S.C. Sheriff Refuses Executive Order to Fly Flag at Half-Staff

[Quixote1818]

From Pickens County, SC sheriff Rick Clark's Facebook post:


I usually don't post political items, but today is different. I received this notification today, "As a mark of respect for the memory of Nelson Mandela, the President orders that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff effective immediately until sunset, December 9, 2013"
Nelson Mandela did great things for his country and was a brave man but he was not an AMERICAN!!! The flag should be lowered at our Embassy in S. Africa, but not here. Our flag is at half staff today for a Deputy in the low country who died going to help his fellow Deputy. He deserves the honor. I have ordered that the flag here at my office back up after tomorrow's mourning of Pearl Harbor Day!




https://www.facebook.com/dailykos/posts/10152057519624255

[lostincalifornia]

1. Wouldn't expect less from that racist punk

[Ranchemp.]

2. The President can't order state/city/counties to fly flags at half staff.

he can only order flags flown at half staff on the federal level.

Executive orders only apply at the federal level.

[lastlib]

3. Obviously, the doofus never read the Flag Code....

...which permits the President to order the flag to be lowered for the deaths of foreign dignitaries. It was done for the death of Anwar Sadat (a Muslim, no less!), for Yitzakh Rabin, and Pope John Paul II. This idiot is just dishing out more Obama hatred and rah-rah Amurka-good-furrin-bad bullshit. He's not really worth the attention he's getting. Fuck him with a corn-cob.

[Ranchemp.]

5. He can't order state/county/local entities to lower the flag,

he can only order flags lowered at the federal level.

[Quixote1818]

6. Of course but it's common courtesy to do it when the President orders it. And making a statement

that he won't do it because the person was not "AMERICAN" is him just being an ass-hole. Flags can be flown at half-staff for foreign dignitaries.

[Ranchemp.]

7. I agree, and I'm not defending the Sheriff,

only stating that executive orders only apply at the federal level.

[CurtEastPoint]

4. His FB page is just.... bleccch.

https://www.facebook.com/rick.clark.33046

[UTUSN]

8. R#1 & K for, he's ready with his excuse ("OBAMA not 'murican") not to lower the flag

in case he's around when OBAMA shuffles off this mortal coil. Rethugs just cannot help self-disclosing themselves over and over. And they wonder why they're called racists, uh, because they ARE--- COULD that be the answer, ding ding ding!1

And we veterans and basically educated types know that Federal orders apply to Federal facilities, but the local yokel could have just raised his county flag without comment and nobody would have noticed. By commenting, he showed his ignorance of Fed/local jurisdictions and exposed his racism into the bargain.