Let your freak flag fly...full staff...

In the past few years, I've been noticing more and more instinces where the US flag is being flown at half staff than I remember from when I was young. Admittedly, it could be that it wasn't something that I noticed lo those many years ago, but I'm thinking that our current administration and cultural alimate have made flying the flag at half staff more acceptable.

Right now, I see a mixture of half and full staffs around our area. I know it's not at half staff for Chief Justice Renquist, because according to the US Flag Code, that's only supposed to be for ten days. I know that Bush has proclaimed that flags be at half staff for the victims of Katrina until sunset today so I'm thinking that flags should be all at full staff tomorrow morning, right? I'm betting that it'll be far from complete in the remembereance of that, though.

And I was surprised to see who had the power to decree a half staff change. I always assumed that it was up to whoever put out the flag - a homeowner for their own home, a mayor for his town, a governor for his state, and a president for the whole country, but it turns out that it's strictly down to Presidents and Governors who have the power (by law and custom).

I'm to bed now, but there might be more crabbing about the flags to come...I don't know that I've yet said what I wanted to say...