Nelson Mandela, the South African civil rights leader who passed away at age 95 last week, is receiving warranted and expected praise for his contribution in ending South African apartheid, but at least one American isn’t impressed.
South Carolina’s Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark is refusing to lower the flag outside his sheriff’s office to half-staff to honor the activist because the freedom fighter was not a U.S. citizen.
Clark announced his decision Friday on his Facebook page:
“Nelson Mandela did great things for his country and was a brave man but he was not an AMERICAN!!!”
The flag was, however, lowered to half-staff on Friday to honor a Florence County deputy killed in a wreck and on Saturday for Pearl Harbor Day. It returned to full staff on Sunday, even though President Obama ordered flags in the United States flown at half-staff in honor of Mandela through sunset Monday.
Clark pointed out Obama’s order was a proclamation and does not have the force of law. He said he would have made the same decision if he was in office in 2005, when President George W. Bush ordered flags flown at half-staff after the death of Pope John Paul II.
And officials in Pickens County aren’t concerned. They said that Clark is free to do what he wants with the flag outside of the sheriff’s office.
Which means it’s flying at full staff right now, and he has no intention of changing his mind. Petty.
SOURCE: CBS | PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook/Pickens County Sheriffs Office
