To the Editor:
I read the May 27th letter in your publication by perennial RTC-endorsee Sloan Danenhower, and felt a response, or better yet, a primer, was in order. So here goes:
‘How Town Parades Work’
Most towns in Connecticut, in the U.S… heck in the world, understand that a parade is a time for local citizens to come together around a common community value. On Memorial Day, corrosive politics are set aside so that opposing groups can send the collective message that, while we may disagree on some things, we are together in our support for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. In towns across the state, local Democrat and Republican Town Committees joined their Memorial Day parades, marching shoulder to shoulder as if to say, “I am a Democrat, you are a Republican, but let us not forget that we are all, first and foremost, Americans.” That is why politicians like Devin Carney, and the members of our Board of Selectmen, including Mr. Danenhower’s own wife, marched in the parade this week. Only a truly divisive partisan would accuse them of “campaigning.” They were there, like most others, to show their respect. Similarly, the Democratic Town Committee, a group with veterans among its ranks, chose to set up a table in front of their headquarters on Lyme Street to offer free water, donuts, and flags to people along the route. There were no campaign materials, no candidates, no political messages, and nothing other than a group of proud Old Lymers celebrating the sacrifices of their loved ones. That’s how parades work. And there were many, many organizations there in their official capacity for similar purposes.
But since this seems to be such a tricky subject for Mr. Danenhower to wrap his mind around, for future reference, here’s a handy list of a few organizations “flying their flag” at the parade and how to view their presence:
1) Girl Scouts: Not there selling cookies, there to commemorate the fallen;
2) Lyme Luggers Ukelele Group: Not there marketing ukulele classes, there to commemorate the fallen;
3) Town Fire Department: Not there soliciting volunteers, there to commemorate the fallen;
4) Old Lyme Senior Center Dancers: Not there offering Macarena lessons, there to commemorate the fallen;
5) Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee: Not there asking for votes, there to commemorate the fallen;
6) Old Lyme Republican Town Committee: Not there.
Call me crazy but if publicly showing support for our fallen heroes draws Mr. Danenhower’s ire, but skipping out completely does not, we clearly have a different definition of “disrespectful.”
Sincerely,
Dave Rubino,
Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is a member of the Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee.
