My heart is depressed over the carnage in Orlando and the loss of LGBT and everyone's life in this tragic episode at the Pulse dance club on Sunday, but I felt better when I saw a mini rainbow flag had replaced the usual gigantic version at Harvey Milk Plaza.
It's beyond sad or even comprehensible that the Castro Merchants within hours of this small but important gesture of grieving using public space, quietly reinstalled the big flag and it's flying at full-mast.
Our President Obama issued a proclamation lowering all flags on federal government property to fly at the respectful position of half-mast until Thursday. Millions of ordinary folks, regardless of not being part of the govt, have heeded Obama's call to send a visual message of solidarity with Orlando and the LGBT people and their flags, rainbows and Stars & Stripes, blow in the wind at half-mast.
Unfortunately, not so in the Castro of San Francisco. It's business as usual for the Castro Merchants. How sad.
In Missouri, we find others who don't want to use flags in support with and out of love for the Orlando dead and survivors. From the Kansas City Star:
"Cole County, Mo., the home of the state Capitol, sparked outrage after voting Tuesday morning not to lower flags flying over county buildings to half-staff to honor those who died in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. So much outrage, in fact, that the county reversed its decision Tuesday afternoon.
"The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported that the county’s presiding commissioners voted 2-1 against lowering the flags to honor the victims of the massacre at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that left 49 people dead and 53 injured.
"While the commissioners expressed sympathy for the victims, they worried that lowering the flag to half-staff too frequently would reduce its meaning. They denied that the decision had anything to do with the fact that the shooting took place in a gay club.
"'I want to honor those who have served our country, but we can’t lower it for every event like this that occurs,' Commissioner Kris Scheperle told the paper. 'I do feel for those who were gunned down, but I don’t think it warrants lowering the flag.'"
(Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article83691157.html#storylink=cpy)
If you think the rainbow flag at Harvey Milk Plaza should fly at half-mast honoring the victims of Orlando, give Castro Merchants president Daniel Bergerac at call and ask him to do the right thing. His number: 1-510-919-8388.
Eerie how the bogus arguments of politicians in the Show Me State echo those of the Castro Merchants.
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