Comments | pmb: Half-staff American flag

pmb

Half-staff American flag

Nov 02, 2007 13:28

It seems like the flag has been flying at half-staff a lot recently. I haven't been able to dig up any data on how often this has been the case, so I'm asking you all: Do you know of any reference where I can see when, for the past few years, the flag was to be flown at half-staff? I see it so often that we are either living in extremely tragic ( Read more... )

Comments 17

mycrust November 3 2007, 00:52:57 UTC

When I read the first sentence of your post, I was 75% sure it was going to be about erectile dysfunction.

mlissner November 3 2007, 01:09:17 UTC

Actually, who's to say this whole post isn't about ED? Peter may well be living in tragic times.

steuard November 3 2007, 14:05:29 UTC

There is no way that this comment should have made me laugh quite that hard.

panamaus November 3 2007, 06:11:05 UTC

Perhaps our national flag has finally been so abused as a symbol in the service of political ends that flying it at half-staff is now the only appropriate means of adequately conveying our deep feelings of sadness and loss at its petty and selfish debasement.

I mean, speaking personally, when I see the American flag incorporated endlessly into every single frame of programming aired on "FOX NEWS CHANNEL" (to take just one example), I feel grief and remorse for it as a symbol for something that once represented a part of my identity as an American. Because honestly, I don't feel right about associating myself with that symbol anymore now that it has been so thoroughly hijacked and redefined as representing neo-conservative imperialism.

But then again, maybe it's just me.

Haven't you learned anything? canarasekal November 4 2007, 15:03:40 UTC

After, what, 29 years of some kind of association with the Navy (however remote), haven't you learned that it's half MAST? Half staff is for Army pu....guys.

Re: Haven't you learned anything? pmb November 4 2007, 20:46:09 UTC

I first searched for half-mast but didn't find any pronouncements about the whole deal so I figured I must be misremembering my terms. I dug half-staff out of news articles.

Apparently the executive branch and news services cater to the Army and not to the Navy.

misuba November 5 2007, 19:09:17 UTC

Obviously we just need to shorten all the flagpoles