SNIP What exactly did she accomplish...? So what exactly were her big "accomplishments" again?
What are you asking me for? The information is out there and dates from the mid-1980's. Why not figure it out for yourself?
Lets review. I started out saying the flag is a symbol. And, I'm less of a flag-waving hyper-patriot than I was in youth because I've seen the lies the the government wraps in the flag. I'll add here that the flag is nothing but a piece of cloth. Literally, any and all meaning is added by the viewer. And, the essential meaning, no matter whatever other meanings and connotations, the only meaning that cannot be removed is this nation, meaning literally each person in this country. And, that's it. One fiber for the cab driver at 42nd and Main St., one fiber for grocery checker in Keokuk, one fiber for school janitor in Middletown... Nothing more, nothing less. It just means all the people here. Anything else is add-on meaning.
And, the sociopaths for whom the flag has been half-staffed in the past--criminals masquerading as government--don't deserve to have flag half-staffed. Certainly--absolutely certainly--none of us owe any respect to the kinds of people who too often receive the half-staff respect.
So, who's left? How about people who didn't rule over others, plaguing them with regulations and stealing their produce by coercion? How about some engineers who built up our world? Some visionaries like Steve Jobs? How about just 5 minutes at half-staff for the fella who invented the transistor when his time comes?
And, how about the folks who lift us up a few minutes a day--the artists? You don't think someone who provides a momentary lift to millions of people maybe deserves a little bit of a sign of national mourning, meaning you would actively advocate against others showing respect? I'd half-staff a flag for Beethoven and John Williams, but I gotta say that if all I had to listen to was instrumentals, life would be drearier.
Now, the last couple posts, I've been annoyed at posters who couldn't see past their own critical nature enough to see the contributions Houston made, getting all wrapped up in her drug abuse. I'm not a Houston fan, only liked a very few of her songs. But, I'll say again, she had one hell of a voice and used it. And, how many people were inspired by her? How many people did she reach with her artistry? Out of six billion people, how many people in the world can sing that well? And, of those, which ones actually go on to brighten our days, reaching millions?
I'll say it again. If anybody deserves a half-staffed flag its the Houstons and Jobs and Frosts and Kings and Spielbergs and Lockes and Fords of this world. The real contributors. And, for damn sure its not but a few of the presidents and cabinet secretaries and all that trash.