I've already written briefly about this small detail of our everyday life in this week of horror, and I'm coming back to it.
Now that Rhenquist has died, Are flags being ordered to be lowered to half mast? Our chief justice has died, and we should rightfully lower the flag to honor his work and service to the nation. That's pretty much a no brainer.
BUT, Why did the death and destruction of this past tragic week not trigger an order? Though the figures won't be known for awhile, and though they will never been exactly known, I can safely say over 10,000 AMERICAN people died in the US this past week through a combination of an act of God and human folly. The tragedy has affected, and will affect, the entire nation.
Yet, this tiny gesture, that of not ordereding the flag lowered for the tragic and senseless deaths and the suffering of a good 50,000+ citizens while they awaited "aid", should not be glossed over.
It's not the final nail in the coffin by a long shot...that happened somewhere between day two and four...for the Bush administration. It is, however, one of those moments that is more telling than a stupid phrase uttered ("I look forward to sitting on your new front porch Mr. Frist"), or an asinine photo opportunity, or any of the myriad staged events for that unspeakable boor who will be inhabiting our White House for a couple more years.
I may be making a mountain out of a molehill, but I still think the point is important to make.