It's a sad day when a veteran of three wars is told he cannot fly the American flag on a poll outside of his home."
That quote was attributed to Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, in a news release by the office of Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif. Of course, Cantor meant "pole," not "poll." But given the political panderfest that our local flagpole controversy has become, the slip sure looked Freudian.
Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a Medal of Honor winner, was in a war with a western Henrico County homeowners association over a 21-foot flagpole that the association says he erected without permission.
On Tuesday, the Sussex Square homeowners association dropped threatened legal action after being bullied by a Who's Who of politicians.
Cantor joined the White House, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Democratic senators Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb in rallying behind Barfoot's flagpole.
Cantor and McKeon even introduced a House resolution allowing Congressional Medal of Honor recipients to properly display the U.S. flag on their property at all times.
Wow. I thought conservatives were against federal intrusion in local affairs and private matters, and this qualifies as both. Instead, Cantor literally threatened Sussex Square with an act of Congress. Small wonder it backed down.
A resolution as specifically tailored as this one was bound to leave out other deserving folks, if service is the new criteria for such exemptions. What about Purple Heart recipients? Or firefighters and police officers who went rushing to ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001?
Webb urged the association to "consider the exceptional nature of Col. Barfoot's service when considering his pride and determination in honoring our flag."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that "it's silly to . . . think that somebody that's done that can't have a flagpole and . . . show the proper respect and appreciation that any flag deserves by flying that in their neighborhood."
Apparently, Team Obama did not learn from the president's insertion of himself into the controversy involving the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates by Cambridge, Mass., police. Perhaps the president intends to hold a beer summit in western Henrico.
Seriously, the Good Ship U.S.A. is plowing through perilous waters. Its pilot and crew -- the president and Congress -- need to have laser focus on affairs foreign (Iraq, Afghanistan) and domestic (the economy, health care).
The executive and legislative branches of our federal government don't have the luxury of immersing themselves in a neighborhood issue that -- if this cease-fire doesn't hold -- would best be left for the courts to resolve.
We're all grateful for Barfoot's noble service, but his Medal of Honor should be irrelevant here. His case should hinge on the law, not emotion and grandstanding.
The politicians should not have run this flag up the poll.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or mwilliams@timesdispatch.com.
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