Whitney Houston dead

[DebbieB]

I was at the store tonight and there was a National Enquirer from LAST WEEK with a little picture of Whitney on the cover saying what bad shape she was in. You know when the new magazines come out tomorrow she will be on the cover of all of them.

 

[bjgrazi]

I have absolutely no problem with the flags being flown at half mast for Whitney.

They were flown at half mast for Frank Sinatra and for Clarence Clemons.

They weren't washed up, has been drug addicts. Big Difference. I'm find it a disgrace that flags will be flown at half mast for her. Ours won't be.

 

[Imzadi]

I have absolutely no problem with the flags being flown at half mast for Whitney.

They were flown at half mast for Frank Sinatra and for Clarence Clemons.

Then they'd better shut down schools & all government offices when Jon Bon Jovi dies. I loved when your NJ Tourist Bureau commercials practically made, "Who Say You Can't Come Home" your state anthem.

 

[cornflake]

And look out if something happened to Springsteen.

Honestly, I don't even get the media reaction, nevermind the flags. They had live coverage of the plane with her body landing at Teterboro. She wasn't a head of state, she was a cracky pop star. She didn't even write the stuff - she sang songs. She had a very good voice. I don't get the over-the-top reaction.

Also? I don't get the Aretha Franklin thing. Houston had two, count 'em two, godmothers. One of whom, Darlene Love, has a better voice than Franklin or Houston ever did, and she's been kind of largely ignored in the media hoopla.

 

[kaligal]

And look out if something happened to Springsteen.

LOL. The State government offices will just have to take a day off to grieve the loss. And if Jon Bon Jovi dies, the whole state will just have to shut down.

They drop the flag so often these days...it doesn't mean what it used to mean. They might as well drop it for Whitney or me or any of the DISers.

Poor Whitney...and poor those of us who looked up to her as kids/teens.

God bless her and God keep her.

But she's as dead as Julius Caesar. We all have to move along.

 

[eliza61]

I don't get this at all. What message is this sending out?

Millions of people die everyday around the world from their own addictions...just as they do from cancer, diabetes, etc. Why is the governor flying flags at half mast for a celebrity? A celebrity who has admitted to drug use and abuse for years...what is the purpose of this?

I understand her family wants her memory to be of a gifted singer and not of a drug addict, but really, flying flags at half mast...?

What did she do for her community that is deserving of that? Just adds to the whole arrogance and obsession that is the world of celebrity.

Tiger

Sorry, not going to defend her drug abuse but Whitney did a lot for the community.

Gave tons of dough to the Newark school system to keep arts in the schools during the budget cuts.

Champion disadvantaged kids exposure to the arts
Champion homeless women in NJ Shelters.

One of the elementary schools in her Neward neighborhood is named after her because she basically adopted the school, often committing to helping those who stayed in school to go to college.

And supported her home church's ministry.

Call her what you will but that women did not forget where she came from and put her money where her mouth was.

 

[Tiger926]

They weren't washed up, has been drug addicts. Big Difference. I'm find it a disgrace that flags will be flown at half mast for her. Ours won't be.

Didn't Sinatra drink and smoke like crazy? Not as bad as cocaine, but still...

Who knows about Clemons either? He was a rocker, so he could have kept it quiet.

I fail to see what that has to do with flying flags half mast for celebrities. Neither of those two should have received that honour either, nor should a celebrity, IMHO.

It is saying that they deserve that honour because they can sing, dribble a ball or act. It is based on talent alone. None of those are of any importance in a world full of doctors, teachers, soldiers or police officers who put their lives on the line each day in service to others, none of which celebrities do (except for a few who do amazing charity work).

As for Whitney, her family was going to bury her in Atlanta, as that is the place she truly loved, according to family members. I guess I don't get why NJ wants to honour her for being born and growing up there? Why would they lay claim by honouring her with a flag, yet family members have implied that Whitney would want to be buried somewhere else?

Tiger

 

[Tiger926]

Sorry, not going to defend her drug abuse but Whitney did a lot for the community.

Gave tons of dough to the Newark school system to keep arts in the schools during the budget cuts.

Champion disadvantaged kids exposure to the arts
Champion homeless women in NJ Shelters.

One of the elementary schools in her Neward neighborhood is named after her because she basically adopted the school, often committing to helping those who stayed in school to go to college.

And supported her home church's ministry.

Call her what you will but that women did not forget where she came from and put her money where her mouth was.

So do many of the rest of us. I have family members who go to third world countries as teens to help, and colleagues who run missionary churches and schools, and I'm pretty certain none of them will be honoured in this way.

Not disputing that she did some good for her community, but flags are being flown cuz she is a celebrity, and that is very indicative of what society values most, and it is sad, IMHO.

Tiger

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Eliza, she may have given money to her old City, and for that I applaud her, but how much time did she actually spend there? Was she a "boots on the ground" kind of person or someone who simply signed a check?

Tiger, I honesty haven't been following the whole Whitney funeral saga, but I was under the impression her family chose to bring her back to NJ for her wake and funeral, apparently the same funeral home her father was buried from. Hadn't heard the Atlanta connection, but her family are the ones who made the ultimate decision so this sounds contradictory.

 

[Jennasis]

You know...I wonder if any of you would be upset if your sister/cousin/mother/daughter died and they wanted to fly the flag at half mast to honor her? In fact, I think there's a thread right now where someone is not only choosing to do just that but asking others to as well.

My point is, I am okay with honoring the life of someone who contributed so very much to the arts. I'm okay with honoring others too. And I'm sure if I were the person who'd just lost a loved one, I want them to be honored somehow as well, even if it is in my own way...but I certainly wouldn't stop others from honoring them too.

Whitney Houston was more than just a run of the mill celebrity. She was an international superstar. Washed up? Maybe? With many demons? Sure. But it doesn't negate the fact that her music touched millions and she had an impact.

She's not being cannonized. She's being memorialized.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

You know...I wonder if any of you would be upset if your sister/cousin/mother/daughter died and they wanted to fly the flag at half mast to honor her? In fact, I think there's a thread right now where someone is not only choosing to do just that but asking others to as well.

My point is, I am okay with honoring the life of someone who contributed so very much to the arts. I'm okay with honoring others too. And I'm sure if I were the person who'd just lost a loved one, I want them to be honored somehow as well, even if it is in my own way...but I certainly wouldn't stop others from honoring them too.

Whitney Houston was more than just a run of the mill celebrity. She was an international superstar. Washed up? Maybe? With many demons? Sure. But it doesn't negate the fact that her music touched millions and she had an impact.

She's not being cannonized. She's being memorialized.

I don't disagree with your sentiment but where do you draw the line? Why should the entire State of NJ (government offices) honor her? And if that's the case, should we do the same when the entire cast of Jersey Shore passes? Let's face it, they are probably international superstars too and, whether people want to admit it or not, have brought a ton of business to the Jersey Shore area. Let Newark decide to lower their flags if they want. That's enough. IMHO, she was a poor example of celebrity, apparently right up until the day she died.

 

[luvmy3]

You know...I wonder if any of you would be upset if your sister/cousin/mother/daughter died and they wanted to fly the flag at half mast to honor her? In fact, I think there's a thread right now where someone is not only choosing to do just that but asking others to as well.

There is a difference between hanging a US Flag at half staff for a soldier who was willing to give their life to protect our rights and freedoms in this country, as well as others.

Whitney was a celebrity, that status doesn't make you deserving of the honor of a half staff flag.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Whitney was a celebrity, that status doesn't make you deserving of the honor of a half staff flag.

Definetly not! It's absurd!

 

[Jennasis]

I don't disagree with your sentiment but where do you draw the line? Why should the entire State of NJ (government offices) honor her? And if that's the case, should we do the same when the entire cast of Jersey Shore passes? Let's face it, they are probably international superstars too and, whether people want to admit it or not, have brought a ton of business to the Jersey Shore area. Let Newark decide to lower their flags if they want. That's enough. IMHO, she was a poor example of celebrity, apparently right up until the day she died.

The line should be a personal choice. If the governor wants to honor her for her contributions to the state and as a resident, I'm okay with that.

 

[Jennasis]

There is a difference between hanging a US Flag at half staff for a soldier who was willing to give their life to protect our rights and freedoms in this country, as well as others.

Whitney was a celebrity, that status doesn't make you deserving of the honor of a half staff flag.

As I said, she was more than just an average celebrity. She was an international superstar loved by millions in this country and abroad.

If Whitney had been murdered, would it make a difference? I wonder if the cause of death matters to people? If she had been gunned down by a crazed fan would it make this more palatable?

It's only my opinion, you know. I don't have a problem with the flags being lowered by anybody who wishes to honor her that way.

 

[violetrose]

I think the outrage over flying the flags at half mast has less to do with how she died (at least for me) and more to do with the fact that doing it for entertainers takes away the heroic connotation that flying the flag half mast usually represents. I do not think any entertainer, regardless of their personal life, should be bestowed that honor. It should be reserved for those who served our country.

And btw, Frank Sinatra had a lifetime love affair with the mob, so I'm not sure how we can say his life was any better than Whitney Houston. Just because she died of a drug overdose doesn't make her music any less important.

 

[luvmy3]

As I said, she was more than just an average celebrity. She was an international superstar loved by millions in this country and abroad.

If Whitney had been murdered, would it make a difference? I wonder if the cause of death matters to people? If she had been gunned down by a crazed fan would it make this more palatable?

It's only my opinion, you know. I don't have a problem with the flags being lowered by anybody who wishes to honor her that way.

For me it doesn't matter how they died, or how they lived their life. IMHO, the US Flag being lowered to half staff for a celebrity is wrong. I don't care if the Governor wants to honor her in some other way, but I believe that the flag being lowered for her is a slap in the face to all those who served our country and that flag, whether that be in the armed forces, or as a politician, or for innocent lives taken by terrorists like on 9/11. I don't believe being a celebrity, even a world celebrity, or someone who was extremely charitable earn you that. I'm not discountiung what she may have done for people, however I don't believe what she did, or who she was makes her worthy of a half staff flag.

 

[Sanchez]

The line should be a personal choice. If the governor wants to honor her for her contributions to the state and as a resident, I'm okay with that.

The Governor does not get to make personal choices on behalf of the state.

Under your theory it was okay for the Governor of Pennsylvania to make a personal choice to fly the flag at half staff for Joe Paterno. Try explaining that to the folks whose heads were exploding at the thought of flying the flag for Joe.

 

[eliza61]

As I said, she was more than just an average celebrity. She was an international superstar loved by millions in this country and abroad.


It's only my opinion, you know. I don't have a problem with the flags being lowered by anybody who wishes to honor her that way.

My opinion also. If the govenor wants to honor Ms. Houston that way, good for him. No where is it written that it has tobe for military or first responders only.

Here is some interesting information on the code.

Only the president of the United States or the Governor of the state may order the flag to be at half-staff to honor the death of a national or state figure. In addition to the traditional half-staff salutes, the Flag Code mentions the use of our Flag for honoring leading citizens such as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Private citizens and non government buildings may choose to fly their flags at half staff to honor more local leaders. The Flag Code does not exclude any citizen, whether they belong to an organization or not, whether they are recognized very locally or regionally. Examples of deceased citizens that might be honored with by lowering the Flag to half-staff include local religious leaders, youth leaders, honored teachers or sports coaches, local politicians, or a local hero. There need be no authorization from the government for the private sector (non-government) to use the Flag to honor any citizen.
It is important to note that the Flag Code is a code, it is intended to provide guidance and is not obligatory. It carries no civil or criminal penalties for "misuse" of the Flag. Individual are not acting illegally when using the Flag according to their own usage. Only on government / public building is the flag code required to be followed


Read more: http://www.gettysburgflag.com/flyflaghalfmast.php#ixzz1mepZj3Sv

 

[macraven]

There is a difference between hanging a US Flag at half staff for a soldier who was willing to give their life to protect our rights and freedoms in this country, as well as others.

Whitney was a celebrity, that status doesn't make you deserving of the honor of a half staff flag.

when this news first came out, i read that it was the NJ State flag, not the US flag that would be at half mast.

has that changed?

are they doing both flags now?