By PEG BAER

Why is it in today's society that people can only find faults with the President of the United States? When he does something good, all they can say is that it is about time. But when he dies, he was one of the greatest Presidents we ever had.

Take for instance the recent death of President Johnson. It was then that people began to realize the good things that he did. Before he died, he was always regarded as a President of war.

After he died many people decided that he was one of the greatest men that had ever been in the office. At the same time, President Nixon announced that peace was here. Still people talked of how fantastic President Johnson was.

Are we going to wait until President Nixon dies before we recognize the things that he has done for us while in office? Just imagine how President Nixon felt when people talked of how President Johnson was the best President we ever had?

We had a moment of mourning for the death of President Johnson. Why didn't we have a moment of glory for the peace that was achieved by President Nixon?

Instead, we hear talk of the wrongs that the ‑ President has done ‑ that is, until he's dead. People always say that "life goes on." Then why don't we let life LIVE on. For 30 days we look at a flag that is at half staff rather than one that should be flying high because we have achieved something we have long ‑ been working for ‑ peace with honor.

Which should have prevalence: the death of one man or the new life of the whole country? I'm sorry that President Johnson died, but I think that the new life of the country should have come first.

How is it going to look to future students when they look in their history books and see that the United States flag was flying at half staff on the day that our country achieved their goal of peace?