May 8,2017
PJ Blogger
Ridgewood NJ, in a recent editorial Alfred P. Doblin , NorthJersey media , ( https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/columnists/alfred-doblin/2017/05/07/doblin-its-2017-fly-pride-flag-ridgewood/311938001/ ) attempted to bully the Village council into hanging the “gay pride flag” over the village hall to prove we are an inclusive community .
Mr. Doblin in Ridgewood we are all Americans and the American flag is highest form of inclusion the world has ever known. Sorry if you dont like the American flag .In Ridgewood we are not defined by our race , creed or sexual preferences . Nor are we segregated by it .We are defined by our willingness in invest our energy and debate for our community . We don’t always agree on things , but in the end all the acrimony amounts to the fact that people really care about where they live .
In Ridgewood no one needs to prove anything to anyone , if you want to fly the “pride flag” in your front yard your more than welcome to do so . You see in Ridgewood we respect peoples choices , even if we may or may not agree with them.
However I do take special issue in using a child’s painful suicide as a lame attempt to manipulate pubic opinion . While some would suggest it is desperately “sick” , I will assume you are sadly misguided.
Instead of the focus on flag flying and calling people cowards or racists  I would suggest a change in editorial policy for Bergen Record . If you really want to help the gay community, perhaps embracing  a more aggressive vetting of refugees, might avoid more instances like the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, or the San Bernardino shooting. It would also lift suspicions off of people legitimately coming to our shores in hopes of making a better life.
Or better yet if your looking to raise flags ,there are many Mosques in New Jersey that should as you have suggested for Ridgewood prove they are “inclusive”, Â and unfurl the rainbow flag right in front of their welcoming doors .
Doblin did not mention that Mr. Rogers said there is an Village ordinance that says temporary signage or flags should not be flown or put up in front of Village Hall. Mr. Rogers also cited a Supreme Court ruling that said the same thing about temporary signage in front of municipal buildings where American flag is flown. I am writing from what I best remember Mr. Rogers as saying.
Well said!
The Left likes to Bully. You’re not inclusive until you get around to their way of thinking.
Doblin was in error when he claimed that Village officials objected to a flag ” . . anywhere on Village property.” I distinctly remember Matt Rogers indicating that Van Neste Park, also owned by the Village, would be an appropriate place for the flag to be displayed.
Frankly, Doblin’s editorial has Paul Aronsohn written all over it. Aren’t Aronsohn and Doblin pretty chummy?
But according to the left if you say the left is guilty of bullying that means that you yourself are a bully. See what they did there? Pretty clever, no?
Flying the flag at any cost goes hand in hand with extreme liberals fury against republicans. These people will stop at nothing to forcefully push and fulfill their agenda. If you just simply say you are against any flag other than the national flag flying in public property they will mercilessly attack you. It is impossible to express the simplest, most honest opinion on this very ordinary issue on any social media forum for you have to be really strong and respond in kind or be subdued and avoid conflict. To me it is simply stupid but also offending to the rest of the village community to ask so persistently about flying a flag because you are proud of leading a certain way of life. Fly your pride flag anywhere in your property be it your car, home, yard, bedroom, bathroom but do not touch public spaces which belong to all residents. If you feel excluded and not represented by the American flag then this is the wrong country for you. Stop trying to force people to like the way you live. I do not care what flag you fly, what life you lead, what you do at home etc. To me you are fellow residents whom I respect just like everybody else but you are inviting rejection by using these ugly tactics to impose your will to the rest of town’s population. I hope VC regardless of the immense pressure will not bend to satisfy this flag request.
This is straight out of the DNCC playbook. When they could not get Scott Garrett any other way, they painted him as a homophobe and won.
Likewise, they are trying to get at this Village Council through the homophobe route, given that their other attempts have failed. It is a tried and tested strategy. The village is increasingly populated by ‘progressives’ who are ready to ignore all other issues as long as you somehow accuse one side of ‘homophobia’ – not matter how absurd the premise.
This entire move is very well choreographed by Hackensack. Expect accusations of homophobia and bigotry (with reference to the referenced article) to feature prominently in the next council election.
And expect the unthinking sheep to fall in line. Council robbing the taxpayers blind and selling the village to developers – who cares? They will fly the rainbow flag!!!!
Big time bullying going on about the issue going on the “It Takes a Ridgewood Village” FB page. The flag in itself is not the issue, the bigger fish they are trying to fry is insist that there will be no dissent on certain issues. All part of a cultural power grab,
Too bad that guy wasn’t thrown out with the bath water with the recent change of ownership, Not interested in anything he writes about as nothing he writes about is interesting.
The following letter was published in The Record with a photo of Van Neste.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/05/09/letter-ridgewood-always-wanted-do-right-thing-flag/314406001/
Letter: Ridgewood always wanted to do right thing on flag
NorthJersey 2:34 p.m. ET May 9, 2017
(Photo: STEVE HOCKSTEIN/FOR THE RECORD)
Alfred Doblin’s column (“It’s 2017, fly the Pride flag in Ridgewood,” May 7) attempts to shame Ridgewood’s Village Council into flying a rainbow flag at Village Hall for Gay Pride Month in June.
Last week, the council debated the ramifications of setting a precedent for accepting requests to fly any flag other than the Stars and Stripes at the municipal building. They are obliged to consider such things.
An alternative, evident on the video Doblin says he watched, was suggested by the village attorney: to fly the flag in the public forum space in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square downtown, where it would be far more visible. On Monday, the mayor notified council members that she intended to introduce such a resolution on May 10. If it passes, full credit for an elegant compromise should accrue to the council. I believe they always intended to do the right thing once they’d figured out what it was.
Had Doblin contacted the mayor or any other sitting council member, he would have learned the full story and his column might have sung with praise. Instead, he chose to make negative assumptions, insult our conscientious and inclusive council and quote a former mayor who I believe has an ax to grind.
Marcia Ringel
Ridgewood, May 9
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Here are more:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/05/09/letter-flying-flag-doesnt-have-political-statement/314179001/
And from a current council member:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/05/08/letter-ridgewoods-discussion-flying-gay-pride-flag-disappointing/312954001/
The main thing the council needs to decide is the fact that flying one group’s flag will open Citizens Park to ANY group who wants to see their symbol flown. Is this really the outcome desired? You will be accused of favoring one group over another if you later refuse to fly another’s flag.
“The left this the left that balh blah blah” the whole point of Doablin’s article was that the pride flag is a symbol of equality which is NOT political as he’s said over and over again in his piece yet you all keep making it political by accusing him of attacking the right which is not what he was doing at all.