Don’t deface the American flag

I am responding to your Nov. 10 article, “Auburn must allow peace group in parade.” I attended the Auburn parade and saw the Veterans for Peace participate. I agree with Judge Marsha Pechman’s decision to allow the Veterans for Peace to march in the parade. Everyone loves peace, not only the Veterans for Peace group. No one likes war or was advocating war by participating in the parade. The purpose of the parade was to honor those who have sacrificed for our freedom and national security.

To my mind, the Veterans for Peace went too far by carrying American flags replacing the 50 stars with a white peace symbol on the blue background. Pechman’s decision did not give them the right to deface our national flag. For me the flag is a symbol of our country and what it stands for. As a Vietnamese refugee, I know the horror war and the price of freedom. To me, defacing the flag in this way was inappropriate and disrespectful to those who gave their lives for freedom and all that the flag represents.