The United States has a long history of flying the stars and stripes at half-staff in honor of the dead. We do so on Patriot Day, on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and following the death of presidents and other important figures as an honor.
But what does it mean for our country when the American flag is constantly flown at half-staff?
In wake of the terrorist attack last week that killed over 80 people in Nice, France, President Obama has issued a half-staff order lasting until sunset on July 19th. This is the eighth time in the past year that President Obama has lowered the flag in response to a terrorist attack.
According to a database kept by Mother Jones website of mass shootings, Barack Obama has had as many mass shootings as the last three presidents combined (even corrected per Snopes.com writeup).
Flying the American flag at half-staff constantly indicates that the United States is in distress. The flag at half staff is not an accident or a coincidence, these are real tragedies.
And it is a clear sign to our enemies that they are winning, and a clear sign to the American people that our country is struggling.
America is the most powerful the world has ever seen. One wonders if the world has changed so much that our country could be in a constant state of mourning. Have we fallen that far?