Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
I once had a discussion with a friend about the U.S. flag and how it should be displayed.
The issue he raised was how did I feel about groups who displayed the flag upside down. I immediately replied that I thought it was wrong to display the flag in this manner unless it meant those displaying like this were in an emergency situation and required immediate assistance.
He then said, “How ’bout if the flag is held by a group of wounded war veterans who feel they are being denied medical care by the Veterans Administration?”
My immediate response was, “That’s different.”
It’s not different, and I know better. The flag should not be displayed upside down in that situation, but my sympathy is with the vets.
Over the years, major publications have printed any number of stories about the Nazi problem in the Ukraine military and in other government organizations. Several of these articles from 2018 and 2019 are:
• from the Daily Beast: “Nazi Salutes and Fascist Chic Put Ukraine’s Jews on Edge,” published in May 2018;
• from the Atlantic Council: “Ukraine’s Got a Real Problem with Far-Right Violence …);”
• and finally, from Reuter’s in March, 2019: “Commentary: Ukraine’s neo-Nazi problem.”
A web search will reveal many more, up to and including the present.
The latest of these articles was published Monday from the New York Times, by Thomas Gibbons-Neff.
In a lengthy dissertation, Gibbons-Neff basically admits that while Ukrainian military units do wear Nazi insignia, some that were worn by concentration camp guards, there are some soldiers who say, “the imagery symbolizes Ukrainian sovereignty and pride, not Nazism.”
He also notes that while, “the imagery has not eroded international support for the war. It has, however, left diplomats, Western journalists and advocacy groups in a difficult position.”
I took this to mean it that Nazi symbols on Ukrainian unforms were causing diplomats, journalists and advocacy groups to twist themselves into pretzels explaining how Nazi symbols weren’t really Nazi symbols.
Recall that in February, 2021, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a one-day stand-down to address concerns over extremism in the nation’s armed forces.
The current administration has no problem providing Ukrainian units wearing extremist insignia with arms and ammunition. That’s different.
Like me with the upside-down flag, it’s not different. And like me they know better. But their sympathy is with those wearing extremist symbols.
Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:
