He quit rather than lower flag for Helms

[kpete]

He quit rather than lower flag for Helms

Governor Mike Easley ordered all flags lowered to half staff to mourn Jesse Helms, but L.F. Eason III (a state employee) instructed his employees to keep the flags flying at full. His reason?:

"Regardless of any executive proclamation, I do not want the flags at the North Carolina Standards Laboratory flown at half staff to honor Jesse Helms any time this week," Eason wrote just after midnight, according to e-mail messages released in response to a public records request.

He told his staff that he did not think it was appropriate to honor Helms because of his "doctrine of negativity, hate, and prejudice" and his opposition to civil rights bills and the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

This decision got Eason in trouble with his superiors who ordered the flags to be flown at half staff. Rather than fly them at half staff, Eason quit his job.

more at:
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/politicians/helms/story/1135443.html
http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/9/134554/1287/357/548825

[Taverner]

1. American Heroism

Who said there aren't any more heroes!

:thumbsup:

[katty]

2. well, some truth was uttered/acted upon today - amazing

[Octafish]

3. Now THERE's a MAN!

Would that Mr. Eason were the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

[hooraydems06]

4. If he WERE Speaker...

... he would quickly be pressured by the Status Quo to either resign, most likely because of some unrelated non-scandal that the media would play to the hilt, or be pressured by the Beltway gasbags to change, until he did.

[Fridays Child]

5. A spine! Somebody needs to show this to Congressional Dems...

...so they at least know what one looks like.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

6. K & R for real courage and character.

L.F. Eason III, :patriot:

[HughMoran]

7. Wow, good for him!

I admire people who stand up for what's moral and right.

[Atania of Sargeras]

8. True

That's a man who stands up for what he believes :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
As a kid, I used to hear my Dad talking about what an A-hole helms was.

[Selatius]

9. Now THAT is the kind of people we need running Congress. People with integrity and fortitude.

The current Democratic leadership and the right half of the Democratic Party lack intestinal fortitude and integrity. They run when they should fight, and they throw their own constituents under the bus on things like FISA or the Iraq War.

[rosesaylavee]

10. Good for him!

:patriot:

Mr. L.F. Eason III, at least YOU remember what flying the flag at half mast means.

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. I no longer take glee at the passing of those who have set the world back a hundred years

or more, but I DO support this man's actions.

:thumbsup:

[mnhtnbb]

12. Hey kpete: I posted this story earlier

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3586366&mesg_id=3586366

[happydreams]

13. Yea, I'd like to see the posts combined so the recs could be on one topic.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. Perhaps he should sue for racial harassment.

[exothermic]

15. He's just like the people who refused to be respectful at Wellstone's memorial.

Bah.

[Name removed]

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