Today the American Humanist Association called on individual Americans as well as institutions to fly American flags at half staff until the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan end.
"This will honor our fallen troops and remind us of the human cost of war," said Mel Lipman, president of the American Humanist Association. "It will be an ever-present stimulus to help people remember those who have died."
Individual humanists began asking for this campaign immediately after reading news reports about U.S. Army Sergeant Jim Wilt of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. On April 23 Wilt wrote how he found it ironic that flags were flown at half-staff nationwide for the victims of the recent killings at Virginia Tech yet they aren't lowered even on military bases for the deaths of U.S. soldiers.
"Obviously, it was appropriate to mourn the deaths of the students in Virginia," Lipman said, "but how can we not similarly mourn the deaths of our young men and women in uniform? As long as our service people are dying at war, we should honor them by flying flags at half-staff."
This practice is especially important now because many Americans have been insulated from the true impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, Lipman notes that the federal government has enacted policies to veil the personal cost of war from the public. "The administration won't allow the media to show the flag-draped caskets of slain soldiers returning home," he said. "Therefore, isn't it time that ordinary Americans challenge this official forgetfulness? The people shouldn't be shielded from the supreme sacrifice that over 3000 Americans have made. Flags flying at half-staff all around the country in honor of our fallen will be a constant reminder of that human toll."
There are reasons why the American Humanist Association, in particular, is the first organization to make this call to the public. "Humanism means, among other things, caring about human beings and remaining thoughtful about the issues that matter most," Lipman said.
Therefore, the American Humanist Association encourages all citizens to start flying their flags at half staff and start urging businesses, clubs, and government entities at all levels to do likewise. A groundswell of this activity can't help but raise the consciousness of all.
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