Letter to the Editor of the Waterbury Republican

To the Editor:
                I recently went to my Grandson’s eighth grade graduation. The students marched in and up on to the stage to “Pomp and Circumstance” as usual. We all then rose to say the “Pledge of Allegiance” to our flag and listen to the Middle School band play the National Anthem. That was the point at which I became totally disgusted and appalled at what I saw. As I recited the pledge, I noticed adults, in my line of sight (because I was looking at our flag), talking, laughing, looking all around, and playing with their cell phones. Not many people I saw had their hand over their heart. Exactly the same thing happened when the band played our National Anthem.
                What have we become as a nation? I don’t care if you are Conservative, Liberal, or Moderate, that is our flag up there which represents our country. Do you have any respect for it? Think of the thousands of young men and women (many of them not many years removed from Middle School), who over the years have fought, been maimed, and died for that piece of cloth, so you could enjoy freedoms unknown in most of the world . If you don’t believe in it, at least have the common decency to take a minute and stop your fooling around while people around you who do believe in what that flag stands for show their respect.  Is that too much to ask, before you respond to that very important text message you just got?

Jon Quint
Woodbury, CT