He quit rather than lower flag (for Jesse Helms)

[yardwork]

Source: Raleigh NC News & Observer

RALEIGH - L.F. Eason III gave up the only job he'd ever had rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

Eason, a 29-year veteran of the state Department of Agriculture, instructed his staff at a small Raleigh lab not to fly the U.S. or North Carolina flags at half-staff Monday, as called for in a directive to all state agencies by Gov. Mike Easley.

When a superior ordered the lab to follow the directive, Eason decided to retire rather than pay tribute to Helms. After several hours' delay, one of Eason's employees hung the flags at half-staff.

...

In a string of e-mail messages with his superiors, Eason was told he could either lower the flags or retire effective immediately.

Though he's only 51, Eason chose to retire, although he pleaded several times to be allowed to stay at the lab. Eason, who had worked for the Agriculture Department since graduating from college, was paid $65,235 a year as the laboratory manager.


[e-mail] or [phone]


Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/1135443.html

[underpants]

1. Ha!

Good job L.F.

[marshall]

104. He should have no trouble finding another job

[dflprincess]

121. Perhaps the DNC could hire him

to give lessons in integrity to the Democratic members of Congress. He could also explain to them what a spine is.

[tularetom]

2. What a crock of shit when a Dem governor's administration

threatens to fire a government employee for refusing to honor a bigoted piece of dog crap like helms. I'll bet you at that pay grade he was not an "at will" employee and could have successfully fought any retaliatory action they took.

Regardless he's my hero of the day. Gov Mike Easley can kiss my ass. After he's through kissing jesse's pasty dead one.

[Scairp]

106. I know how he felt

My husband came home that day and said something about it. I said "good, good riddance". Don't understand how anyone except perhaps his immediate family and other racists could mourn that asshole. He was a horrible human being.

[DogPoundPup]

3. Helms sang "Dixie" on an elevator with Carol Moseley Braun in the hope he'd make her cry

Don't sanitize Helms' racist past... http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/09/roland.martin/index.html

On point article, good read!

[texshelters]

5. Ignoring is more like it

Sanitizing a shit pile is hard. Most news reports don't even mention the worst racist actions of Helms.

Tex Shelters

[Buenaventura]

26. It's troubling

that even articles such as Roland Martin's continue to refer to Jesse Helms as a "conservative". To do so lends a degree of legitimacy to his racist, ultra-right past. "Fascist scum" would be far more appropriate.

[zonmoy]

122. Is there any difference between

conservatives and fascist scum anymore though.

[PittPoliSci]

133. right on, man.

and welcome! :hi:

[knixphan]

144. ditto.

and bienvenue!

:hi:

[wryter2000]

4. Good for him!

I wish more people would do the same.

[MuseRider]

6. Would he be interested

in a Congressional job?

[hendo]

7. He was a government employee

He may not have agreed with Helms (and who can blame him) but he has to follow the rules of his position. Government position means that you do what the government wants. You are constrained by your position just like any other bureaucrat. part of being in a government building is that you honor the death of a politician by flying the flag at half staff.

To not fly the flag at half staff, rather than just a protest of the individual would have been a lack of recognition for the office that individual held. Whether the man was a racist bastard or not he was still a senator.

[onehandle]

8. Yep. nt

[Bill McBlueState]

9. "he has to follow the rules of his position"

Or quit, which he did. Good for him.

[hendo]

22. so do you disagree with my premise

that if he failed to do it for say a civil rights advocate in the senate then he would be vehemently attacked here?

[Bill McBlueState]

42. I agree that he would be vehemently attacked.

DUers typically have a positive view of civil rights advocacy and a negative view of Jesse Helms. That's a good thing, in my opinion.

[hendo]

43. true, as they should

but in either case it is the same situation.

[izquierdista]

10. Wrong!

"I was just following orders" hasn't cut it since about 1945. Everyone should speak their conscience without threat of retaliation. In this case, the state Department of Agriculture will operate the same if the flag is up, down, sideways, or hanging out of your ass.

[hendo]

20. It was a flag

in a government office, you show respect for members of the government when they die. Whether you like it or not, that is whats done out of respect for the office they held.

If you have a problem with that, then you do not "have" to work for the governent.

[izquierdista]

23. Respect is earned

One of the tenets of fascism is to have people pledge loyalty to the office, to Il Duce or Der Fuhrer. That way, when Der Fuhrer sends millions of people to the gas chambers, the office still deserves respect.

Wake up, and learn that honoring flags, offices, and other symbols is a ploy to make you submit to all sorts of evils.

[hendo]

28. It is possible to respect an office

and not respect the person. Flying a flag at half staff is not facist. You are arguing semantics and failing to see the point.

[izquierdista]

39. Fine, respect the office

However, the office has not died, so the flag does not have to be lowered for the demise of the office. The corpse that is to be planted today however, deserves no respect as it did nothing to earn respect while it was alive.

[hendo]

40. So, do you take joy in his death? nt

[boilinmad]

137. I do !!

I had a great day, knowing that scum was gone forever !!!

[Javaman]

139. I'm conflicted...

I don't know whether to piss or dance on his grave.

:)

[hendo]

142. how very compasionate of you nt

[uppityperson]

27. I agree, lower the flag to show the death of the office he held

but do it while he is holding the office. After he dies, raise the flag again since that position may be respected positively again.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

150. I LIKE your solution!

:thumbsup:

[progressoid]

50. So you'll support some RWers when they decide not to fly the flag at half staff when Carter dies?

[Mike Daniels]

53. Of course they won't support it

and they'll amazingly claim there's no hypocrisy in their instance even though they'll make the same case of "it's about supporting the office, not the person".

[EFerrari]

54. There are no objective grounds to deny Carter his tribute. n/t

[progressoid]

56. I know Republicans that would disagree with you. n/t

[EFerrari]

59. Republicans aren't known for their grounding in fact.

I would hope they'd disagree with me. :)

[progressoid]

85. Facts and objectivity aren't the issue.

If we (fair minded liberty loving liberals) are going to support civil disobedience, it should be everyone's civil disobedience - even Republicans. Or are only Democrats allowed to break the rules?



Regardless, facts and objectivity are not something one often finds in politics - Republican or Democratic.

[hendo]

86. exactly nt

[EFerrari]

88. What rules are you talking about?

Thoreau broke the rules when he refused to fund the Mexican American war. You could call him a tax cheat.

And the fact that the Klan can still operate in this country should answer your question.

[hendo]

96. the klan example is a little off

it is not against the law to be racist, just to act on that racism.

[EFerrari]

97. Right. Acting on it like wearing white robes and holding public events. n/t

[hendo]

100. no

I meant more like, acting on it by lynching someone, or beating someone up.

To wear a white hood, or hold a public event does not break the rules anymore than any other public event.

Just because someone would prefer to not see the KKK hold a rally, or march around in white hoods, that does not mean that they do not have the right to. Therefore, no rules broken.

disclaimer: I in no way support the ignorant, racist hicks that comprise the membership of the KKK.

[EFerrari]

101. Oh, I get it. But the fact is, the KKK does express its racism

just by holding a public event. Because everyone knows what those hoods and that parade represents.

[hendo]

108. so, by comparison

everyone knows what a gay pride parade represents. Is that some how infringing on someone else's rights?

[EFerrari]

109. No. Gay pride doesn't advocate the suppression of anyone's civil rights.

[yardwork]

61. I wouldn't want to see them fired for that reason alone.

I think that this was handled poorly. Legally, the man disobeyed an order from the governor's office. As a state employee he was wrong. However, does anyone really think that he deserved to lose his job over it?

[hendo]

90. yes and no

If he would have been fired without the warning, then no he did not deserve to.

However, in this case he was given the warning and told that he had to do it or he had to resign. At that point to not do it was to just be stubborn. It was a bad call on both parts.

[lakercub]

114. No he wasn't stubborn

When asked to do something you don't believe in...do you just do it because you get a warning that you have to? If you do then you are spineless. Standing up for your beliefs isn't stubborn...and it's a shame you think it is. He did what he thought was right. And he made a good call. Helms is human slime...and deserves no honors. This was not a "bad call"...it was absolutely the correct call.

I also don't have a real problem with the government asking for his resignation. They have a protocol and he didn't follow it. They then did what they had to do (although, at most, I would have just suspended him).

I do wonder, however, why they couldn't just get someone else who didn't work for the guy to lower the damn flag and be done with it. The government was heavy-handed...but within its rights.

But avoid calling someone holding strong to their beliefs stubborn. It just puts your character into question...not theirs.

[kdpeters]

132. That's exactly what I was thinking, yardwork.

I admire him for taking a principled stand, but he and his superiors could have handled this better. They could have found some way to fly the flags at half staff while accommodating Mr. Eason's right not to honor someone he detests. Terminating a valued, employee and career public servant seems to be the worst resolution for all parties: Mr. Eason, his superiors, and the citizens of North Carolina. The remedy has a greater negative impact on the work environment and functioning than the problem they're addressing.

I once refused to do part of my job and feared how it might affect my employment or my performance. I can relate to what he risked and ultimately sacrificed for his conscience. Years ago, my partner risked, and ultimately sacrificed, both our lives and our livelihood to stand up to the CHP for refusing to do anything about antigay harrassment from some of the other officers. In California, the law was on our side, but that doesn't matter when you're rocking the boat. Make waves; pay the price. So you've gotta admire the courage in anyone who decides to take that kind of a stand.

In my case, there actually was a legal copyright question at issue. I was about 75% sure I was right. Remember, I just told you that being right doesn't matter. I happened to be so lucky to have a really great immediate supervisor. She totally supported me on the issue itself, but felt we should just go ahead and use the legally murky means one last time in order to deliver on a deadline coming up in a few days. That, in turn, would then buy us a few months to really fix the process before we'd need to use it again. The department had been doing it twenty years by then. What's it matter just one more time?

I refused. HER supervisors were telling her to order me as part of my job, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to do that. THAT'S what mattered. Had she been Mr. Eason's supervisor, I'm sure he would still have his job. It most certainly could have and should have been handled better. It just takes a little bit of effort and creativity to find something that everyone can live with. This is not something for which someone should lose their job or that the people of North Carolina should lose a good employee and career public servant.

It's just a fact of living in a diverse society that employers -- even government employers -- will have to make all kinds of accommodations for all kinds of different reasons. Some are mandated, but for the most part, it's just good business sense. If you want to attract and keep good employees, you're going to accommodate them as much as you can within reason. It should be well within reason to accommodate conscientious objection on occasion.

[NYC Liberal]

113. Who says their stance has to be supported?

I support this guy's stance, I wouldn't support your RWer's stance. But if they chose to quit their job rather than lower a flag for someone they didn't respect (as this man did), then that's their choice.

[LeftishBrit]

146. I wouldn't support their doing so, but I would support their right to do so...

as a civil liberties issue.

People should have freedom to disrespect public officials, or the public officials become too powerful over the people. While I found it disgusting when some people dissed Robin Cook and Mo Mowlam after they died, I would grant them that right - so that I can have the right to diss Maggie Thatcher and Norman Tebbit, alive and dead.

[high density]

12. Do what the government wants?

"Hey you, tap this phone. I am the government so make it so."

[yardwork]

14. That's what bothers me about this.

If the governor's office can essentially fire a long-time employee for disobeying a symbolic directive like lowering the flag, what else might the government require public servants to do?

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. This, for instance.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE0D81730F93AA25755C0A965958260

If you take the king's coin, you play the tune of his choosing.

[Dogtown]

34. "He signs the checks..."

is a Republican concept.

You're shilling the wrong crowd here.

[hendo]

45. it is a concept held by many bureaucrats

regardless of political persuasion.

edit: the position dictates the range of acceptable behavior. In this case, his behavior was unacceptable given his position.

[lumberjack_jeff]

79. When you hire a kid to mow your lawn, do you care if he does it?

"Thanks for the money mister. I didn't mow your lawn because I am a conscientious objector to vegicide. Same time next week?"

It's not a Republican concept, it's a transactional one. An employee performs the services that the employer requires. In this case, he was required to comply with orders from the Governor.

[LeftishBrit]

152. If I hire someone to mow the lawn...

then I would expect him to mow the lawn. However, I wouldn't treat it as part of the job that he should express formal respect for all the people or institutions that I happen to respect.

I doubt very much that it's a central part of an agricultural lab manager's job to raise and lower flags. And expressing formal respect for Helms (or Carter, or Robin Cook, or my grandmother) should not be an automatic part of somebody's job, just because they're employed by a state organization. Sounds a little too Soviet-ish for my liking.

[EFerrari]

29. I found out something really heartening last night watching a documentary

Before Miller took over Gitmo, there was a different commander who refused to go along with the torture program and he was fired, in this case re-assigned to a desk job.

called The New Rules of War.

It was this man:

Guantanamo’s Forgotten Soldier
William Fisher, Arab News


Many people will remember Janice Karpinsky, the US Army reserve brigadier general who was reprimanded and demoted for failing to stop the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

But few will remember Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus, who was sacked as commander of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Gitmo), for coddling detainees.

Under Gen. Baccus’ watch, detainees were granted such privileges as distributing copies of the Qur’an, providing prisoners with “rights cards,” special meals, adjusting meal times for Ramadan and other Muslim holidays, and disciplining prison guards for screaming at inmates. Inmates were told they need only give their name, rank and number.

Many of these are the same practices the Pentagon now proudly hails as examples of its humane treatment of detainees.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=67107&d=18&m=7&y=2005

Of course, he was replaced by Miller and we know the rest. There are good people in the world.

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. Following lawful orders is a condition of employment - everywhere. n/t

[EFerrari]

19. Some orders are wrong, lawful or not, which is why there are courts

these matters are litigated.

[lumberjack_jeff]

24. The governor is outside his legal authority ordering flags to be lowered? n/t

Or are you arguing that the person who chose retirement is not required to follow the governor's orders?

I don't see a third explanation. I don't think "conscientious objector" status applies to handling flags.

[EFerrari]

25. I'm not a lawyer but my default position is not supporting the State

over what was obviously an act of conscience.

[lumberjack_jeff]

30. Certainly no governor is going to force me to fly my flag at half staff.

... because of the death of scumbags like Helms. The governor didn't tell him what to do with his own flag, he told him what to do with the public's flag.

And I am sympathetic to the argument that respect for a position held by a scumbag is independent of the scumbag himself.

[EFerrari]

32. I'm wondering if a lawyer could argue that Eason was protecting

a national symbol of liberty and equality. It would be interesting to see someone try it. I hope when the flap dies down, Eason is re-instated.

[hendo]

44. a lawyer could

but they would likely be laughed out of the courtroom. never underestimate the willingness of a lawyer to earn more money.

[EFerrari]

47. I don't underestimate much except possibly the willingness of the American people

to passively comply with their own ruin, one baby step at a time. :)

[hendo]

48. those who would sacrifice freedom for security

are undeserving of either

edit:
however, that does not apply to general bullheadedness.

[EFerrari]

49. Exactly.

:)

[lakercub]

115. no sympathy here

"And I am sympathetic to the argument that respect for a position held by a scumbag is independent of the scumbag himself."

I'm not. The position is only as honorable as the person filling it. The position, in and of itself, means nothing, and is therefore neither worthy of respect or disrespect. POTUS for example...I have never honored the office and I never will...that kind of thinking leads to the type of empty, jingoistic patriotism the right clings to. I will respect a POTUS if they prove worthy of respect, just I would a respectable next-door neighbor. But a crappy POTUS, or a crappy next-door neighbor, don't get that same consideration.

It is how a person acts within their position, not the position itself that is worthy or unworthy of respect.

[lumberjack_jeff]

125. With all due respect...

... I've never heard this view from someone who has run for (or held) public office himself.

Me? I call any and every judge "your honor" - good and bad alike.

Respect for the public by our elected officials is, in practice, directly proportional to the respect accorded to those public institutions by the public. Respect is a two-way street.

I'm fine about questioning authority. I'm not fine with disrespecting it.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

127. But he voluntarily retired.

If he had forced the issue by saying no that he felt the order was improper then he might have a case to be litigated. It's gonna be hard to argue when he decided to retire, instead of taking any punishment they dished out then pursuing the matter in court. They would have probably just suspended him for a day or two anyway.

David

[hendo]

18. If you were an employee of the CIA

and they told you to tap someone's phone then yes, you would have to.

[Dogtown]

35. And the German Army

had to push folks into the ovens.

Time to hit the red button.

[hendo]

38. yes

because flying a flag at half staff is the same as burning jews in ovens.
:sarcasm:

[closeupready]

36. If they told you to tap someone's phone even though no warrant had been issued, would you still have

to do it? Or would you be breaking the law? If not, would you be aiding and abetting the breaking of a federal law, i.e., a felony?

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. I have to agree.

Every grown-up must choose between conflicting values. I wonder if the family of the now-unemployed and uninsured 55 year old would agree with his choice.
Refusing to do what the boss says is not without consequence.

I know how difficult it is to find work at 46. I'd fly the flag then write a ltte on my own time.

[hendo]

41. Yeah

There is a point at which an intelligent person chooses their battles and understands the consequences of their actions.

I would fly the flag also, and hold my personal disagreements with the senator for private discussions rather than taking an unnecessary stand that would cost my my job and the livelihood of my family. Especially because of the current state of the economy.

[tabasco]

111. It always makes me puke to see cowards judge a man of principles.

He has a retirement coming which he has worked hard to earn.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

128. Which he will get.

What's your point? He voluntarily retired, he'll get his pension. He may have been wiser to refuse the order by taking a sick day or just refusing the order and letting them deal out a punishment at which point he would have had some legal recourse.

David

[hendo]

141. it does not take courage to do what he did

it takes a lack of foresight.

[LeftishBrit]

147. Lack of foresight?

He seemed aware that he could lose his job, and prepared to pay that price.

[LeftishBrit]

148. I might well do the same as you...

but that is matter of personal prudence. Not the general morality of the issue.

My view is that as a matter of civil liberties, no one *should* be required to express active respect for a public official . It doesn't sound as though this man was in the sort of government job where respecting all senators would be a key part of the job (working directly as a 'staffer' for Congress might be another matter). This was an agriculture lab - why should they have the flag at half mast? In Britain, most universities and hospitals are run by the state - should this mean that a doctor or university teacher should lose their job because they don't show the proper respect for some official or office?

And yes, I would say the same for someone who refuses to pay respects to Jimmy Carter, or Ted Kennedy, or Michael Foot, or Tony Benn when their time comes. I would be offended; but civil liberties trump my being offended.

[Mike Daniels]

57. Apparently his wife felt he should lower the flag

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/politicians/helms/story/1135443.html

Several people, including his wife, argued to Eason that the flags belonged to the state, as did the lab.

Interestingly...

A registered Democrat who frequently votes a split ticket, he (Eason) said he had no problems lowering the flag for former Sen. Terry Sanford or President Reagan.

[hendo]

87. So, at that point

is it responsible to be stubborn and lose his job and with it the wellbeing of his family because he did not like one man?

[lumberjack_jeff]

89. YMMV, but I would not call it heroic. n/t

[hendo]

91. YMMV?

Not familiar with it. Sure, i could google it, but im fairly busy right now/.

[lumberjack_jeff]

102. Your Mileage May Vary. n/t

[bean fidhleir]

33. I think a strong argument could be made that Helms was a career-long

malfeasor and thus not deserving of any honors.

[winter999]

60. Isn't it suprising he was re-elected so many times?

[bean fidhleir]

77. It surprises me, for sure. I lived in North Carolina for close to a year and thought the people

I met there were fine. Of course, they were mostly working people, not the elites.

[winter999]

58. I must agree. It's not about Helms' being a bastard. It's about public service.

If the person served under the flag, the flag must go half-staff for their death. How many government employees will quit when Bush dies? *shudder!*

[EFerrari]

62. Did Helms serve the public? n/t

[hendo]

99. he served those who elected him

whoever his base was, that is. After all, the man did win his seat multiple times, so someone must have felt he was serving thier interest.

[EFerrari]

105. Did he?

He was elected but election doesn't equate service.

JFK and LBJ both voted against civil rights bills. When they did that, they weren't serving the public, they were getting themselves re-elected.

Service isn't really the same as holding office, is it?

[hendo]

107. well, his constituents felt served. n/t

[jobycom]

75. He had to choose between his morals and being a governmnet employee.

I admire him for his choice.

Your argument would undermine anyone ever being convicted for war crimes, since they were doing their jobs, btw.

[RayOfHope]

84. So do you feel the same way about the Abu Ghraib soliders

who were just following orders from their superiors?

[hendo]

93. the Abu Ghraib situation si different

whether they had orders to do it or not, repeated experiments have shown that in similar situations prisoner abuse is going to happen.

[RayOfHope]

120. That's the best you've got?

Come on.

"It would have happened anyway".


:eyes:

[lumberjack_jeff]

103. Of course. Torture is just like being asked to fly the flag at "your" office at half-mast. n/t

[RayOfHope]

119. I'm not comparing torture to flying a flag at half staff and you know it.

What's ridiculous is the statement above that if you work for the govt. you damn well better do what they say.

[lumberjack_jeff]

123. Of course you were. You were attempting to draw an analogy from dissimilar situations.

Torture is illegal. Arguably, refusing to conform to the flag code is as well.

One is obliged to refuse illegal commands, but even this example falls apart because the person who ordered his staff to ignore the legal executive order was an employee - not subject to UCMJ.

[RayOfHope]

135. You can tell me I am, but I'm not. Truly. I'm shocked by the assertion that

a govt employee should always do as the govt commands. Torture *is* illegal, but bushco doesn't seem to think so.

[fasttense]

134. If there are consequences to using your Freedom of speech rights than

you don't have Freedom of Speech. I guess you give them up when you get a job in the US.

[Birdiesmom]

140. When a flag is lowered to half mast, no one asks which "office" the flag is lowered for

...they ask "who died." The flag is lowered for a person -- who has died.

I understand the argument being made that the flag is lowered in respect for the office held, but in reality, the flag is lowered because someone has died. That person was Jesse Helms, and like it or not, the man tarnished the office he held by attacking the very people he was supposed to represent in holding that office. His behavior was beyond reprehensible. IMHO, Mr. Eason is justified in holding that the lowered flag shows respect for Helms, not the office of Senator of NC. In fact, IMHO he is justified in claiming that lowering the flag for Helms is an act of disrespect for the office of NC Senator.

[EFerrari]

11. Well done. K&R

[man4allcats]

17. There are still a few patriots around.

Here's to you, Mr. Eason! I only wish Congress had your courage.

:toast:

[EFerrari]

21. The registration for this site takes about 30 seconds. Leave a comment

if you have a minute.

[lfeas0n]

145. Refusing to lower the flag

Thank you very much.

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. Things have been a little hectic since July 7! It looks like this thread has died out, but I thought I'd pass this response I prepared for another blog on to you since you asked. Feel free to use or ignore it how ever you feel best. Thanks again! lf

The many other e-mails, blog comments, letters, and phone calls have very supportive. Even some of the negatives have been a good difference of opinion. I’ll just answer a few of the questions that have been batted around here, ignore some, and then fade back into obscurity.

1. I am not a hero. I had the safety net of retirement. What I gave up were the plans I had to move the lab forward over the next five to seven years. We have the largest and most technical workload of any State Weights and Measures Laboratory. We were just appropriated capital funds to plan a new lab. I was really looking forward to planning and building this new facility. To me, that’s a lot to lose, but certainly not heroic.
2. The State gave up my experience. I can be easily replaced, but there will be a significant learning curve that will harm the many projects currently on going at the lab.
3. I had enough sick leave built up for full retirement and did not have to take early retirement.
4. I had no intention of receiving the amount of attention I’ve received. I’ve been interviewed by news media locally, DC, WA, CA, MS, GA, and IL. I was interviewed by the AP and NPR. I had no idea and never planned for my 15 minutes of fame (or infamy). However, given the attention, I feel I have an obligation and responsibility to do what I can to fight racism, sexism, homophobia, and the other negative polices so dear to Jesse Helms. I have the responsibility to show that all North Carolinians do not support such negative beliefs.
5. I in no way put my staff in any jeopardy. This is departmental spin to excuse a political response. In a meeting with management last week, they bounced between that story (also given to the press) and the assertion I was jeopardizing Commissioner Troxler if he did not punish me for refusing the Governor’s order. If you read my original e-mail, I gave my employees the option of simply not putting up the flag, took full responsibility for the request, and asked anyone who had a problem with it to give me a call.
6. I was on vacation that morning so it was on my own time or I would have addressed the issue directly.
7. State Government retirement comes from the 6% that has been taken out of every paycheck and put into the retirement system for the past 29.5 years. That 6% from the time I was hired @ ~$9,000 per year until last Monday plus the interest it earned is mine. That money is matched into the system by the State since some of us will live long enough to use up those funds.
8. I was given the option of staying home the two days. I do not expect those who are not responsible for management of a facility to understand the amount of ownership I had in everything that came out of that lab, good or bad, work or symbol. Yes, the flag was State property, but I was responsible for its display.
9. As manager of the lab, I am responsible. I did not feel that I could give a sign to the world in support of a man who voted against every civil rights bill, filibustered the King Holiday, sang Dixie when sharing an elevator with a black congress woman, and continues to starve the innocent people of Cuba with the Helms/Burton Act. His opposition to the King Holiday was based on exaggerated or baseless lies promoted by J. Edgar Hoover, a man who it was later revealed liked to wear women’s underwear, but whose lies have resurfaced in many of the negative comments I’ve received.
10. I’m a native of NC and very proud of my home State. Jesse Helms was a master of rallying people using his tactics of fear to push his “old south” agenda while much of the rest of the south was progressing out of the Jim Crow years. The opinion many people have of the South is based on the racist, backward image he fostered. Jesse gave people a target to blame that got him elected (just barely) five times. In the south it happened to be African Americans who were finally being recognized as human beings that he targeted and gay people he did not try to understand. In Germany, I guess it would have been the Jews. (Oh yeah, he didn’t like Jews either.) Hate is evil. Unjustified hate is even more evil, and the abuse of power to spread hate by lies may be the ultimate evil.
11. My act was one of conscience. I knew there would be consequences. I was and am still willing to accept them. However, the Governor gave the same order to lower the flags to half mast on the Memorial Day Holiday in honor of our war dead. (Both proclamations are on the Governor’s WEB site.) On the Memorial Day Holiday, I got up before sunrise and raised our flags to half mast and returned to lower them at sunset. I passed several State buildings to get to the lab and only a couple had flags flying at all. The managers of those facilities were not given the choice of retirement or firing. They disobeyed the same executive order with no punishment. Were our war dead less important than one at best, controversial man? It would seem based on this observation alone, that my forced retirement was a political act.

Maybe I answered a question or two. I know I probably didn’t change any minds, but that’s okay too. That’s one of the best features of human diversity. I just dream that there will be a day we celebrate diversity rather than fighting based on lies and misinformation.

One of the best comments I’ve been given is “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”. Standing up for something is always a responsibility. Without knowledge and facts, standing up for something is falling for anything. Regardless of what you believe about me, please speak from knowledge and truth.

Thank you,

lf

[Lydia Leftcoast]

151. Thank you, Mr. Eason

Every act of resistance to group-think is worth a round of applause. :thumbsup:

[Pastiche423]

31. I salute you Mr. Eason!

How sickening to raise a flag to a bigoted and vile POS.

[zbdent]

37. hold on a minute ... wasn't there some flack a week or so ago when someone

refused to lower the flag for someone else, and the wording was that "if the person wasn't in the military, you don't fly it at half-staff"???

[depakid]

46. Goes to show that not much has really changed in North Carolina

despite what one sometimes hears about how "progressive" the state is getting- it's still chock full of fundies and racists.

People like Eason are still the minority.

[Vidar]

51. I have the utmost admiration for Mr. Eason, & hope someone is able to match his moxi with a

suitable job offer.

[n0nesuch]

52. Write to NC Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services

http://www.ncagr.com/htm/contactus.htm

I've already sent my email.

L.F., As a fellow North Carolinian I salute you.

[n0nesuch]

55. Don’t forget the Governor

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/email.asp?to=1

[Dollface]

63. State employee won't lower flags for Helms

Source: The Associated Press

State employee won't lower flags for Helms
7/9/2008, 1:26 p.m. ET
The Associated Press


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A longtime North Carolina state employee has chosen to retire instead of lowering flags to honor former Republican Sen. Jesse Helms.

U.S. and state flags have been flying at half-staff since Gov. Mike Easley ordered them lowered after Helms died Friday.

L.F. Eason III, 51, told his staff at the state Standards Laboratory to ignore the directive. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that Eason sent workers an e-mail saying he didn't think it was appropriate to lower the flags because of Helms' "doctrine of negativity, hate, and prejudice."

Eason, who had worked for 29 years at the Department of Agriculture, requested the option to retire Monday after his superiors ordered the flags be lowered. Eason said he could not in good conscience honor Helms.

Flags at the lab have since been lowered to half-staff.


Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved.


Read more: http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/base/national-106/1215619150134960.xml&storylist=national

[jobycom]

64. Who says there are no more heroes?

:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[msongs]

65. nice to see a government employee with integrity who acts on it. nt

[DebbieCDC]

66. Good for you Mr. Eason!

:toast:

[2peaches2]

67. Finally someone stood up

against honoring this bigot. Mr Eason you are a hero to honor.

[frylock]

68. a man of conscience and conviction..

milquetoast congressional dems can learn a lot from this gentleman.

[noonwitch]

69. Our flags in Michigan seem to be perpetually at half-mast

I don't think it has anything to do with Helms, though, I think it has more to do with the fact that a soldier from Michigan is getting killed overseas on regular basis. State buildings fly at half mast each time a soldier from our state dies.

[knitter4democracy]

126. And the MI GOP has attacked our governor for it.

I've actually been told by a couple of people that they think it's disrespectful. Really?! It's *disrespectful* to lower the flag for Michigan soldiers killed in the line of duty?! Seriously, the MI GOP gets crazier by the day.

[Sam Ervin jret]

70. maybe he should run for something? we are meant to be a citizen government. remember?

We have too many professional politicians and it is really showing.

Good work Mr. Eason III :thumbsup: :yourock:

[Tunkamerica]

71. I didn't realize and I doubt many others who aren't old enough

did either that Helm was a vice-president of Capitol Broadcasting before he ran for Senate. One of the reasons he's been all over the media here and so lauded is the fact that he was a broadcaster for 12 years with WRAL. I hadn't heard that till yesterday.

[happygoluckytoyou]

72. "You Will Respect My Authoritah

[tularetom]

73. The gov. is a Democrat (or at least calls himself one)

He ought to be giving Mr Eason a raise. From the description of Eason's job and how much he made, I would guess he is in a protected classification rather than being an "at will" type employee. So my guess is he probably could have told them to stick it up their ass without fear of retribution. If he did and they fired him anyway he could successfully sue them for unlawful termination.

[n0nesuch]

78. Thanks for reminding us.

Yeah, Gov. Easley is a wonderful asset to our party here in NC. Not.

[Mad_Dem_X]

74. I admire him for his stand

Helms was a despicable person.

[RedLetterRev]

136. To paraphrase Bette Davis

One should never say bad things about the dead. One should only say good.

Jesse Helms is dead.

Good.

[Igel]

76. He made his position an extension of his own ego.

What he was told to do wasn't intended to reflect his personal opinion. It was the official position. He confused his own wishes and ego with that of the state apparatus he was part of, and a symbol with substance--lowering the flag with his own showing respect.

As such, he had no choice: Since he wasn't his position, but merely filling it, it makes sense that he couldn't separate the idea of respecting a position from the person filling it. He's consistent in his ability to separate out the position from the piece of meat appointed to the position.

I've known too many people in government and academia that confuse their discipline or their position with themselves, and count the state or field lucky that such a brilliant and moral person was destined to honor them. (Fortunately, most of the academics I know like that were forced to retire when, like this schmuck, they were unable to distinguish what was ritual and proper, by the book, with their personal distaste at allowing a difference of opinion to exist their personal blessing.)

[lumberjack_jeff]

80. Yes. Quite so. n/t

[n0nesuch]

81. This is a measurment of his performance in his job?

If we do anything at work beyond the scope of my job, including 'moments of silence' or other celebrations/recognitions of external events, I consider it voluntary not mandatory.

[EFerrari]

92. That is normally called "following your conscience". n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

131. Yeah. He should have minded his place and just taken it like a good citizen of fascist USA. WTF?

Your logic if applied to our country's forefathers would mean we would still be under British rule. It is the COURAGE and HONOR of peoples who stand up against the system and say "NO" that made our form of democracy possible. Time to go back to high school History class, jerk off.

J

[happydreams]

82. We need a million more like him. K&R!

[Endangered Specie]

83. He could have flown it at half staff, but upside down too!

[Solly Mack]

94. Wow. Integrity.

Sure he worked for the government?

[EFerrari]

95. Pro comments at the site are far outnumbering.

Thanks to everyone who stepped up for Mr. Eason.

:yourock:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

98. Sounds like racial harassment to me.

The moral equivalent of hanging up a noose, or burning a cross.

Perhaps Mr. Eason should take them to court.

[Pavulon]

110. Perhaps not..

he choose not to do his job. When carter dies they should shitcan anyone who refuses to do the job they take money to do.

Quitting is his choice.

[Nihil]

112. Just goes to show ...

... there *ARE* still US officials with both integrity and a sense of values.

Shame that can't be said of some of the DUers above who have continued to
play the "Good German" and reckon everyone should be "just following orders" ...

:eyes:

[Paladin]

116. Well Said, Nihil (n/t)

[llmart]

117. Hear, hear.....

Nice to see there are still people with principles.

Hats off to this guy!

[sarcasmo]

118. It's nice to see someone finally stand up for what they believe in.

[JoFerret]

124. Honorable person of principle

.

[Birdiesmom]

129. The NC Department of Agriculture overreacted...

...and turned what should have been a discussion over a matter of conscience into a disaster that ended an exemplary employee's career.

How do I know L.F. Eason was an exemplary employee? Because I've known him even longer than the twenty-nine years he worked for the NC Department of Agriculture.

Yes, Mr. Eason's actions forced their hand -- but to give him only two choices -- to take early retirement, or to fly the flag at half mast, which he had already told them was morally reprehensible to him -- shows an unwholesome vindictiveness. The Department is saying that they did not limit their offers to only those two choices, but Eason says those were the only two choices offered to him over the phone, and I can vouch for Mr. Eason's integrity.

The Department of Agriculture is not a military establishment. There is nothing in Mr. Eason's job contract stating that failure to "obey orders" because of a conflict of conscience is grounds for immediate loss of employment. The vehemence of his superiors' reactions to his action is truly amazing -- so much so that it is difficult NOT to see a partisan bias in their response.

Instead of asking whether Eason would have objected to lowering the flag for Jimmy Carter, perhaps we should ask if the Department of Agriculture would have responded so harshly if Eason had refused to lower the flag upon the death of Teddy Kennedy?

[Jack_DeLeon]

130. We all have free will, nobody can force us to do anything we dont want, he made his choice...

alot of times in this world people do things they dont want to do but claim they were "forced" to do them.

Unless you are being physically held down or something, nobody can force you to do anything you dont want to, you may not like the options available to you but we all make our own choices. This man made his.

I personally disagree with his choice, the flag lowering isnt about the man who it was for but rather the position he served in, but I applaud Eason for having the courage to follow through with his beliefs rather than to just cave like so many people would when put in similar situations.

[Birdiesmom]

138. Eason doesn't claim he was "forced" to do anything

He told his superiors he was making his choice, and he was aware that they would take some action over it. It was the severity of the action which was the surprise. And the refusal to discuss the matter with him, despite the Department of Agriculture's current claims that they did NOT offer such an ultimatum to Eason. I know Mr. Eason personally, and he would not lie about this. If he says they told him he would either fly the flag at half mask or take early retirement, then those were the only two options offered to him at the time. They are trying to cover themselves at this point, because they realize how harsh their behavior towards Eason actually was, and how bad they are sounding in the press.

Thank you for your applause for Mr. Eason's moral courage.

[pitohui]

143. good for him

i hope i would do the same but who knows

it takes real courage to give up that close to the 30 year goal line, it costs real money

[Stuart G]

149. Time to kick this one up there again........nt