Half-staff American flag

[pmb]

It seems like the flag has been flying at half-staff a lot recently. I haven't been able to dig up any data on how often this has been the case, so I'm asking you all: Do you know of any reference where I can see when, for the past few years, the flag was to be flown at half-staff? I see it so often that we are either living in extremely tragic times, or the whole thing is getting trivialized. Perhaps a bit of both, or perhaps I just remember the half-staff times because they stick out in my mind, but I really don't know. Anybody got any data?

Comments

[ailie.livejournal.com]

I did a Google advanced search like this:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=flag+%22half-staff%22+site:gov&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all
which gives the results for the last year, but individually.

It seems that a lot of places aren't following these regulations:
http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/halfstaf.asp

[triath.livejournal.com]

I've wondered the same thing. I look forward to seeing your results.

[amoken.livejournal.com]

There are tons of places that do it on a more local basis. For example, if a local girl is murdered, the town may lower the flags. I've even seen one fire station in one town, and no other buildings, lower the flags to half-mast because a firefighter from that station died (I asked around that time).

[mrsmalkav.livejournal.com]

for you, it's a fallen soldier

[mary919.livejournal.com]

For the national proclamations you can look through the proclamation archive (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/proclamations/).

I remember when the flag flew at half-staff because Ford died one day in carpool lane we were all watching the kids put the flag up and none of us could remember why it would be at half-staff. Shameful :). It was at half-staff for a month at that time.

Also, a state Governor can make a proclamation for a state-- I haven't tried to find those. I'd like they're all probably on the state gov's website somewhere.

[mary919.livejournal.com]

WHOA. Ford died one day in carpool lane!?! Flags should be half-staffed for that!

Let me try again:

I remember one day in carpool lane, we were all watching the kids put up the flags and none of us could remember why the flag was at half-staff. It turns out it was in mourning for President Ford. We were all ashamed. The flag was at half-staff for a month at that time.

[clipdude.livejournal.com]

We are living in a tragic time that began March 2003.

[clipdude.livejournal.com]

Which is a subset of another tragic time that began September 2001.

[bonboard.livejournal.com]

Of course that tragic time didn't really begin then, either, nor did it begin on January 20th 2001, or January 17th 1995, or June 5th 1967, or May 14th 1948...

[keturn.livejournal.com]

There have been over twenty press releases like that one from the govenor's office in 2007 so far.

[clipdude.livejournal.com]

It's a bunch of nested tragedies... yikes!

But I think the recent tendancy to see the flag at half-staff is partly--if not mostly--due to our involvement in Iraq.

[mycrust.livejournal.com]

When I read the first sentence of your post, I was 75% sure it was going to be about erectile dysfunction.

[mlissner.livejournal.com]

Actually, who's to say this whole post isn't about ED? Peter may well be living in tragic times.

[panamaus.livejournal.com]

Perhaps our national flag has finally been so abused as a symbol in the service of political ends that flying it at half-staff is now the only appropriate means of adequately conveying our deep feelings of sadness and loss at its petty and selfish debasement.

I mean, speaking personally, when I see the American flag incorporated endlessly into every single frame of programming aired on "FOX NEWS CHANNEL" (to take just one example), I feel grief and remorse for it as a symbol for something that once represented a part of my identity as an American. Because honestly, I don't feel right about associating myself with that symbol anymore now that it has been so thoroughly hijacked and redefined as representing neo-conservative imperialism.

But then again, maybe it's just me.

[steuard.livejournal.com]

There is no way that this comment should have made me laugh quite that hard.

[istgut.livejournal.com]

quite that hard

[istgut.livejournal.com]

I am certainly starting to lean in your direction. When I was younger, I would sometimes almost cry at flag retiring ceremonies. Perhaps I am just less sentimental or more of a crazy liberal these days, but I certainly don't feel that way anymore.

Haven't you learned anything?

[canarasekal.livejournal.com]

After, what, 29 years of some kind of association with the Navy (however remote), haven't you learned that it's half MAST? Half staff is for Army pu....guys.

Re: Haven't you learned anything?

[pmb.livejournal.com]

I first searched for half-mast but didn't find any pronouncements about the whole deal so I figured I must be misremembering my terms. I dug half-staff out of news articles.

Apparently the executive branch and news services cater to the Army and not to the Navy.

[misuba.livejournal.com]

Obviously we just need to shorten all the flagpoles