Vets plan to ignore ban on flag-folding recitations

[stephanie]

Jim Brown
OneNewsNow.com
October 26, 2007


An American Legion commander in California says he and other veterans will defy a newly imposed ban on flag-folding recitations that include references to God.

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During thousands of military burials, Veterans Administration employees and volunteers have folded the American flag 13 times and recited the significance of every fold to survivors. The fourth fold, for example, refers to God's "divine guidance." The 11th fold glorifies "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." And the 12th fold glorifies "God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost." Now the National Cemetery Association has made a decision to ban flag-folding recitations by VA employees and volunteers at all 125 national cemeteries -- all because of one complaint about a ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery in California that included a reference to God.
Rees Lloyd is director of the California Defense of Veterans Memorials Project and part of a 16-member detail that has performed military honors at more than 1,400 services. He says veterans -- and in particular, American Legionnaires -- are outraged by the ban.

"It's outrageous," he says bluntly. "These are decisions that should be made by the families of our deceased veteran comrades and not by Washington bureaucrats -- and most certainly not by any narcissistic, disaffected, offended atheist, agnostic, or any other [person] who is upset or offended by the word 'God' or a religious symbol which might offend his delicate sensibilities."

Lloyd vows that even if there are "a hundred-million offended atheists," he and other American Legionnaires will stand against the ban.

"We will defy this ban, pure and simple," he states. "If the families ask us to recite the flag-folding ceremony, we will abide by the wishes of the family -- not [by the wishes of] some bureaucrat sitting in an air-conditioned office in Washington, DC, or some lawyer wearing a diaper back there whose main mission in life is to protect his own behind instead of standing up for the American people and saying enough is enough."

Lloyd, who is a California civil rights attorney, says he and his allies at the Alliance Defense Fund are considering their legal options.


comments on this at the site..
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/ve...ban_on_fla.php

[darin]

wow....GREAT quotes there

[typomaniac]

Yeah, and maybe they can redesign the flag so that Jesus' face is in the canton instead of those commie stars...

[darin]

Yeah, and maybe they can redesign the flag so that Jesus' face is in the canton instead of those commie stars...

dude - do you take yourself seriously? I mean - that's absurd.

[retiredman]

It is interesting.... I assume that the Veteran's Administration is involved only in cases where the veteran is being buried at a national military cemetary.

In most cases, veterans are buried in regular civilian cemetaries and the American Legion provides the honor guard/flag detail.

I cannot imagine that any VA imposed ban on anything would carry any weight in situations like that.

[Immanuel]

Good for them! If a family requests the recitation then no one should prevent it especially not some bureaucrat in Washington.

Immie

[typomaniac]

dude - do you take yourself seriously? I mean - that's absurd.

dude - it's called "hyperbole." (In this case with a dash of sarcasm added.)

And no, I really don't want any of my taxes going to fund religious ceremonies.

[trobinett]

typomaniac posts:

I really don't want any of my taxes going to fund religious ceremonies.

Your choice, talk to YOUR representative. Or, better yet, withhold THAT part of YOUR tax's.

I'll help pump sunshine in to your deeply in do-do self,
or maybe not.......

[glockmail]

dude - it's called "hyperbole." (In this case with a dash of sarcasm added.)

And no, I really don't want any of my taxes going to fund religious ceremonies.

1. Do vets saying prayers actually cost money? The answer of course would ne "no".
2. Suppose for a moment that this did cost money. We are talking about the funeral for a veteran. That's someone who served in the military, at great risk to himself, hardship for his family, and to help maintain your freedom. Isn't that worth a few bucks?

[typomaniac]

1. Do vets saying prayers actually cost money? The answer of course would ne "no".
2. Suppose for a moment that this did cost money. We are talking about the funeral for a veteran. That's someone who served in the military, at great risk to himself, hardship for his family, and to help maintain your freedom. Isn't that worth a few bucks?

Sure, as long as the funeral services aren't specific to any religion. Or how about this: I'll spend the few bucks only for the families who posthumously convert their vets to followers of the Great Church of Typomaniac, and you can spend your few bucks only for the vets who belonged to the Westboro Baptists.

[Pale Rider]

The "National Cemetery Association" has imposed the ban? Who the hell are they, and what power do they have? Fuck them.

[Gunny]

Sure, as long as the funeral services aren't specific to any religion. Or how about this: I'll spend the few bucks only for the families who posthumously convert their vets to followers of the Great Church of Typomaniac, and you can spend your few bucks only for the vets who belonged to the Westboro Baptists.

You're full of shit, as usual. The deceased and/or the deceased's family should decide what should be bes said, not the state, and most certainly not YOU.

[theHawk]

Sure, as long as the funeral services aren't specific to any religion. Or how about this: I'll spend the few bucks only for the families who posthumously convert their vets to followers of the Great Church of Typomaniac, and you can spend your few bucks only for the vets who belonged to the Westboro Baptists.

So much for freedom of religion eh? If you die and get buried at a national cemetary that means you have to give up your right to have the word 'God' spoken at your own funeral. You communists are starting to show your true colors!

[avatar4321]

Sure, as long as the funeral services aren't specific to any religion. Or how about this: I'll spend the few bucks only for the families who posthumously convert their vets to followers of the Great Church of Typomaniac, and you can spend your few bucks only for the vets who belonged to the Westboro Baptists.

what ever happened to freedom of religion? I would expect my taxes to support that freedom if any.

[glockmail]

Looks like typo's gained a lot of fans in this thread.