In spite of Congress using words like ‘Honor” Reflect” Proclaim” Commemorate” Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Councilman Jon Crowley still continued to tell residents at Wednesday’s council meeting that Atlantic Highlands did “the right thing” by not lowering the American flag to half staff for the entire day.
The Law
Whether it was because of an oversight, an honest mistake, an over busy staff or sheer neglect or lack of knowledge will never be known. But flags on municipal buildings in Atlantic Highlands were still at full staff late morning of Dec. 7. The US Congress and the President had proclaimed the day in remembrance of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii the previous day, and had urged flags to be flown at half staff, a proclamation which has been issued by every Congress and President since it was enacted into Public Law 103-308 in 1994.
Sometime after it was brought to their attention the morning of Dec. 7, be it coincidence or earlier planning, the American flag at Borough Hall and other locations within the borough other than the Elementary School were lowered to half staff for the rest of the day. The flag at the front of the Elementary School was never lowered to half staff on Pearl Harbor Day.
Crowley Comments
Councilman Crowley at that time, in response to this reporter’s comment in VeniVidiScripto.com commending the borough for correcting the issue, explained it was more a planned late lowering of the flag, in acknowledgement of the specific time when, 12.55 EST when the attack was launched in Hawaii, rather than the Congressional law.
When the matter came up once again at the council meeting, Crowley again took offense at any criticism of the borough by this borough resident, and corrected me saying I was incorrect in saying the flag was not flown properly. “It was not an oversight,” he explained, and the borough should not be reprimanded for the actions it took. Instead, he asked “do you want me to tell you how many towns in western Pennsylvania had flags lowered that day?” (In spite my saying I did not want to know, since I doesn’t live in those towns, Crowley said none had the flag lowered.”)
Pennsylvania for God’s Sake?
Comparing Atlantic Highlands to towns in western Pennsylvania or anywhere else when confronted with a criticism that this borough failed to follow PL103-308, is beneath this councilman’s general attitude of pride in and dedication to, Atlantic Highlands, and was rather surprising to hear on the record at a public meeting.
In the end of the brief discussion, Crowley suggested I criticize other towns, “but it is not deserved here. We did the right thing.” He added, however, that future Councils may look to commemorate the day in a different manner.
Veterans Affairs Committee
Borough Attorney Jason Sena was correct, however, in another inquiry this reporter made during the meeting when asking for the urgency of an ordinance passed three months ago but never enacted. That ordinance, which establishes a Veterans Affairs Committee, does not take effect until Jan. 1, 2023 as stipulated in the ordinance. However, no one could explain the urgency of this governing body enacting an ordinance last October and taking no action during the remainder of the term of this governing body. Mayor Loretta Gluckstein said appointments would be made to the new committee at the January meeting by the mayor with the consent of council.
