Our governor, Jennifer Granholm, has a policy of lowering the U.S. flag every time a Michigan soldier dies. So far there have been almost 80 occasions to put the flag at half-staff.
Along comes Republican gubernatorial opponent, Dick DeVos, who says that lowering the flag just for a common soldier goes against the flag code (see link above). As you can see by the following excerpt, the flag code states that the flag should be lowered only for dignitaries, domestic and foreign:
(m) The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff. The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.
Seeing the flags lowered in honor of a fallen Michigan soldier always makes me reflect on the sacrifice which is being exacted. I think it creates a mood of thoughtfulness and respect. I never questioned whether it was "proper" or according to code. It seemed to me to be a good, decent way to show respect for the the fallen.
After Dick DeVos made his statement against Gov. Granholm's policy, he received numerous complaints from veteran's groups, military families, and other VOTERS. So it seems that he has decided to change his mind, and now it seems that DeVos thinks that lowering the flag for Michigan soldiers killed in the line of duty is a good idea! Ta-da! Can you guess why? At the end of the following article, it says that it's no scandal to change your mind. Of course it isn't - but as Dick loves to point out, Republicans love to call that a flip-flop.
DeVos now saluting flag-lowering policy
Thursday, June 08, 2006
By Sarah Kellogg
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos now says that as governor he would continue Gov. Jennifer Granholm's practice of lowering the flag to half-staff when a Michigan soldier dies in service to the nation.
Last week John Truscott, press secretary to the DeVos campaign, told Booth Newspapers for a Memorial Day weekend story that DeVos would fly U.S. flags at half-staff only for elected officials or world leaders -- not fallen soldiers.
After a week of angry letters to newspapers and calls to local radio stations from veterans and their families, the DeVos camp said Wednesday that the candidate's position on flag honors had been misrepresented.
Truscott said in a phone interview that he had "mischaracterized" his boss' position by failing to "clarify" how DeVos felt on the question of lowering flags for soldiers who are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"He would continue the tradition of honoring fallen soldiers," said Truscott, noting that the campaign will send out letters to newspaper editorial pages to explain the candidate's position. "We want to head off any controversy here by making sure that every daily paper knows his position."
The controversy stems from a debate over the interpretation of the U.S. Flag Code. A provision in the code gives governors discretion to lower the U.S. flag to half-staff. Some say that governors can do that only for elected officials, while others say they can lower the flag whenever they choose.
Governors in nearly 20 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota, have ordered the U.S. flag lowered to half-staff to honor fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Granholm began doing it in December of 2003.
Campaign officials for the Democratic governor were skeptical about the DeVos campaign's clarification.
"DeVos' failure to show support for fallen Michigan soldiers and their families is both sad and unfortunate," said Chris DeWitt, a Granholm campaign spokesman. "His decision to stop flag honors for soldiers killed in action was wrong.
"We'll leave it to others to draw their own conclusions about what motivated him to change his views on this issue."
Political observers say that however it occurred, such missteps are bound to come up in political campaigns.
"This is a classic example of where weighing in on a very small thing causes all kinds of public attention to be brought to you, and not always in a good way," said Craig Ruff, an analyst with Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing policy group. "In the end, it's not a scandal to change one's mind."
Contact reporter Sarah Kellogg at (202) 383-7810 or e-mail her at skellogg@boothnewspapers.com.
©2006 Booth Newspapers
© 2006 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
Happy Flag Day Indeed!
I also enjoyed these comments of another blogger:
See Dick. See Dick screw up. See Dick cover his ass. Cover, Dick, cover!
WASHINGTON -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos now says that as governor he would continue Gov. Jennifer Granholm's practice of lowering the flag to half-staff when a Michigan soldier dies in service to the nation.
Last week John Truscott, press secretary to the DeVos campaign, told Booth Newspapers for a Memorial Day weekend story that DeVos would fly U.S. flags at half-staff only for elected officials or world leaders -- not fallen soldiers.
After a week of angry letters to newspapers and calls to local radio stations from veterans and their families, the DeVos camp said Wednesday that the candidate's position on flag honors had been misrepresented.
Nice try, Dick.
I don't think it was misrepresented at all.
Here is the original statement.
Granholm's Republican opponent, Dick DeVos, would reverse the governor's policy.
"Dick would take a more literal approach," DeVos campaign spokesman John Truscott said. "While he certainly believes that honoring veterans who have given their lives is extremely important, lowering the flag has typically been reserved for heads of state."
Is there anything ambiguous about that? No. But that doesn't stop the furious backpedaling.
Truscott said in a phone interview that he had "mischaracterized" his boss' position by failing to "clarify" how DeVos felt on the question of lowering flags for soldiers who are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"He would continue the tradition of honoring fallen soldiers," said Truscott, noting that the campaign will send out letters to newspaper editorial pages to explain the candidate's position. "We want to head off any controversy here by making sure that every daily paper knows his position."
Uh-huh. You guys do that. Perhaps Truscott should resign in the face of such an egregious error.
