- April 24, 2024
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Dear Editor:
On Memorial Day, I attended three separate ceremonies in Flagler County. The first one, at Heroes Park in Palm Coast, featured U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz. His comments were appropriate for the occasion until he claimed that our servicemen and women deployed across the world were doing "God's work". And we all knew he was referencing his Christian god. That offended me because I thought they were defending American values and freedom for all citizens. They're certainly not off on some 12th-century crusade as Rep. Waltz seemed to believe.
But I let the affront go and later attended my third ceremony in Flagler Beach. The featured speaker was a former Army pastor. Dressed in his officer's uniform he implored the attendees to salute the "Christian flag." It was, of course, the American flag which as every school kid knows represents Americans of all cultures and religions. But to this man of (Christian) god, it represents only those of his personal religion.
I was completely offended by this Memorial Day display of religious bigotry on the part of both speakers. I was very disturbed and actually a very concerned at the ease of which each wove their obviously fervent but exclusive religious beliefs into their praise of our fallen warriors who we all know to be Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Taoists, Buddhists and everything in between.
I fear that our country is being divided and radicalized by religious warriors like these speakers as they proselytize at every opportunity and seek to inculcate their exclusive beliefs into every aspect of American life, even at a civic function paying homage to our multicultural fallen soldiers. This is not America or American. We separate church and state. We have a secular democracy. We are free to believe in our own way, or not. We are all religions and beliefs. We are America ... at least for now.
Mike Cocchiola
Palm Coast
Also in letters to the editor:
Dear Editor:
I’ve read more than once about Sheriff Rick Staly saying crime rate in Flagler County is down. Now he can concentrate on traffic violators. Every time I go anywhere in Palm Coast, I see people run through stop signs and red lights, speeders, and tailgaters.
The Palm Coast Parkway-Interstate 95 overpass is a race track. You can drive 45 in the middle lane, and vehicles go flying by on both sides, just to get to the next traffic light. Obviously deputies in marked patrol cars don’t see this. Unmarked patrol cars would be a better choice to catch all these lawbreakers.
Bill Simpson
Palm Coast
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