SC Sheriff Refuses To Lower Flag For Nelson Mandela

The Greenville News ^ | December 7, 2013 | Eric Connor

[DJ Taylor]

The American flag that flies over the Pickens County Sheriff's Office will be raised high tonight despite an order by President Barack Obama that flags across the country be lowered to half-staff to honor the death of iconic South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Sheriff Rick Clark told The Greenville News that he has ordered the flag be raised at the end of today because he said the honor of lowering flags to half-staff should be reserved for Americans.

"The flag at half-staff is for Americans' ultimate sacrifice for our country," Clark said. "We should never stray away from that."

The flag has flown at half-staff and will continue to during daylight hours today in honor of a Low country law enforcement officer who was killed and in honor of Pearl Harbor Day, Clark said.

However, come tonight, the flag will be raised, he said.

On Thursday, Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on public grounds until sunset Monday.

[OldNewYork]

“Good for Sheriff Clark. He is correct.”

Agree, and it’s worth repeating.

[Hoodat]

Only a foreigner would lower the Stars & Stripes for a foreign leader.

[rsobin]

God, I love Pickens. Go Blue Flame.

[DoodleDawg]

President George W. Bush ordered flags to fly at half-staff at the passing of Pope John Paul II in 2005, President Bill Clinton did so for Yitzhak Rabin (1995) and King Hussein of Jordan (1999), and President Ronald Reagan honored Anwar Sadat in 1981, but the historical precedent most often cited is President Lyndon Johnson’s bestowal of the honor in recognition of the passing of Winston Churchill in 1965.

Then agree or disagree with the decision, I guess Obama isn't setting a precedent. But Churchill at least had honorary U.S. citizenship while the others did not.

[RS_Rider]

Good point, I didn’t associate the two.
They don’t have their flag edict correct anyways because they fly the PA flag (Pennsylvania not the palestinian one) at the same height.

[blaveda]

You know it!

[dfwgator]

Well even Reagan did it for Sadat, and Sadat certainly also was part of some terrorist acts in his early days.

[Graybeard58]

I noticed that my flag had slipped down about 6 inches, I tightened it upwards.

[Washi]

IRS audit in 3...2...1...

[Hot Tabasco]

probably because its Pearl Harbor Day too

Huh? Gosh, no mention of that in today's news.........;

[DoodleDawg]

Only a foreigner would lower the Stars & Stripes for a foreign leader.

See reply 7 and then get back to me.

[Yaelle]

I don’t live there but I’m going again in two weeks!

[DoodleDawg]

I don’t necessarily disagree with him that it should be an honor reserved for U.S. citizens, but the precedent has been set for some time.

[GeronL]

at least Bing remembered it

[GeronL]

Google did nothing

[Graybeard58]

I remember when Sir Winston Churchill died, the flags on base were lowered to half staff. I believe he was an honorary American citizen though. I can’t think of any other foriegn citizen who deserved it more than him.

[tomkat]

             

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on public grounds until sunset Monday.***

Interesting. I took my life in my hands, went out in the snow and drove into town and saw the local Post office had it’s flag at full staff.

[JW1949]

Beat me to it.......

[Hebrews 11:6]

Not sure if Churchill was an honorary American citizen or an actual one. His mother was an American.

Relatedly, on a visit to our Congress, he broke them up by pointing out that if he were American, he'd have been one of them.