#half-staff

Today's Walking Photo: I could do without seeing another one of these for a good long while…unless it’s for a head of state or similar, I suppose. 

Plus it occurs to me that if we decided to fly the flag at half-staff every time there was a mass shooting, we might never have a day when it flies at full height. In 2015 there were 372 mass shootings in the United States – granted, that’s defined as “a single shooting incident which kills or injures four or more people, including the assailant,” and Vegas kind of blew the doors off that definition, but the fact remains that mass shootings are almost a way of life here. And in 2015 at least, they averaged out to more than one a day.

Then there’s just gun deaths in general. “Since 1970, more Americans have died from guns (including suicides, murders and accidents) than the sum total of all the Americans who died in all the wars in American history, back to the American Revolution. Every day, some 92 Americans die from guns, and American kids are 14 times as likely to die from guns as children in other developed countries, according to David Hemenway of Harvard.” That’s from this disturbing but compelling article by Nicholas Kristof. 

It seems obvious to me that something needs to change. If you’re in the United States and you agree, maybe consider contacting your representatives in Congress to let them know you’re paying attention and you want them to take action. If you’re feeling powerless, rudderless, hopeless – do at least this. I did, and it does help. The site opencongress.org makes it very easy to find and contact your senators and representatives and let them know how you feel. Click that link, type in your zip code and get a handy overview of your congresspeople and everything you need to check out their positions and contact them. And hey – whatever your views on gun control, mental health, public safety or anything else, I encourage you to do this. It's a representative government (theoretically anyway lol), so let's tell them what we think. (BTW, if you’re not in the United States and you’re instead on the outside looking in, you must be scratching your head just so much.)

...I mean, since he's passing them out like candy, they're pretty much cheapified and meaningless at this point, yeah?

Furthermore ...keeping flags at half-staff for 9/11 is appropriate.

Introduction When the President of the United States orders the American flag to be flown at half-staff, it serves as a directive for federal buildings and grounds across the nation. This article aims to clarify for state governors the redundancy of issuing separate orders for the same purpose. Federal Authority and Nationwide Impact The President’s authority to order the flag to half-staff is…

(a) The flag is half-staffed on Memorial Day, from sunrise until noon; it is displayed at full-staff from noon until sunset.

(b) By order of the President of the United States, or by the Governor of any State, territory or possession. On occasion, heads of several departments and agencies of the U.S. Government may direct the flag to half-staff if deemed proper to do so.

Some reasons may include:

Patriot Day, September 11th (sunrise to sunset)

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7th (sunrise to sunset)

National Firefighters Memorial Day, October (typically a Sunday during Fire Prevention Week and along with a memorial service held in Emmitsburg, MD)

Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15th, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day. (sunrise to sunset)

Other specific, notified events.

Other rules for flying your flag at half-staff:

Most half-staff days suggest that the American flag is at half-staff from sunrise until sunset on the days of the order. Memorial Day is the exception where the American flag is at half-staff from sunrise until noon.

When raising the American flag to half-staff on a vertical pole, always raise it briskly to the top of the flagpole for a moment before lowering it. When taking it down for the night, raise it to the top of the flag pole again and lower it to the bottom.

With a telescoping pole it is acceptable to put the American flag on the second set of rings instead of the top set. In this case the top set would be left empty.

When the American flag is flown at half-staff, state and other flags should be removed or flown at half-staff too.

Who can order a half-staffing?

Only the President and state governors can decide when and how long the American flag should be flown at half-staff.

What about half-staff to honor other citizens?

Only the president of the United States or the governor of the state may order the flag to be at half-staff to honor the death of a national or state figure. In addition to the traditional half-staff salutes, the United States Flag Code mentions the use of our flag for honoring leading citizens such as Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are occasions when the flag will be lowered for significant figures whom are not U.S. citizens. Examples include: Nelson Mandela in 2013, Pope John Paul II in 2005, King Hussein of Jordan in 1999, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold in 1961.

Private citizens and non-government buildings may choose to fly their flags at half-staff to honor more local leaders. The Flag Code does not exclude any citizen, whether belonging to an organization or not, whether they are recognized very locally or regionally. Examples of deceased citizens who might be honored with by lowering the flag to half-staff include local religious leaders, youth leaders, honored teachers or sports coaches, local politicians, or a local hero. There need be no authorization from the government for the private sector (non-government) to use the Flag to honor any citizen.

It is important to note that the Flag Code is a code, it is intended to provide guidance and is not obligatory. It carries no civil or criminal penalties for "misuse" of the Flag. Individuals are not acting illegally when using the flag according to their own rules. The Flag Code is only required to be followed on public or government buildings.

The president of the United States has ordered all U.S. flags lowered to half-staff for the next 30 days to honor the life and service of the late President George H.W. Bush.

It’s oddly refreshing— if you don’t mind my using that term — to know the flags are being lowered for something other than a mass shooting. It seems all too often we are displaying the Stars and Stripes to honor the memories…

The president of the United States has ordered all U.S. flags lowered to half-staff for the next 30 days to honor the life and service of the late President George H.W. Bush.

It’s oddly refreshing— if you don’t mind my using that term — to know the flags are being lowered for something other than a mass shooting. It seems all too often we are displaying the Stars and Stripes to honor the memories…