Are you down with NJ flying the flag at half-mast for Whitney Houston?

[Dennis S]

He definitely needs to draw the line at Bon Jovi.

[DaviDC.]

As long as just NJ & not the rest of the nation.

[Pops]

New Jersey and Christie can do what he wants. If it happened in my state, I'd email a complaint to my governor and state legislators.

Not that it would effect any change. I just think it inappropriate at a personal level. Maybe I'm being too tough on a dead woman.

[Grace62]

Fellow flag geeks: Christie is in violation of the US flag code in ordering the flag lowered for a celebrity. It's protocol only, but I think it's a little sad that a high ranking American government executive thinks this little of the flag code and of the symbolism behind the half-staff tradition.

This in no way diminishes the contributions of Whitney Houston, but soldiers and police officers killed in the line of duty don't get Grammy awards, singers have not earned an official half-staff flag salute.

[Spock]

Whilst there are many things to criticize Gov. Christie for I don't think this is one of them. In fact he seems to have been been consistent in bestowing this accolade.

Christie said he didn’t believe that Houston’s history of substance abuse “forfeited the good things she did.”

A compassionate conservative at last?



When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hauls ass ...




















... its so large he has to make a second trip.

[decay]

i hope they do it for Glenn Danzig when he kicks.

[(vikm)]

Ombligo wrote:
I don't really care as I'm not a flag waving patriot (actually my patriotic beliefs are generally called treasonous by the flag wavers)

However my gut reaction is this further diminishes the honor of those who truly deserve recognition. Like calling every fireman a hero - I appreciate what they all do, but only a select few deserve to be called heroes.

Being famous does not make you important.

This is probably as close to my response as anything. It's idiocy but don't care more than maybe commenting on a forum about it really.

[JoeH]

Grace62 wrote:
Fellow flag geeks: Christie is in violation of the US flag code in ordering the flag lowered for a celebrity. It's protocol only, but I think it's a little sad that a high ranking American government executive thinks this little of the flag code and of the symbolism behind the half-staff tradition.

This in no way diminishes the contributions of Whitney Houston, but soldiers and police officers killed in the line of duty don't get Grammy awards, singers have not earned an official half-staff flag salute.

As a fellow flag geek, you are wrong. As governor it is authorized under the flag code. To quote the material mattkime did from wikipedia again:

Governors of the several U.S. states or territories are authorized by federal law to order all U.S. and state flags in their jurisdiction flown at half-staff as a mark of respect for a state official or resident who has died. Since a governor's executive order affects only his or her state, not the entire country, these orders are distinguished from presidential proclamations.

That is straight from US Code. As a person familiar with flag etiquette, most persons get it wrong. I first ran into this back in Scouts over 40 years ago, times have not changed. The hidden site URL included in your post when I used the quoting function also gets it wrong. They may disagree with who gets honored this way, but it was entirely in the governor's prerogative to do so.

http://www.ushistory.org/BETSY/news/njl021612.htm (URL unhidden)

[Grace62]

Can you cite where in the US flag code that appears? I just read through the entire thing and I don't see that. Is that an executive proclamation that came later? I see this in the flag code:

US Code Title 4 Chapter 1 - The Flag Section 7M:

"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."

http://www.ushistory.org/BETSY/flagcode.htm


PS: The source that wiki gives for its information is the flag code, which does not contain the words written in the wiki article. If it's somewhere else in federal law, then where? I'm just curious.

[Ted King]

http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/04C1.txt

5. The heads of the several departments and agencies of the
Government may direct that the flag of the United States be flown
at half-staff on buildings, grounds, or naval vessels under their
jurisdiction on occasions other than those specified herein which
they consider proper, and that suitable military honors be rendered
as appropriate.