Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) outraged at lowered flags for Mandela

[Capt. Obvious]

GOP Rep. On Mandela: U.S. Should Only Lower Flags For Americans

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) believes the U.S. should only lower flags to honor American citizens, and not foreign dignitaries like civil rights leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela.

"Lowering the flag should be for mourning Americans and not for foreign leaders," the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said at the Venice Club in Brookfield on Friday, the day after Mandela's death was announced.

Sensenbrenner's assertion was received with "cheers" at the event, which was organized by the Republican Party of Waukesha County, according to Brookfield Now.

Rick Clark, the sheriff of Pickens County, S.C., also vowed last week to defy President Obama's order that to fly flags at half staff in honor of the deceased leader.

TPM

I'm sure he's always been consistent in this outrage over foreign leaders getting the half-mast honor.....

Washington, DC, Apr 2, 2005 | Raj Bharwani ([phone]) | 0 comments
Menomonee Falls Representative Jim Sensenbrenner released the following statement upon the death of Pope John Paul II:

“It is with great sadness that I join the rest of the world in mourning the death of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.

Born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in a small town in Poland, Pope John Paul II grew up to become one of the longest serving, and most influential Popes in history. Through his moral, political, and religious teachings, the Pope helped re-shape the Catholic Church and the entire world. It was for his inspirational guidance that I was honored to introduce the bill that urged President Bush to award the Pope the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was presented to him last year.

In a time when many leaders look to the polls and test political winds for guidance, Pope John Paul II stood unflinching, at the center of the most controversial moral debates of our time, and held firm, while always supporting the sanctity and dignity of human life.

Today, the Pope took his final journey, and though his presence will be sorely missed, his accomplishments will long be relished.”

Press Release

Hmm, didn't seem to bother him then when George W. Bush ordered the flags lowered.

[joeybee12]

1. Well, Pope John Paul was black, too, so you can't accues Sensebrenner of...

Oh wait....

[Capt. Obvious]

5. I was initially going to go for the Thatcher angle

but I surprisingly couldn't find any statements from him on her death.

[joeybee12]

11. Maggie was loathed...maybe even by Sensebrenner also???

I wouldn't be suprised...she stood for all that's wrong with humanity, so he probably approved of that, but if he met her, I bet they didn't get along.

[Aristus]

2. I fucking hate their "more-patriotic-than-thou" bullshit...

[Blue_Tires]

3. Sensenbrenner has always been a shameless piece of shit

[warrant46]

20. Wonder what he thinks about this in his Diocese ?

Bankrupt Archdiocese Tries To Limit Abuse Claims

http://www.npr.org/2012/02/16/146995458/bankrupt-wis-church-tries-to-limit-abuse-claims


Nine Catholic archdioceses around the country have filed for bankruptcy over the past decade, including the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In each case, this followed multimillion-dollar claims from victims sexually abused by priests and other church employees.

LEGAL HARDBALL

Milwaukee's case is different from all the others in one important way: The church there is playing legal hardball and trying to dramatically limit the claims of 570 people who say they were abused.

It's Mass at St. Vincent Pallotti Church, and about 200 parishioners sing, pray, and then watch a videotaped appeal from Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki. The church is beginning an annual fund drive. Listecki makes clear that the money will go to programs like Catholic schools and adult day care, and will not be part of the yearlong Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

"Your gift will be segregated from other assets of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and used solely to support the appeal-funded ministry," Listecki says.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

37. is he still carrying on with...

his chief of staff?

[spanone]

4. dear jim, kindly go fuck yourself.

[Tanuki]

6. He is dead wrong, in addition to being dead stupid.

http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/halfstaff.pdf

..."The president may order the flag to be flown at half-staff to mark the death of other officials, former officials, or foreign dignitaries. In addition to these occasions, the president may order half-staff display of the flag after other tragic events."...

Oh, and if Sensenbrenner doesn't like it he an blame Eisenhower, who formalized the policy in 1954.

As a general rule, you can be comfortable setting your moral compass in the opposite order of what Sensenbrenner says.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Sensenbrenner

[Historic NY]

7. Lets see....

President George W. Bush ordered flags to fly at half-staff at the passing of Pope John Paul II in 2005, President Bill Clinton did so for Yitzhak Rabin (1995) and King Hussein of Jordan (1999), and President Ronald Reagan honored Anwar Sadat in 1981, but the historical precedent most often cited is President Lyndon Johnson’s bestowal of the honor in recognition of the passing of Winston Churchill in 1965.



http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2013/1206/US-flags-lowered-for-Mandela-rare-honor-for-a-foreign-leader

[pangaia]

29. From whjat I can find

"not only did Obama immediately order our flag flown at half-staff for the death of Mandela, he will be attending the funeral.

He did not order the flag flown at half staff for the death of Margaret Thatcher, did not attend her funeral, and did not send any high level officials to represent the United States."

Well, of course not. Look at the human destruction this woman caused.

[Scuba]

8. Just another silver spoon sperm lottery winner with an inflated sense of poutrage.

[tsuki]

9. He needs to up his meds. nt

[angry citizen]

10. Time for oversight

I hear that Issa is going to investigate this matter.

[mysuzuki2]

12. always classy.

Jim Nonsensenbrenner

[MrScorpio]

13. The worst thing about Republican hypocrisy is how much it's so goddammed lazy

They're not even putting any effort into it most of the time.

[elfin]

14. Sadly, he is my "representative"

Even though he does not represent any of my concerns.

After a few, polite and well-reasoned (I thought) missives from me, I no longer receive his constituent mailings. A mystery.

[indepat]

18. Good for you, elfin

[doc03]

15. Many veterans are very upset about it, I talked to one today that is commander of his local

American Legion post. He said he will not fly the flag half mast for a communist and a terrorist. The guy is a Democrat also a former
union official and said he voted for Obama but he will go to jail rather than follow that order. There were also many veterans at the
gym this morning that were extremely pissed about it.

[atreides1]

22. The intelligent ones, huh?

I'm a veteran it doesn't bother me at all...but then again I don't walk around with my head up my ass like these guys do!!!

It's kind of funny for a "Democrat" to use the same words, communist and terrorist, as were spoken by Dick Cheney to describe Nelson Mandela.

[doc03]

25. I think he is another one of these guys that claim to be Democrats

but probably never voted for one since Kennedy.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

31. sounds like those shit heads at the American Legion are either unpatriotic or racist

or both. Fuck those bitter old guys. Just because someone wore the uniform doesn't mean they have special favor in my eyes. Most of them are narrow-minded buffoons who washed dishes or stood guard duty and with bravado declare that "they SERVED".

[frylock]

16. i look forward to the day that we honor sensenbrenner in similar fashion..

yeh, I just went there.

[Capt. Obvious]

19. hypocrite

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gop-rep-who-wants-flags-only-lowered-for-americans-lobbied-for-pope-to-win-medal-of-freedom

[heaven05]

21. hateful, hateful group of citizens

racist, stupid while living without a conscience.

[UTUSN]

23. This would be "Tex" SENSENBRENNER who hates being called "Tex" not because he's not from TX

but because he's an heir to Kotex.

[Swede Atlanta]

24. What abject hypocrisy.......

This crowd would complain if BO gave Jesus the Medal of Freedom or honored him in some way.

This is all about anything BO does is bad because, let's be honest, he is Presidenting while Black. That is what this is all about.

[burnsei sensei]

26. What about democratic free expression?

"Lowering the flag should be for mourning Americans and not for foreign leaders," the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said at the Venice Club in Brookfield on Friday, the day after Mandela's death was announced.

Look, when the nation mourns Americans, the lowering of the flag is traditional.
In this case, it's the expression of those who view it every day. I can imagine that the flag as lowered for Nelson Mandela is quite meaningful for a lot of people.
So what harm can lowering it do?
Really.

[burnsei sensei]

27. As for Sensenbrenner-- another genius from Wisconsin.

I seem to remember that Robert LaFollette came from there.
Now he was a real policy-maker, not just a hack on the make or a wannabe financier.

[AlbertCat]

28. Rick Clark, the sheriff of Pickens County, S.C., also vowed last week to defy President Obama's orde

Vowed did he?


They're so brave when it comes to the dangerous stuff.... like lowering a flag.... so brave!

[Enrique]

30. add this to the articles of impeachment

along with the selfie and the dog knocking over the kid at the White House.

[Chipper Chat]

32. Some foreign countries lowered their flags when Kennedy was killed.

I wonder if Insanesenbrenner knows this? Or even cares.

[brendayan]

33. Does it matter?

Who knows if it bothered him or not the flag was only flown at half staff for a part of a day, who knows if he even realized due to how short it was. Yet he should of if he feels this way now, at least be consistent in how he feels. This really does not matter due to its the presidents prerogative to who and for how long the flag flies at half staff. It is such a small deal that its hard to find information on which foreign leaders have had the honor and for how long. /shrug

[Capt. Obvious]

35. "hard to find information on which foreign leaders have had the honor"

Pope John Paul II, Winston Churchill, Yitzhak Rabin, King Hussein, Anwar Sadat.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. Republican outreach to African-Americans continues. nt

[BadgerKid]

36. Wow...after 2 minutes of searching for US flag code

we have this:

4 USC § 10 - Modification of rules and customs by President

Any rule or custom pertaining to the display of the flag of the United States of America, set forth herein, may be altered, modified, or repealed, or additional rules with respect thereto may be prescribed, by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, whenever he deems it to be appropriate or desirable; and any such alteration or additional rule shall be set forth in a proclamation.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/4/10

Thuglicans need to get a clue. I know, too much to hope for sometimes.

[sofa king]

38. He's upset that an African is a better American than he.