| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Mass Defers Banning Tributes to Troops - for now |
| 2007-12-10 |
| A day after news broke about a crackdown on highway bridge displays, the state did an about-face and said displays that often feature American flags and patriotic messages can remain - for now. Gov. Deval L. Patrick has directed Secretary of Veterans' Services Tom Kelley and MassHighway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky to assemble a group of veterans' representatives and highway safety professionals to create a plan to honor veterans on state highways. "MassHighway will not complete the removal of displays until the task force identifies an appropriate and safe means of honoring veterans on state-owned transportation properties. Those recommendations are expected before the end of the month," stated a MassHighway press release. J. Erik Abell, Massachusetts Highway Department spokesman, said highway overpass displays have been under review for some time. Abell said the press release "speaks for itself," and declined to say if complaints were received about the decision to remove flags and banners. He said he wasn't sure how many displays had been taken down before the latest announcement. But the state is not just singling out patriotic displays. Everything from "happy birthday" messages to commercial advertisements have been hung from bridges, he said. "We've seen a proliferation of all types of signs . . . any of which could pose a hazard," Abell said. While Abell said there have been no accidents resulting from falling displays, he said highway crews have found their remnants along roadways. In Palmer, Cynthia J. Cook, Margaret E. Reidy and Reidy's parents John J. and Grace Reidy have been hanging American flags on the Flynt Street bridge over the Massachusetts turnpike for the past five years. Cook was surprised to learn the state is even considering banning the displays. "It's a shame," said Cook, a retired teacher. Cook said they put up the flags on Sept. 10 every year, as a way to remember the lives lost during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. "We just do it so people will remember," Cook said. Reidy's father John, a Navy veteran from Hardwick's Wheelright section, said the flags are securely fastened to the inside of the fence and never have fallen off. As the flags deteriorate, they remove them. "We like to make sure they're up for Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor Day," Cook said. Cook and Margaret Reidy live nearby, so they can watch over the display. It was Cook's idea to start putting up the flags, and said they've received appreciative comments and horn beeps over the years. Reidy, band director at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, said she supports someone hanging a banner on an overpass to welcome home a soldier. "I am disappointed, more for the people who want to welcome home their loved ones. I always notice it. It always touches me," Reidy said. If the state ends up banning the bridge displays, Reidy said her group will come up with another idea, even if it means placing the flags on their own property. Original reference to ban |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #5 We have nice hand-painted signs galore in Eagle River, Alaska on the overpasses, welcoming people home from overseas. We have had no problems, but of course Eagle River has lots of military families from Fort Richardson and Elmendorf AFB. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-12-10 15:14 |
| #4 On second thought, this is Massachussetts, and they do have a history of things falling off bridges. Can I get an 'Amen," on this, Teddy? |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2007-12-10 14:25 |
| #3 "We've seen a proliferation of all types of signs . . . any of which could pose a hazard..." Almost as serious as the Big Dig ceiling tiles, huh, Sporty????? |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2007-12-10 14:23 |
| #2 Last year, Mass Highway and the veterans groups agreed that hanging signs on overpasses was okay; this year, they 'created' the safety issue. |
| Posted by: Raj 2007-12-10 14:15 |
| #1 Blowback's a bitch, too, ain't it? |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2007-12-10 14:07 |