Posted on 02/16/2012 3:16:48 PM PST by mandaladon
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday strongly defended his decision to have the state’s flags flown at half-staff for singer Whitney Houston.
Christie had been criticized for ordering flags at state government buildings to be lowered on Saturday, the day that Houston’s funeral services would be held in Newark.
His order was criticized both by those who thought that the honor should be reserved for recently deceased soldiers, first-responders and elected officials, and by those who thought it was wrong to honor an alleged drug addict.
Christie said he didn’t believe that Houston’s history of substance abuse “forfeited the good things she did.”
“I am disturbed by people who believe that because her ultimate demise — and we don’t know what is the cause of her death yet — but because of her history of substance abuse that somehow she’s forfeited the good things that she did in her life,” he said, according to the AP. “I just reject that on a human level.”
“What I would say to everybody is, ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’” he added.
The cause of Houston’s death is not clear, and the results on the toxicology tests taken after she died are pending.
Christie, calling Houston “a daughter of New Jersey,” also noted the cultural impact that the singer has had.
The Republican governor pointed out that he had ordered flags flown at half-staff for New Jersey’s 31 service members killed in action and every police officer slain in the line of duty during his time in office, according to the wire service.
Last year, Christie ordered flags lowered to half-staff for Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
A woman with a remarkable talent who threw it all away for herself and, evidently, her daughter also - and then she committed suicide. What’s to lower the flag for?
I thought it was stupid and inconsiderate myself. Probably pandering.
Who didn’t predict Whitney’s suicide or wasting death years ago?
Folks, folks, you have forgotten her race.
Do you think he would this for a deceased white singer?
Do you?
Christie defends the indefensible. I have no idea what is happening in America. I'm glad however that I'm on the tail-end of my life and hopefully won't live to see its total collapse.
I lost respect for Chris Christie over this. The flag at half staff for a drug addict? Does he fly the flag at half staff when a service member from his state dies in the line of duty? What could he be thinking?
Since 9/11, I am disturbed by the dumbing-down of flag-lowering.
Of course, this is NOT the national flag, but before 9/11, even in my state this kind of thing did not happen for just every dead person.
Frankly, the standards are that a few important OFFICIALs of the US get the national flag lowered. Not just anyone, and sorry, that includes soldiers. I could understand the 9/11 lowerings, because that was the most unprecedented unexpected murderous ambush in history, but it seems our bozos made the connection “9/11 = ordinary people = lower the flag”. I.e., anyone who dies that we think is important might get the state flags lowered, at least. It’s ridiculous - and a bit wimpy, in its way.
The Flag in MourningChris Christie is just another self-serving Northeastern liberal pandering to black voters.
To place the flag at half staff, hoist it to the peak for an instant and lower it to a position half way between the top and bottom of the staff. The flag is to be raised again to the peak for a moment before it is lowered. On Memorial Day the flag is displayed at half staff until noon and at full staff from noon to sunset.
The flag is to be flown at half staff in mourning for designated, principal government leaders and upon presidential or gubernatorial order.
When used to cover a casket, the flag should be placed with the union at the head and over the left shoulder. It should not be lowered into the grave.
>>Who didn’t predict Whitney’s suicide or wasting death years ago?<<
Or at the hands of Bobby Brown, to whom she kept returning.
Anyone have the deathpool numbers for her?
I don't think God would have approved. If you are shedding tears they are for yourself and for what she robbed from you. A senseless tragedy.
They did lower the flags for Frank Sinatra and Clarence Clemons (Bruce Springsteen’s saxaphone player)...
Hey, we’re just following the path of Great Britain down the drain. They’ve been granting knighthood to celebrities for years. Sir Paul, and all that.
I’ll defend the action, though I may be in the minority.
Considering the state did this for Frank Sinatra (mobster?), there is precedence for recognizing artists from the state...
Look, if Obama wanted U.S. flags flown at half staff, that would be ridiculous. But the girl was from Jersey, and she had her home there, and it is NOT for her drug addiction that she was celebrated.
By some accounts, she was getting over her problems, though clearly something was wrong with her at that club the night before she died.
My basic argument is Christie can do what he wants in his state...and if the people of that state have a problem with it, they can let him know.
I know the “bigger question” is does an artist deserve special recognition when other REAL heroes (like the Marines and soldiers who die for this country) are not given such attention. I can answer for myself: those men and women are there for us, and I applaud them—but they are constantly fighting and dying. If we flew the flag at half mast every day for them, it would lose its meaning.
I prefer to show my love and respect for those great Americans in other ways. I don’t think Christie dismisses the work of our soldiers by honoring Whitney Houston.
JMHO.
There is a website that monitors when flags are lowered around the country and I checked it out the other day. It appears he lowers it for service members.
Did all of them also commit suicide?
Her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner (at the start of the first Gulf War) was so widely praised she released it as a single and gave her share of the proceeds to the troops.
That’s more than most of us have ever given; she’s no Barack Obama, and was apparently proud of this country long before our “First Lady” was.
Governor Reagan would never have lowered the Stars And Stripes for Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison in California. Pure pandering. Not conservative.
Governor Reagan would never have lowered the Stars And Stripes for Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison in California. Pure pandering. Not conservative.
Governor Reagan would never have lowered the Stars And Stripes for Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison in California. Pure pandering. Not conservative.
Governor Reagan would never have lowered the Stars And Stripes for Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison in California. Pure pandering. Not conservative.
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