High honour

The lowering of flags to half mast is a symbol of respect when a US President dies and most recently when President Carter died. This has happened before but this time it coincides with the second inauguration of President Trump who has stated, “Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it.” This is insulting and a complete misread of the average American citizen’s wishes.

He has also stated that this occurrence is the “first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President.” However it happened when L.B.J was sworn in after the assassination of President Kennedy and when Nixon was sworn in for his second term after the death of President Truman. History books and Google will confirm this.

There are odd quirks that occur as a result of this half mast. This includes the opening scene of Gilligan’s Island showing all of the boat flags at half mast. The show featured a loud buffoon of a captain and a second mate who caused more havoc than most do. Another TV show affected by this was the initial episode of the British show Doctor Who which was delayed and then repeated as a result of audiences watching the main news, the Kennedy assassination. The main character there is a rather eccentric alien. These features are surely not being shared with the incoming President? Keep the flag at half mast and honour those that have served their country.

Dennis Fitzgerald,

Melbourne, Australia