pam Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) I'm sorry but this just really makes me see red. New Jersey shouldn't have flown flags at half staff for Whitney Houston - Andrea's Agenda by Andrea Johnson - MinotDailyNews.com | News, sports, business, jobs - Minot Daily NewsLet me clarify a bit. I'm seeing red that the governor of New Jersey would order flags at half mast. Edited February 19, 2012 by pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 I feel the same way, but it turns out the action was not unprecedented. Christie already set the precedent at the death of an E Street Band player a few years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Yes that's true. He does have a history of using the half mast for celebrity deaths. I remember a time when it was pretty much reserved only for the deaths of Presidents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 4 USC § 7 - Position and manner of display | LII / Legal Information InstituteSeems to be according to this link, the governor was totally out of line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gargantuan Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) This is taken from the legal code link given by Pam. There is more at this site about flying the USA flag at half mast. This is taken directly from article m of that subsection.(m) The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving on active duty, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff, and the same authority is provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia with respect to present or former officials of the District of Columbia and members of the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia. When the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, or the Mayor of the District of Columbia, issues a proclamation under the preceding sentence that the National flag be flown at half-staff in that State, territory, or possession or in the District of Columbia because of the death of a member of the Armed Forces, the National flag flown at any Federal installation or facility in the area covered by that proclamation shall be flown at half-staff consistent with that proclamation. The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day. As used in this subsection— Edited February 19, 2012 by Gargantuan word add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Yeah, pretty much makes me mad to see a drughead honored in such a way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Sounds like they'll lower it for just about anyone now. The half-mast standard, that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartan117 Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Why stop at this? Let's get her birthday declared a national holiday and start plans for the Whitney Houston Presidential Library. This is just disgraceful. 3 days ago another American soldier was killed in Afghanistan, and Whitney Houston receives the same honor that he'll get? Seriously? Soldiers are still coming home in caskets ... and pop culture symbols are due the same respect how?As a veteran myself, I'm infuriated at crap like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 This is just disgraceful. 3 days ago another American soldier was killed in Afghanistan, and Whitney Houston receives the same honor that he'll get? Seriously? Soldiers are still coming home in caskets ... and pop culture symbols are due the same respect how?As a veteran myself, I'm infuriated at crap like this. And it's not even a guarantee that they will lower the flag to half-staff for that soldier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 It has to be a sign of how our priorities are a bit skewed in this country. If we are going to lower flags for performers at least pick the ones that have done something to make people give thought to important concerns. I can think of several that are more deserving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshac Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 And it's not even a guarantee that they will lower the flag to half-staff for that soldier.Every fallen soldier from my state receives a day to commemorate and honor their service by order of the governor. It's a sad commentary that I see the flag at half-mast more often than not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted February 19, 2012 Report Share Posted February 19, 2012 Yeah, pretty much makes me mad to see a drughead honored in such a way. I probably track with everyone else here in thinking that "Hollywierd" (Michael Medved's term) doesn't deserve half mass flags. On the other hand, I also do not like how our society loves to deconstruct achievers. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, Kennedy was an adulterer, George W. Bush had a drinking problem, and Houston had a serious drug problem. On the other hand, Jefferson, Kennedy and Bush were Presidents who made history, and Houston was, by many accounts, an amazing singer and actress (I liked her in the Preacher's Wife). How about honoring dead heroes, and only raising their flaws when it's relevant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl62 Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 And it's not even a guarantee that they will lower the flag to half-staff for that soldier.And that's the rub for me right there. IF they were to lower the flags at half mast for every soldier that was killed, then maybe I could let a Whitney Houston or a Clarence Clemons slide (who I do believe are very talented!), but how many of these soldiers get nothing more than a two column article along with no flag at half mast? If true respect is given every time where it's deserved the most, then maybe there wouldn't be the rant that there is. But we all know who the govenor favors more than these dead soldiers who give their lives for his freedom. Shame on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDSJewess Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 What disturbs me the most about this is the message that we are sending out to the future generations. Become a celebrity, take drugs, become an addict, die from an over dose, and then become honored with flags flown at half staff, get burried in golden caskets, become memorialized and even more celebrated than you were in life. This message is one that American's are sending out to the future generations. Very sad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan_P Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Storm in a teacup! For me, it's a nice gesture for a state to honor one of its better known native citizen. She was an exceptional artist even though she obviously had her demons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 There are other ways you could honor than lowering the flag. Pretty soon lowering the flag means nothing when it's done for just anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezebel2011 Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 These celebrities bring a lot of revenue to the USA or Canada or the UK or wherever else they are from. They pay taxes which bring billions of dollars into your country and thousands of people from overseas into the USA to visit concerts, bringing money into your hotels, restaurants and other such stuff. So what if New Jersey wished to honour one of their own in this way. It is for one day where one State shows its own respect. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Sure. Tell that to the families of service members who died while serving their country. The ones that didn't get the same type of respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDSJewess Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 These celebrities bring a lot of revenue to the USA or Canada or the UK or wherever else they are from. They pay taxes which bring billions of dollars into your country and thousands of people from overseas into the USA to visit concerts, bringing money into your hotels, restaurants and other such stuff.So what if New Jersey wished to honour one of their own in this way. It is for one day where one State shows its own respect.We will need to disagree on this one.The flag lowering is meant to honor those who were in service to our country no based on a person's income.If a drug dealer or prostitute choose to pay taxes, leading to more State revenue would we then lower the flag for them? The church will not even accepot a tithe from money won in a lottery which brings a lot of money to the State revenue.I have nothing against Ms. Houston. She was blessed with a beautiful voice and she was entertaining. But even if she had not used drugs, the fact that she was not serving our Country irregardkess to the amount of her income or tax bracket, lowering the flag was completely inappropriate. The fact that Ms. Houston was a drug user made such an honor even more inappropriate as it sennds a terribale message to our youth and society as to what America values.And last but not least, our flag belongs to American's not a Governor of a State. This was a bad decision on his part, plain and simple. Had the governor wanted to honor Ms. Houston, send flowers or set up a trust to fight drug abuse. There a a nunmber of ways to honor Houston's talent, but lowering the American flag is not one of the, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningStar Posted February 20, 2012 Report Share Posted February 20, 2012 Storm in a teacup! For me, it's a nice gesture for a state to honor one of its better known native citizen. She was an exceptional artist even though she obviously had her demons... Then have a moment of silence or something. Lowering the flag for Whitney Houston makes the practice less meaningful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackmarch Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 I'm sorry but this just really makes me see red. New Jersey shouldn't have flown flags at half staff for Whitney Houston - Andrea's Agenda by Andrea Johnson - MinotDailyNews.com | News, sports, business, jobs - Minot Daily NewsLet me clarify a bit. I'm seeing red that the governor of New Jersey would order flags at half mast.actually its been the first time i've been tempted to burn a flag... interesting sensation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 We were just watching a movie about Will Rodger's life. Interesting that the flags were flown at half mast for him too. Of course he had a lot to do with public thought and did a lot in his life to help people. Never was a drug addict that I can tell. Of course I might be wrong in that. Still the point is that Huston wasnt the first nonmilitary or governmental figure to have flags flown at half mast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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