Purchase of Whitehall park in Beaufort is a no-brainer | Island Packet

I strongly support the purchase of 10 acres of the property at Whitehall Point on Lady’s Island for a park.

I think if you did a survey of the residents of Beaufort County, you would see overwhelming support.

This would seem to be a no-brainer: aesthetically, conservationally, recreationally, functionally, politically. If elected leaders do not support this now, it will be gone, and everyone will have reason to deeply regret this missed opportunity and, not so incidentally, vote accordingly.

This a big deal. Please don’t fail us.

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The solution: Drop national anthem from all games

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was first used in a baseball game in 1862 during the Civil War.

It was used sporadically during national events and crises, and in the seventh-inning stretch at baseball games.

It became our national anthem in 1931.

After Japan surrendered in 1945, NFL Commissioner Elmer Leyden required it to be played before every game.

Has its value been diminished? Has it been overused?

Look at fans at baseball, basketball, football games at all levels. There’s no focus on the anthem, no hats off, hand on heart, sense of reverence.

Does it make sense to provide a forum for a perceived demeaning of our flag and veterans by those rightfully disenchanted with racism and police brutality?

There are other venues in a country that “embraces” the First Amendment to disagree with the status quo.

These athletes are not, intentionally, trying to devalue the flag and veterans. They are trying to bring to our attention the racial and criminal justice flaws in our society. Their error is choosing the wrong venue.

Lack of equal pay, school shootings, treatment of our veterans, bullying, sexual abuse, illegal immigrants, racism – the list is so long, we could be on our knees 24/7 (and maybe we should), not to protest but to pray for our future.

Current NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should be able to reverse the 1945 decision.

Drop the national anthem from all sporting events except when our teams are competing at the international level. The dissenters will just be redirected to another less contentious venue, where their views won’t be misinterpreted and their intent blurred.

Take close look at Whitehall park proposal in Beaufort

Is the public about to be fleeced again?

All of a sudden the developer of Whitehall realizes that the cost of what has been approved for development is higher than originally thought, especially the residential area.

How can we get the county taxpayers to foot the bill for development?

Let’s start a rumor about a park again and get the county to buy it for a ridiculous price. We know there is a lot of public interest for that. Keep in mind that making a park is what should have happened to the property in the first place.

The developer really only wanted the commercial development, not the residential development in the beginning. If the developer really wants to see 10 acres of park, donate it and take the tax benefit over time, not stick the Beaufort County taxpayers with the bill.

I hope the county planners take a real close look prior to committing any funds for a park.

Lindsey Graham, how about just ‘restoring honor’?

According to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, “You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic if this body determines that your conduct as a public official is clearly out of bounds. Impeachment is not about punishment. Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”

Graham said that as one of the House prosecutors addressing the Senate on Jan. 23, 1999 during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.

A video clip is available on C-SPAN.