Sitting during the national anthem is a protest of yourself
This is a response to two letters from Tuesday's paper that referenced the U.S. flag. Every flag serves as a symbol; nations, states, military units, Girl Scout troops, etc. all have them. Some have virtually universal understanding, the flag from Nazi Germany as an example, and some evoke a more complex recognition. The symbol of our nation, the "Stars and Stripes" represents us as citizens, all of us. I don't have any sympathy for a football player who signed a seven-year $126 million contract to play a game sitting during the national anthem. He is, under no uncertain terms, protesting himself. As that flag represents, in part, the largess he has been able to reap from those who have given their lives to protect it.
The national anthem still has the verse that references slaves, but it is not logical to assume that it has a "special" meaning, since virtually no one knows it exists. It is almost never performed, and the last surviving slave died in the mid 1900s. The anthem is set to a British song, so according to twisted logic it must have a "special" meaning to British expats as well.
Our nation is not perfect, no nation is, but instead of acting like a spoiled celebrity, a very wealthy football player should take his protests to the streets of Chicago where, according to statistics, over 5,000 black lives have been lost to the hands of other black lives since 2001. His millions of dollars in personal wealth would be a godsend to those in the most crime-riddled areas of that city.
Our flag represents the good, bad and ugly of our nation. What makes our country great is that we can recognize and evolve from past mistakes. It certainly doesn't erase past misdeeds, or current shortcomings, but it symbolizes our hope for a better future, and everyone should stand tall for that. Otherwise find another nation that will give you a better opportunity for what is yet to come, and leave your passport on the counter as you head out.
— Marcus Reed
Anchorage
Spending $650K to stop PFD fraud doesn't make sense
So, we just dole-sourced $650,000 to LexisNexis to help discover PFD fraud. Sen. Pete Kelly and others claim this purchase will result in "significant savings."
In 2015 the state referred 22 people for prosecution for PFD fraud. Eleven were convicted.
Let's say that LexisNexis results in the prosecution of 10 times as many people, which is in the range of zero to 4,000 that deputy revenue commissioner Jerry Burnett says have been "flagged." That is 220 if my math is correct. $650,000 divided by this number is a hard cost of $2,955 per person — and if the past is prelude to the future only half of them will be convicted.
And we wonder why our state has managed to squander millions and finds itself in debt. Sen. Kelly should express his shame — but that would be a real fraud.
— Jim Thiele
Anchorage
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.