Jul 11 2008
To Raise or Not to Raise?
Apparently this story is now a national phenomenon… on political blogs anyways-
After retiring early rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, L.F. Eason III was a hot topic in the blogosphere this week.
In its usual over-the-top style, Washington-based political blog Wonkette called him a “brave American hero,” while sister blog Gawker nominated him for “a hundred Nobel Peace Prizes” and asked, “Is anyone hiring experts in weights and measures?”
On the other side, a number of conservatives lambasted Eason’s “sanctimonious arrogance” and said he spit on Helms’ grave.
Former N&O columnist Dan Gearino pondered whether liberals would be celebrating if a conservative made a similarly defiant gesture toward, say, Barack Obama. And in a snarky vein, Selma conservative Troy LaPlante wrote: “Good riddance. One less state employee on the payroll.”
Y’know… I gotta side with the libs on this one. It’s not a decision I would have made, but if the symbolism of a lowered flag was that important to this dude, I commend him for standing by his convictions. He’s not bitching, moaning, or otherwise complaining about how unfair life is, either. He took his stand and accepted the consequences with dignity… and got some extra free time to pursue new hobbies!
Enjoy your retirement, Mr. Eason.
Why did he wait for someone to threaten to fire him? Why not just resign in protest? This was a case of insubordination, whether he felt strongly about his convictions or not. He gave his boss no choice. I feel bad for the boss.