Today Governor Christie of New Jersey decided to fly the American flag at half-mast in honor of Whitney Houston all over his state. People are outraged. Why are they outraged? Because Whitney had a history of drug abuse and because they feel that the only people worth honoring are soldiers.
I must say that I am outraged by the outrage. I am going to get gut level honest with you, you may be offended and may even stop reading my blog. That is okay with me.
How dare we throw stones at someone who struggled to overcome a vice, while we have vices of our own. How dare we assume what does or doesn't apply as adding to a society. Music is part of our culture and heritage. The most pride I have ever felt hearing our national anthem was from the voice of Whitney Houston.
So, she didn't fight (when she was of age to do so women could not be in combat anyway). In many ways she leveled the playing field in regards to race in the music industry. I can only hope that when Andy Griffith passes to the next life here in North Carolina that we will honor him in the same way. Why because of the contribution they both made to society.
And now to our nation's obsession with fighting for "our" freedom. We have not declared war since World War II. We have been global cop for the past 50 years. We have to stop assuming that every action we take is to defend our freedom. We are forcing our way of life on others and calling it defending our country. (AHEM! Iraq anyone?)
Don't get me wrong I love our troops and admire them for their bravery. I am deeply thankful for those who went to war and put their lives at risque after our nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. It is not their fault they were left to do nation building.
Would you be less outraged if Governor Christie had lowered the flag every single time a soldier from New Jersey has been killed. What about every police officer and fire fighter since he has been in office. Well, he has. FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! I think we the people should do our homework before posting willy nilly on Facebook.
We should check our own lives before tearing down Whitney. How many people are lining up to rip into Elvis and Michael Jackson because of drug use. These were tortured and hurting people who enriched our lives way more than we enriched theirs. We sit around waiting for celebrities to fail rather than praying for them and shunning the gossip the media churns out.
So how about it America? Can we only honor those that keep us safe or do we have enough class to extend honor to those who inspire?
Also Read:
Whitney Houston Dies at Age 48
