McDonald's Raises American Flag to Full Height After Complaint

[Sequoia]

Apr. 29--Nancy King loves McDonald's, but when she saw a restaurant in Gurnee flying the U.S. flag at half-staff last week in honor of the company's late chief executive, she had to serve up a civics lesson.

After the Air Force veteran from Antioch and others complained, the fast-food giant quickly admitted its mistake in flag etiquette and asked its restaurant operators to raise the Stars and Stripes to full height.

"I got to work and said, 'I just can't let this go,'" said King, who knew that only the president or a governor can order the flag lowered to half-staff and that it's normally done only for government officials or dignitaries. "I just wanted to bring it to their attention that this was not a right thing to do."


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http://kfty.com/news/weird_news/story.aspx?content_id=BE24C009-6720-4718-8E97-AD39951698EF

[meegbear]

1. That's total BS ...

a person can fly the flag anyway they so choose. If they want to honor someone and do it, then so be it.

[northernsoul]

5. I think the half-mast should only be used to indicate nat'l mourning

While I feel bad that the dead guy's family - I just don't think that the death of corporate chieftain is really a great national tragedy.

I'd give real people (as opposed to corporations) a little more slack as to what they want to do with their own flags on their own property.

[Blasphemer]

11. I agree...

I don't care about so-called rules or etiquette. It's conformist BS. So only the gov't can tell you who to pay tribute to with the American flag? No way. I don't know anything about this guy. Maybe he was just a scummy corporatist but if those flying the flag felt he was a patritoic citizen who deserved that tribute, that is their business. I'm sure some people would be pissed if it was done for a controversial figure who was an activist fighting for the good of the country. The bottom line is MYOB.

[yardwork]

2. She LOVES McDonalds?

[Fridays Child]

3. Customs are not static. Rather, they tend to...

...evolve. McDonald's didn't make up the idea of honoring a private citizen by lowering the flag to half-staff. Over the years, it's become a more and more widespread practice.

[m-jean03]

18. A much beloved nurse at the local hospital drowned a year ago--

Flag flew at half mast, no protests. It was very moving to see.

[Mistress Quickly]

4. For as much

griping as I've heard about people who fly tattered flags, or flags inappropriately, or not following the correct flag etiquette, I'm surprised that this would be OK. Its not with me.

They can fly their McDonald's flag at half-mast.

I thought this was going to be a story about McD's flying the flag half-staff for all the soldiers killed, and some Jeeper Freeper complaining that they were being "traitorous" during "war time".

[LiberalFighter]

10. Their own flag at half-mast the only appropriate flag.

Who was it that actually provided guidelines to honor deceased? Roosevelt? Eisenhower?

[ohiosmith]

6. From my Boy Scout days:

The flag is to be flown at half staff in mourning for designated, principal government leaders and upon presidential or gubernatorial order.

[Streetdoc270]

13. flag etiquette

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html

See the above link for proper use of the flag, and many examples of its misuse (including GW's autographing the flag).

[bluestateguy]

7. She needs to mind her own business

Forgive me for sounding like a free-market conservative, but McDonalds is a private business establishment and they have the right to fly the flag however the hell they want to. If this was a government building, that would be a different story. It is also very elitist for her to say that a business owner cannot lower a flag to half-staff because the person who died is not important enough for her or because some politician didn't order the flag lowered. That argument borders on fascism. Heaven help the little busy body who comes in front of my home and "orders" me to fly the flag in accordance with their wishes.

[MSgt213]

9. McDonalds has the to fly the McDonalds flag anyway they want

not the american flag. Private business or not. There are rules concerning our national flag like them or not people have a right to complain if an individual or business is not showing proper respect. This was absolutely not the proper respect to the flag or this individual who they thought they were honoring. No one was going to come an arrest anyone at McDonalds at it seems they knew they were wrong in this instance and choose to do the right thing.

[demdave]

12. Agreed

[RobinA]

15. Just Because They Have

the "right" doesn't make it right, and as a card-carrying American, that woman can complain all she wants about it. Nobody is suggesting the death penalty for half-masters, it's just an argument over symbolism.

Which I happen to agree with. If you ask me, there's way to much flying at half-mast these days. State officials, local officials, miscellaneous tragedies....

The first time I ever saw a flag at half mast was on November 22, 1963 when I walked out of my elementary school to get the bus. I had no idea what happened at the time, but I knew it was big when I saw that flag. I was 5 at the time.

[bluestateguy]

8. delete

this thing keeps duping my posts!

[Piperay]

14. The American flag should not

be put at half mast for some corporate head, that is disgusting. :puke:

[Voltaire99]

16. Blah blah blah. "Only a president or governor can order that!"

This busybody lectures the crappy junk food company on the rules, and we're supposed to read the story as a heartwarming tale of patriotism in action.

Sorry, no thanks. Martial culture is poison to democracy.

[smb]

17. Oh, puh-leeze!

If the McDonalds' manager chooses to fly the flag at half staff in honor of all the dead... well, all the dead whatever kind of animal they kill to make Big Macs, that's his prerogative.