Lew's View: Disrespectful city leaders refuse to salute flag

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Lew Leone is the vice president and general manager of WNYW-FOX 5. He is taking to the airwaves with his thoughts on current affairs. It's called "Lew's View." In this commentary, Mr. Leone says elected leaders should salute the flag:

What started as one New York City Council member refusing to Pledge Allegiance to our flag has turned into a movement amongst city leaders. What makes this disrespectful protest even more offensive to me is the fact that the number one elected official Bill De Blasio is in support of the effort.

The ill-conceived notion to protest racial injustice and other perceived social ills by not recognizing our flag really started with Colin Kaepernick, an NFL quarterback who refuses to stand at attention for the national anthem.

Now, all over the country, others have followed his lead in expressing their dissatisfaction with our country by copying this foolish behavior. However, most of these protests have been made by private citizens. 

Here in New York City, we are talking about elected officials who have been sworn into office and vowed to uphold the very laws, values and principles which the American flag represents.

These city council members are chosen in a democratic process and voted into government to represent their communities. And, in fact, they are the very leaders with legislative power to actually do something about racial inequality. I think it is totally inappropriate and immoral to take advantage of their position and abuse the use of their office in the form of a personal protest.

As the elected leader of the city, Mayor de Blasio swore an oath to uphold the US Constitution, the Constitution of the State of New York and the Charter of the City of New York. The very least he can do is not defend this behavior, and what he really should do, is publicly decry the show of disrespect by eight city council members, or call it “dumb and disrespectful” as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did this week.

De Blasio says he wants to end the "Tale of Two Cities." What better way than supporting values like “one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all?”

If the Mayor would like to see what leadership when it comes to this subject looks like he should literally take a page out of the playbook of Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball Coach Buzz Williams. Here is a clip which was released in March well before all of this started.  And I will surely be rooting for the Hokies this season: