If you fly a U.S. flag, especially from an upright flagpole, it probably seems like it has spent an inordinate amount of time at half-staff since President Obama took office.
A controversy over flag etiquette and Obama’s proclamations to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff during his 8 years in office is beginning to trend on social media and political websites, with arguments for and against his decisions often becoming heated between participants.
It is true that Obama holds the record for lowering the flag to half-staff. With the latest proclamation issued July 15th, for the victims in Nice, France, his total has reached 67. I am expecting another proclamation to follow for the police officers killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to immediately follow the conclusion of his latest order, that will end on July 19th. If that happens, his total will be 68.
What isn’t true, is some of the memes that are propagated, emailed, and repeatedly posted on social media by the anti-Obama factions. One falsely claimed Obama issued a half-staff order for singer Whitney Houston. It was, in fact, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who ordered U.S. flags to half-staff in his state, from which Whitney Houston was native.
I’m not going to argue whether or not the half-staff proclamations are too commonplace. There is value to some of the more sane people who give opinions for and against the use of half-staff orders.
Presidential scholars say Obama’s use of such proclamations show an evolution of the presidential “soft power” as comforter in chief into a more formal and visible display of national sorrow.
“Especially during partisan times, when there’s polarization among the American people, presidents are seeking a way to find a mechanism to unify people,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor at the University of Houston who tracks presidential proclamations. “This allows him to connect on an emotional level rather than a political or a policy level.”
The American Legion, a veterans service organization often looked to for flag etiquette advice, said it’s not concerned about the increasing number of half-staff days proclaimed by the president. “That’s his prerogative. We’re not going to question the reasoning,” said deputy director Mike Buss.
Others believe there’s a limit to how often the nation can be expected to pay attention to the many commemorations.
John Hartvigsen, a flag historian at the Colonial Flag Foundation and the president of the North American Vexillological Association, which is dedicated to the scholarly study of flags said, “In days past, I looked at that and said, this makes sense. But anymore I’d have to reconsider it.”
“It’s proliferated in the last few years,” Hartvigsen said, not just because of Obama, but because of Congress. In addition to Memorial Day (during which the flag is to be flown at half-staff only until noon), Congress has over time added commemorations for Korean War veterans, the 9/11 anniversary, Pearl Harbor Day and separate memorials for police and firefighters.”
And increasingly, flags are flying at half-staff for two simultaneous commemorations. The proclamation lowering flags for the victims of the San Bernardino shooting last December overlapped with National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Dec. 7. A resolution for the Roseburg, Ore., community college shooting overshadowed a previously scheduled commemoration for fallen firefighters last Oct. 4. And in 2005, President George W. Bush signed two proclamations the same day, lowering flags for both Chief Justice William Rehnquist and the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“The question is, how do we appropriately do it so we don’t overdo it, because when you overdo it it loses its meaning and significance,” Hartvigsen said. If the flag is flying at half-staff, no one should have to ask why, he said.
Some will point to the Flag Code. In it, it states the President can issue an executive order for the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States government and others, as a mark of respect to their memory. When such an order is issued, all government buildings, offices, public schools, and military bases are to fly their flags at half-staff.
Arguments ensue over the flag lowering being reserved only for government officials, while opposing views argue that the words “and others” allows the President leeway in determining when the flag will be lowered.
What most miss is the fact that the Flag Code has become nothing more than a guideline and not an enforcable law. The burning or desecration of the flag, prohibited within the code, was found unconstitutional decades ago as a Freedom of Speech issue.
Further, should any citizen or official take it upon themselves to disregard the Presidential Proclamation, or even lower the flag to half-staff without presidential authorization, that act can not be lawfully prosecuted (again, Freedom of Speech).
So, how does Obama’s record of half-staff proclamations compare to former presidents? The numbers in the graph pictured below may surprise Republicans and Democrats alike.
UPDATE 8:00 PM: President Obama has just issued the proclamation for flags to be at half-staff until sunset, July 22nd, as a mark of respect for the police officers killed in Baton Rouge, LA. The total amount of his half-staff proclamations is now 68.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
