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Man's flag flies in face of apartment policy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Every morning since 9/11, Donald Lamp has hung his American flag from the balcony of his Omaha apartment.
The Omaha retirement community where Donald Lamp lives wants him to take his flag down. He refuses, having flown it since the Sept. 11 attacks. Lamp's son-in-law is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Management of the retirement community where he and his wife live - citing policy about maintaining the appearance of the building's exterior - wants him to lower the flag for good.
Lamp refuses.
"I'm not about to take it down," the 89-year-old World War II veteran said.
Lamp is like many Americans who, because of housing covenants, are discouraged from flying their flags this Memorial Day weekend.
What makes Lamp different is that he is the father-in-law of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
That makes no difference to Cathy McGrath, general manager of the Arboretum.
"We have a lot of important people here," she said.
Donald and Marjorie Lamp, whose daughter Virginia is married to Thomas, said they don't want to use their connection to the judge to influence anybody.
"We don't go around saying my son-in-law is Clarence Thomas," he said. "You don't do that. He wouldn't like to have us do that."
Virginia Thomas, who works for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said she is keeping her husband out of the fray.
"I'm just his crazy, activist wife," she said of Justice Thomas. "It's just me and my dad pushing this."
McGrath said the Arboretum's board of directors set a policy when the community opened in 1998 to forbid exterior hangings such as windsocks, wind chimes, planters and flags.
Lamp said an exception should be made for U.S. flags.
McGrath said U.S. flags are flown on poles at three locations around the Arboretum. A committee of residents puts up and takes down the flags and adheres to the rules for displaying them.
"If he continues to fly the flag, we're not going to go and remove him physically," she said. "There really is very little we can do."
Lamp said the flag, which flew over the U.S. Capitol, was a gift from Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.
The Lamps' next-door neighbor, Grace Hansen, said she supports them.
"I approve of it, and I've never heard of anyone ever having a problem with it," she said. "I can see it out my window, and I look forward to seeing it out there every morning. It means everything's right in the world."
Contact the Omaha World-Herald newsroom
Originally posted by musicman
A generation ago, anyone arguing for the right of a woman to murder her unborn child would have been called a nut. Anyone screaming for the right of a man to marry another man would have been called a pervert.
And anyone voicing opposition to the flying of the American flag would have gotten his natural ass kicked.
Isn't it wonderful how we've progressed?
