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| -Land of the Free | |
| South Carolina sheriff refuses to lower flag in honor of Nelson Mandela | |
| 2013-12-09 | |
| A South Carolina sheriff is refusing to lower the American flag in tribute to Nelson Mandela, saying the honor should be reserved for American citizens. Actaully, that's kind of rude. President Barack Obama ordered flags lowered to half-staff for the international icon until sunset Monday. Mainly, I think, because he thinks he and Mandela were in the same club, i.e., presidents that just everybody loves. But Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark says not in his department. Not within your department to decide, Sheriff.
If they could be lowered for Winston Churchill, they can be lowered for Nelson Mandela. It should be lowered at the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, he said, but not at home. Probably there are more important things to pick fights about. The flag in his department was lowered over the weekend to honor a fallen law enforcement officer and for Pearl Harbor Day. But it will stay up Sunday, he said. A slap in the face of South Africa, but a pretty eentsy one. If the chief of police in Witwatersrand says something stoopid about the U.S.A. and we never hear of it, did he really say it? Or is it simply another "microaggression?" (I'm actually starting to like that word--it covers so much stoopidity!) "I have no problem lowering it in South Africa in their country but not for our country. It should be the people who have sacrificed for our country." But I believe that's mere opinion. A spokesman for the department said the sheriff cannot be disciplined. "Why should we bother?" "He's not breaking a law. It's his decision. And I support the decision of the sheriff," Chief Deputy Creed Hashe said. "My mother, drunk or sober!" Mandela became the symbol of the fight against racial discrimination in South Africa and served 27 years behind bars for defying the apartheid government. He died Thursday at age 95. Mandela was a rarity: a man who was a terrorist in his younger days, who redeemed himself. South Africa could have been Zim-Bob-we, or it could have become one of the nondescript afrodictatorships that have abounded on the rest of the continent. It has lots of problems and will continue to have them, but primarily because of Mandela its Mugabes were stillborn. Though rare, the lowering of flags for foreign citizens is nothing new. George W. Bush did it for Pope John Paul II eight years ago. Bill Clinton did it when former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in the 1990s. In fact, the practice goes as far back as 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson ordered flags lowered for former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. I think I mentioned that in passing... But not all world leaders get the honor. And Bob was so counting on it... This year, Obama issued a statement expressing his condolences for the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But he did not order the flag lowered. If it had been Harold Wilson it might have been a different story. American presidents can issue the executive order at their discretion, the Flag Code states. In general, presidents reserve the honor for major national figures, including governors and foreign dignitaries. The code says it's only a guide and it does not offer penalties for noncompliance. | |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #33 Luv limericks |
| Posted by: badanov 2013-12-09 22:56 |
| #32 Barry's 20th century is Lech-less 'Cause conservativism is reckless! He'll ignore Ronnie's stature And disdain Lady Thatcher As he bows to the queen of the necklace. |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2013-12-09 22:54 |
| #31 I hope that someday (soon) someone will light her own personal necklace for her, and send her to HELL as she so rightly deserves. I usually don't wish such a death on anyone, but I'm willing to make a special exception just for her. She's going to burn in Hell eventually; it would be poetic justice if she were sent there the same way. >:-( |
| Posted by: Barbara 2013-12-09 18:50 |
| #30 Western leaders wearing Winnie’s Necklace to Mandela Memorial Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, George and Laura Bush will all figuratively wear a necklace at Nelson Mandela’s memorial tomorrow—the Winnie Mandela necklace that is the most grotesque one of all time. The prime ministers of Canada and Britain, Stephen Harper and David Cameron will wear the necklace, too. But none of the world leaders at the Mandela funeral—Daily Mail touted as the biggest funeral in the world since Winston Churchill—will hear the screams of the young blacks who died in agony wearing the Winnie Mandela necklace. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2013-12-09 18:12 |
| #29 The sheriff could meet Obama half way and fly the flag at half staff but upside down. |
| Posted by: Airandee 2013-12-09 17:01 |
| #28 "With our boxes of matches and our necklaces we shall liberate this country" - Winnie Mandela. Winnie was a piece of work all on her own. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2013-12-09 16:36 |
| #27 Obama is trying to chum up to George W. No, it was another lie. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2013-12-09 16:25 |
| #26 the WAPO article makes it sound as Obama is trying to chum up to George W George's standing is much higher in Africa. Did a lot in pushing funding for the fight against AIDS which was running rampant at the time. Been back there a couple of times on Habitat type work. Unlike the current resident-in-chief, he never did the photo-op self aggrandizement type trips. Like a lot of stuff, the RIC likes to latch on to others to gather some of the attention and adulation. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-12-09 16:16 |
| #25 Obviously made of better stuff than I. Being cooped up with the Champ and FLOTUS for a 12+ hour flight.... more than I could bear. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 16:00 |
| #24 It just seems that with all the Bush bashing in the first term and into the second term, the WAPO article makes it sound as Obama is trying to chum up to George W. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2013-12-09 15:53 |
| #23 "Obamas, Bushes to travel to South Africa for Mandela funeral.Bushes, Obamas to travel to South Africa for Mandela funeral
The article pointed to is a WAPO article. Curiously, and almost as an after thought it seems, the following paragraph is in the article towards the end: "Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, along with former president Jimmy Carter, will also attend memorials for Mandela in South Africa." |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2013-12-09 15:51 |
| #22 “With our boxes of matches and our necklaces we shall liberate this country” - Winnie Mandela. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 15:34 |
| #21 I think we are meant to assume that because the Sheriff is in SC that this must somehow be racially motivated. And since this must have been racist, that any refusal to worship the late Mandella must also be. Well, f*ck that. We do not honor Mandella because he deserves no honor. He was a mudering terrorist. He won in the end, which does not redeem him one bit. Anyone paying attention to Obama's behaviour could be forgiven for assuming that the man loves terrorists -- the more anti-American the better. So no surprises there. But kudos to the one person willing to stand up and say that ain't right. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2013-12-09 15:12 |
| #20 Did the Sheriff lower the flag to half mast for Thatcher? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2013-12-09 14:59 |
| #19 Churchill's Mother was an American. |
| Posted by: Crinenter Elmoth9033 2013-12-09 14:25 |
| #18 IMHO, he did more good than harm. We all do and believe many things that we come to regret later -- or at least, shake our heads at. I can't say with any certainty that, if I was black and raised in the thorned bosom of apartheid South Africa, I wouldn't have been as radical as hell. I've often responded with anger, when I should have had a cooler head. Mandela developed a cooler head, and he prevailed. |
| Posted by: Dopey Sinatra 2013-12-09 14:21 |
| #17 I'm with the sheriff on this one. Once a great and rare honor, the symbolic lowering of the flag seems to have become a frequent occurrence. Virtue in old age cannot erase depths of evil in youth. |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2013-12-09 13:27 |
| #16 Isee Churchill's but not Mandela's name on the List. I'm sure Emperor Obama can make him a citizen by simple proclamation. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2013-12-09 12:18 |
| #15 If they could be lowered for Winston Churchill, they can be lowered for Nelson Mandela. I see Churchill's but not Mandela's name on the List. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-12-09 11:58 |
| #14 Many thanks. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 11:32 |
| #13 width="300" or width="400" controls the picture width. |
| Posted by: Fred 2013-12-09 11:31 |
| #12 I'm sure the Sheriff is looking at an IRS audit and a DOJ investigation in his immediate future, |
| Posted by: OCCD 2013-12-09 09:55 |
| #11 How does one 'down-size' these comment photos? Can anyone provide me some tech challenged instructions ? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 08:16 |
| #10 You may recognize the man on Mandela's left. Thatis the late Joe Slovo, a most interesting fellow. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 08:08 |
| #9 An early version of knockout game, Besoeker? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-12-09 08:01 |
#8 As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 06:40 |
| #7 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 06:32 |
| #6 I don't care if Mandela was Pricess Anne. He wasn't an American and the Sheriff is. I agree with the Sheriff. Mandela may have been whoop ti do, but if the Media kisses his ass I know who the media are. And I am going to wipe my mouth and go the other way. It's just my simple opinion that the flag should only be lowered to half-staff for Americans who sacrificed for their country," Clark told CNN affiliate WHNS. The Sheriff sounds fine to me. I have a flag on the front porch. It never even occurred to me to lower it for Mandela. Didn't even cross my mind. And what Obama "mandates" is donkey patooty to me. |
| Posted by: Spereting Tingle4064 2013-12-09 06:18 |
| #5 Second silentbrick, he was vermin, regardless of the "Whitewash" Given by the media, my memory is long, and I remember the news (That the Media wants us to forget) About Mandella. The Sheriff is right, he doesn't bear remembering favorably, he was a thug. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2013-12-09 05:36 |
| #4 I'm sorry but the image that Murdering Terrorist Mandela will always bring to my mind is that of people with gas filled tires burning around their neck and shoulders. He was vile, sub human vermin and he deserved to die like those he ordered killed. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick - Schlumberger Squishy Mud Division 2013-12-09 04:42 |
#3 I'm sorry Besoeker, gut feeling about the likely end of those chickens is  by the way, I would like some frys with that... |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2013-12-09 03:16 |
| #2 And in other news: Florida town orders boy with autism to give up pet chickens. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-09 01:06 |
#1 Me thinks the Honorable Sheriff Richard "Rick" Clark may not have received the message from the 1 as originally transmitted, hence it was a "breakdown in communications" which caused him to act in a manner befitting a thinking US citizen. After all the 1 was likely in Africa when he "ordered" flags to be flown at 1/2 staff for an ANC leader, murderer, and all around nobel prize winner/"they all stick together don't you know"  |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2013-12-09 00:48 |