Defender in September 2001, I recall that there was no Internet service in the building and there was no working television in the building.
A staff reporter named Amanda Crago had walked across Cross Street to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office on the usual morning rounds.
She rushed back to the newspaper and told me to turn on the radio. I did.
WLW news walked us through that fateful and dreadful morning 13 years ago today. I called my wife, who was home-schooling our youngest child, and instructed her to turn on the TV. She asked something like “Which channel?”
“It won’t matter,” I said.
America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001 and again on Sept. 11, 2012.
The day has become a time of solemn observances across the United States and among our international allies.
Many in the media and many in public office from Washington, D.C. to the state capitals and to community public servants have been quoted that this is, indeed, a Day of Remembrance.
“Never forget” has been the mantra since that day 13 years ago that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 innocent victims and many more first responders.
I remember quoting a rather famous television show host and stand-up comedian on Sept. 11, 2001. David Letterman’s opening monologue in the aftermath of Sept. 11 was quite likely his shining moment in his “15 minutes” of fame.
Here are just a few of Mr. Letterman’s words from September 2001:
“I need to ask your patience and indulgence here because I want to say a few things, and believe me, sadly, I'm not going to be saying anything new, and in the past week others have said what I will be saying here tonight far more eloquently than I'm equipped to do. But if we are going to continue to do shows, I just need to hear myself talk for a couple of minutes, and so that's what I'm going to do here.
“It's terribly sad here in New York City. We've lost 5,000 fellow New Yorkers, and you can feel it. You can feel it. You can see it. It's terribly sad. Terribly, terribly sad. And watching all of this, I wasn't sure that I should be doing a television show, because for 20 years we've been in the city, making fun of everything…
“So, to come to this circumstance that is so desperately sad, I don't trust my judgment in matters like this, but I'll tell you the reason that I am doing a show and the reason I am back to work is because of Mayor Giuliani. Very early on, after the attack, Mayor Giuliani encouraged us to go back to our lives, go on living, continue trying to make New York City the place that it should be. And because of him, I'm here tonight.
[[In-content Ad]]“And I just want to say one other thing about Mayor Giuliani: As this began, and if you were like me, and in many respects, God, I hope you're not. But in this one small measure, if you're like me, and you're watching and you're confused and depressed and irritated and angry and full of grief, and you don't know how to behave and you're not sure what to do and you don't really... because we've never been through this before... all you had to do at any moment was watch the mayor. Watch how this guy behaved. Watch how this guy conducted himself. Watch what this guy did. Listen to what this guy said. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is the personification of courage.”
With that said, here is what the mayor of Hillsboro purportedly said on Sept. 11, 2014 on his social media posting that was shared with many: “Evidence of the declining work ethic is everywhere. I’ve seen 8 (sic) places today where someone only bothered to put the flag halfway up the pole.”
Really? I cannot believe that any mayor of any American city said that.
Let’s give the mayor his due, of course. Let’s assume that his social media account was somehow hacked by someone with ulterior motives. Surely, no sitting mayor of an American city would make a joke about American flags at half-staff on Sept. 11.
Surely, no mayor of Hillsboro would make such a joke.
Given the mayor’s propensity to quote from social media, surely we’ll all learn the truth soon. Let’s hope.
If, however, this is an accurate quote from the mayor, let’s hope he will stand by it the next time he stands in front of American veterans on Memorial Day or Veterans Day or Independence Day.
Furthermore, if this is, indeed, an accurate quote from the city administration’s top Republican, let’s hope the local Republican Party will express either its support or its contempt for the blatantly derogatory comment.
Oh, and by the way, here was his next social media posting: “As a mayor, I’m expected to set an example. But I don’t always want to. Sometimes I just want to be passed out in the gutter like you people.”
I am open-minded enough to hope that the mayor will either apologize for these comments or announce an investigation of the person or persons who infiltrated his account.
Which is it?
Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.
For me, the day began as any other publishing deadline day. That was until the first plane struck the World Trade Center in New York.
As publisher and editor of The People’s Defender in September 2001, I recall that there was no Internet service in the building and there was no working television in the building.
A staff reporter named Amanda Crago had walked across Cross Street to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office on the usual morning rounds.
She rushed back to the newspaper and told me to turn on the radio. I did.
WLW news walked us through that fateful and dreadful morning 13 years ago today. I called my wife, who was home-schooling our youngest child, and instructed her to turn on the TV. She asked something like “Which channel?”
“It won’t matter,” I said.
America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001 and again on Sept. 11, 2012.
The day has become a time of solemn observances across the United States and among our international allies.
Many in the media and many in public office from Washington, D.C. to the state capitals and to community public servants have been quoted that this is, indeed, a Day of Remembrance.
“Never forget” has been the mantra since that day 13 years ago that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 innocent victims and many more first responders.
I remember quoting a rather famous television show host and stand-up comedian on Sept. 11, 2001. David Letterman’s opening monologue in the aftermath of Sept. 11 was quite likely his shining moment in his “15 minutes” of fame.
Here are just a few of Mr. Letterman’s words from September 2001:
“I need to ask your patience and indulgence here because I want to say a few things, and believe me, sadly, I'm not going to be saying anything new, and in the past week others have said what I will be saying here tonight far more eloquently than I'm equipped to do. But if we are going to continue to do shows, I just need to hear myself talk for a couple of minutes, and so that's what I'm going to do here.
“It's terribly sad here in New York City. We've lost 5,000 fellow New Yorkers, and you can feel it. You can feel it. You can see it. It's terribly sad. Terribly, terribly sad. And watching all of this, I wasn't sure that I should be doing a television show, because for 20 years we've been in the city, making fun of everything…
“So, to come to this circumstance that is so desperately sad, I don't trust my judgment in matters like this, but I'll tell you the reason that I am doing a show and the reason I am back to work is because of Mayor Giuliani. Very early on, after the attack, Mayor Giuliani encouraged us to go back to our lives, go on living, continue trying to make New York City the place that it should be. And because of him, I'm here tonight.
[[In-content Ad]]“And I just want to say one other thing about Mayor Giuliani: As this began, and if you were like me, and in many respects, God, I hope you're not. But in this one small measure, if you're like me, and you're watching and you're confused and depressed and irritated and angry and full of grief, and you don't know how to behave and you're not sure what to do and you don't really... because we've never been through this before... all you had to do at any moment was watch the mayor. Watch how this guy behaved. Watch how this guy conducted himself. Watch what this guy did. Listen to what this guy said. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is the personification of courage.”
With that said, here is what the mayor of Hillsboro purportedly said on Sept. 11, 2014 on his social media posting that was shared with many: “Evidence of the declining work ethic is everywhere. I’ve seen 8 (sic) places today where someone only bothered to put the flag halfway up the pole.”
Really? I cannot believe that any mayor of any American city said that.
Let’s give the mayor his due, of course. Let’s assume that his social media account was somehow hacked by someone with ulterior motives. Surely, no sitting mayor of an American city would make a joke about American flags at half-staff on Sept. 11.
Surely, no mayor of Hillsboro would make such a joke.
Given the mayor’s propensity to quote from social media, surely we’ll all learn the truth soon. Let’s hope.
If, however, this is an accurate quote from the mayor, let’s hope he will stand by it the next time he stands in front of American veterans on Memorial Day or Veterans Day or Independence Day.
Furthermore, if this is, indeed, an accurate quote from the city administration’s top Republican, let’s hope the local Republican Party will express either its support or its contempt for the blatantly derogatory comment.
Oh, and by the way, here was his next social media posting: “As a mayor, I’m expected to set an example. But I don’t always want to. Sometimes I just want to be passed out in the gutter like you people.”
I am open-minded enough to hope that the mayor will either apologize for these comments or announce an investigation of the person or persons who infiltrated his account.
Which is it?
Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.