Clynro Loc: South Jordan, UT

I don't know how everyone else feels about this, but I'm getting tired of everyone flying the flag at half staff all of the time. Most of the time, I don't even know why it's at half staff. Personally I feel that flying the flag in that fashion should be reserved for the most significant of national tragedies--such as the death of a president, 911, the Challenger or Columbia accidents--something along those lines. I feel that where I live, people fly the flag at half mast for anything and everything (such as the death of a local police officer in the line of duty--which I admit is a tragedy, but a local one, not a national one, and not meriting that flags be flown at half mast) and it loses it's significance. Also, I don't like to always see the proud standard of my country always halfway to where it should be--flying high and proud for all to see. Anyone else feel the same, or am I just a little oversensitive about this?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I think that any time someone gives their life in the attempt to preserve our way of life, they deserve recognition.

Yes, I am tired of seeing the flags at half staff in my city, but that means some individual from Arizona gave their life in some God forsaken hell hole, because our government felt a need to assign that person to defend our liberties in that hell hole.

It means that some local resident, who voluntarily joined a police force, decided that preserving our way of life was more important than their own.

It means that citizens are willing to give all they have to protect us from all that may harm us.

Those people deserve to be recognized and honored for their sacrifice. Thus, the minimum a community can do to honor their sacrifice is to lower the flag to half staff to let the recipients of that person's act of sacrifice be known.
--Bob

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

I understand your sensitivity.

Upon reliable information that the current or former President, current Vice-President, current or former Chief Justice, or current Speaker of the House has died, the flag shall be flown at half staff.
Upon Presidential proclamation or proclamation from your state's governor the flag shall be flown at half staff.

Much information is available about this on the net.
For starters.......

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

jrb1213 Loc: McDonough GEorgia

You are not overly sensitive, you are just plain wrong. But then I am one who stands at the side of the road and salutes as the fallen heros hearse goes by. What you do not recognize is that the flag does not just represent the country but each person in this country, for it is "We the people" that starts the constitution. When someone dies in defense of us, the country is diminished. The recognition of that is flying the flag at half staff.

Robert Graybeal Loc: Myrtle Beach

No problem with people flying at half mast for some current event.

Don't believe the flag should be flown at half mast for any event in the past. Not for something that happened last year or 12 years ago or .... next thing we will be flying at half mast for every anniversary of every event in the history of our country.

Robert Graybeal Loc: Myrtle Beach

No problem with people flying at half mast for some current event.

Don't believe the flag should be flown at half mast for any event in the past. Not for something that happened last year or 12 years ago or .... next thing we will be flying at half mast for every anniversary of every event in the history of our country.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Robert
Perhaps, if you were in New York City on September 11th, 2001 and helped pull the bodies from the pile, you'd think differently.

Clynro Loc: South Jordan, UT

Excellent link! I guess this is what I was referring to. I thought that there must be some established rules for the flying of the flag at half mast, I just never knew where they were or thought to look them up:

"The laws relating to the flag of the United States of America are found in detail in the United States Code. Title 4, Chapter 1 pertains to the flag; Title 18, Chapter 33, Section 700 regards criminal penalties for flag desecration; Title 36, Chapter 3 pertains to patriotic customs and observances. These laws were supplemented by Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations...

...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. 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 —
the term "half-staff" means the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff;
the term "executive or military department" means any agency listed under sections 101 and 102 of title 5, United States Code; and the term "Member of Congress" means a Senator, a Representative, a Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico."

It seems that according to this, flying the staff at half mast is to be done as a result of a governmental decree, not an individual decision. There is surely a significant degree of freedom given to those whose responsibility it is to make those decisions, but it appears not to be a decision that is to be made on an individual basis, and is actually unlawful.

I was raised with a great deal of respect for the flag and how it should be treated and displayed, and I guess I have always felt that the way it was being indiscriminantly flown by people at half mast to signify their own feelings violated my internal sense of propriety for a national emblem.

I also have a tremendous respect for those who serve our country and think that there are many ways to honor their sacrifice. Perhaps the fact that so many of them over the past 20 years have made the ultimate sacrifice has made me feel that flying the flag at half mast is losing it's significance--though admittedly it may be that we are all just getting more accustomed to such loss of life as "normal". I think that if it were me who gave my life for my country, I would want to think that my sacrifice made it so the flag could continue to fly high and proud, rather than in a position of mourning.

venturer9 Loc: Newton, Il.

I don't have much of an opinion on this particular subject... I sometimes think of it in the same way I think of

Hero's..... who/what/why is a hero and who decides

Tragedy.... What qualifies as a tragedy....one dead, two dead, More dead. By accident, by murder, by natural causes. OR MORE IMPORTANTLY WHEN THE MEDIA DECIDES IT IS A TRAGEDY.

Treason..... When a newspaper (think NYT) prints a list of secrets that have been stolen from the Gov. The person who steals those secrets and sells/gives them to enemies or "supposedly" friendly Folk. The College Professor who has his students to stomp on the USA Flag in the Classroom.

I have a RIGHT to know.... When the lady in podunk is raped and her NAME is prominently shown on TV or in Print. To see VIVID pictures of a 3 or 4 vehicle wreck with bloody bodies laying around The picture and name of someone the MEDIA decides is guilty (see Richard Jewell) and when he is cleared, no apology..

All are things that can be seen at the very least as irritating if not criminal....

Mike

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

What does that have to do with flying the flag at half-staff because the assistant chief of police has a hang nail?

Bill Houghton Loc: New York area

:thumbup: :thumbup:

STVest Loc: LA - that's Lower Alabama

Totally agree.

FrumCA

Much information is available about this on the net.
For starters.......

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagcode.htm[/quote]

Here's some additional information...
Only the president of the United States or the Governor of the state may order the flag to be at half-staff to honor the death of a national or state figure. In addition to the traditional half-staff salutes, the Flag Code mentions the use of our Flag for honoring leading citizens such as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Private citizens and non government buildings may choose to fly their flags at half staff to honor more local leaders. The Flag Code does not exclude any citizen, whether they belong to an organization or not, whether they are recognized very locally or regionally. Examples of deceased citizens that might be honored with by lowering the Flag to half-staff include local religious leaders, youth leaders, honored teachers or sports coaches, local politicians, or a local hero. There need be no authorization from the government for the private sector (non-government) to use the Flag to honor any citizen.
It is important to note that the Flag Code is a code, it is intended to provide guidance and is not obligatory. It carries no civil or criminal penalties for "misuse" of the Flag. Individual are not acting illegally when using the Flag according to their own usage. Only on government / public building is the flag code required to be followed.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

The governor of NJ ordered the flags flown at half staff when James Gandofino, the actor who portrayed mob boss Tony Soprano, passed away. WTF

AUminer Loc: Brandon, Ms

Personally, I would like to see flags at half mast all the time that we are in a military confrontation or for lack of an all encompassing word, war. If for no other reason but to remind us all of the Men and Women that are giving their lives in conflicts they do not always agree with. They do this for love of country.