Forums | MacLife

Comments have been moved for deliberation.
No more of it.

registered_user wrote:

Lowering the flag is meant for national tragedies, right? 

Then I agree with LBI.  They should actually fly the flag at half mast until January 20th, 2009.

But seriously folks, LBI is cheapening the act of flying a flag at half staff.  It's a terrible disservice to the US.

If the Iraq war isn't a "national tragedy", then I don't know what is. What else would you consider thousands of US solders dying for nothing but a false, hubris-filled dream?

registered_user wrote:

Lowering the flag is meant for national tragedies, right? 

Then I agree with LBI.  They should actually fly the flag at half mast until January 20th, 2009.

But seriously folks, LBI is cheapening the act of flying a flag at half staff.  It's a terrible disservice to the US.

The loss of thousands of American lives and the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis seems to me to be a tragedy.

I won't even comment on the Bush Administration, since his city council's Republican minority leader has shown support of this.

Those bastards... honoring our fallen troops... the shame.

Do it upsidedown instead.

http://www.progressive.org/mag_mc071906

Arrest, Death Threat, for Farmer with Upside Down Flag

By Matthew Rothschild

July 19, 2006

Dale Klyn raises beef cows in Corydon, Iowa.

For the past six years, he has been flying an American flag on his property.

But since May 21, that flag has been upside down.

He gives two reasons.

First, he’s angry at a judge for allowing a debtor of his to declare bankruptcy. The debtor, who had bought a business from Klyn on a contract and still owed him $282,000, now only has to “pay me six cents on the dollar,” says Klyn. “The judge approved that on the 18th of May. I was pretty upset about that.”

Second, he wants to show solidarity for Terri Jones.

She’s the Iowa mom who has been flying her flag upside down after her son returned from the Iraq War and committed suicide. (Klyn had never met her before.)

“When I got the Des Moines Register and read the article about Terri Jones and how her son didn’t get the medical attention he needed, I decided I’m going to support her and oppose what the judge had done and fly my flag upside down,” he says.

It got a reaction.

--snip--

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html#5

§8. Respect for flag

No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.

   1. The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
--snip--

Last edited by Beagle/Bro. (2007-06-17 5:39 pm)

The town doing the flag half mass specifically states it has nothing to do with politics - it's a shame discussion about it has to resort to divisive partisan rants.

It's being done as a commentary on how sick they are that this country is so engrossed with the frivilous lifestyles of people like Paris and Lohan while young men and women their same age are sacrificing their lives overseas and get very little attention.

Flying the flag at half mass is a way that town can demonstrate they respect the real sacrifices being made by those young men and women.

Perhaps it means different things to different people.
To me it's about honor. their sacrifice and our loss.

registered_user wrote:

Oh, so you think we should all faux-mourn out of cynicism.  I see.  That'll show 'em.

Flying a flag at half staff to remember deceased troops is faux-mourning? 3500 nameless US military casualties, and lord knows how many nameless contractors. God forbid these men and women get some recognition that's more then magnetic ribbons and "3 US soldiers died in car bombing today" mentioned on the nightly news.

Flags get flown at half staff for military funerals / burials, I don't see why this is a big deal.

Last edited by Aqua OS X (2007-06-17 6:34 pm)

resedit wrote:

Flying the flag at half mass is a way that town can demonstrate they respect the real sacrifices being made by those young men and women.

No, it means that they can compete with all the celebrity drama in the news with a little drama of their own. 

And given the spectrum of bogus interpretation this stunt is prone to, I think it clearly illustrates how it cheapens the practice.

Man, I would have loved a 'half mass' as a child.  Sitting in church for an entire hour is incredibly boring.

bratboy wrote:

resedit wrote:

The town doing the flag half mass specifically states it has nothing to do with politics - it's a shame discussion about it has to resort to divisive partisan rants.

It's being done as a commentary on how sick they are that this country is so engrossed with the frivilous lifestyles of people like Paris and Lohan while young men and women their same age are sacrificing their lives overseas and get very little attention.

Flying the flag at half mass is a way that town can demonstrate they respect the real sacrifices being made by those young men and women.

I thought our troubles in Iraq were getting too much attention?

No, you don't understand: only by the lie-beral media. Cheerleading by FAUX News is always just right.

matt wrote:

I don't think the flag being flown that way says anything about sacrifices, only about the tragedy of their deaths.

I only know about it because I saw a nesw blurb - and they interviewed the guy, and he said it was because he was sick of all the attention over the stupid antics of people like Hilton etc. while other people their own age were out sacrificing themselves for the country - that it was a shame that drunk and spoiled irresponsible celebs get so much attention while their peers in the military die with barely a mention.

My words not his - but I'm pretty certain he used the term sacrifice.

The link was just what google found, and is a few months old. The interview on TV was recent, as he mentioned the recent Jail thing the media is spending so much time on with Paris.