Honor
Hello America,
I was walking in front of a federal building today and saw the United States flag at half mast which caused me to ponder the implication. Granted, there are rules of when the flag is to be displayed at half mast. Still, it is a sign of honor and respect when it is done.
I wonder if Ted Kennedy is deserving of such an honor. Yes, he was a member of Congress, so that qualifies him. But, was he deserving? Did he earn the right to be honored?
I am not taking away the respect that a human being deserves when they die. However, the flag is not put at half mast when a member of the armed forces dies in combat. They may not qualify under the rules in which the flag should be lowered to half mast, but aren’t they moreso deserving of the honor than that of the death of a member of Congress?
You can rant, rave, and scream about how we should uphold the traditions of our forefathers, which is a valid point, but the Constitution is pillaged on a regular basis; so I think the tradition argument is a mute point.
Besides being a member of Congress, what has Ted Kennedy accomplished? He held a job for 47 years. I am certain that we could find a person who has worked in factory for the same length of time that has died that was not honored by lowering the flag to half mast. I can say with great certainty that the factory worker held a more labor intensive position than any member of Congress.
I am not suggesting that I am personally knowledgeable about Ted Kennedy’s life. I am suggesting that he hasn’t done a hard days work in his life just based on his lineage. If there is an argument that being a politician is hard work, then the argument can also be made that shopping with someone else’s money is hard work. Ted Kennedy has been shopping with taxpayers’ money for 47 years. Sounds like a tough job.
It would seem to me that there are people who are more deserving of the honor of having our flag lowered to half mast than Ted Kennedy. We should be honoring our armed forces members who has given the ultimate sacrifice or the police officer, who has served the people faithfully, only to be killed in the line of duty.
Ted Kennedy qualifies for the tradition, but does he deserve the honor? I think that most would say “no”.
