Mayor pushes back on lowering American flag for Dolly Parton
Maybe one of the most unexpected controversies to emerge after Dolly Parton’s death surfaced from Olive Branch, Mississippi, where Mayor Ken Adams pushed back on lowering the city’s flags to half-staff. On social media, at least, a person’s death can quickly become another occasion to either condemn or canonize them based on their politics. In my opinion, it’s one of the bad signs of our culture that so many make death supremely about politics.
But Parton is universally beloved, and Adams made clear that he admired her extraordinary contributions to American life. His objection was instead about the meaning of the honor itself and that using it too often risks cheapening the significance.
I posted a video on the topic to the American Habits YouTube page (posted below).
Adams’s point is something that other citizens and leaders have brought up before and he also framed his decision as a matter of local discretion. In the video below, I look at his argument, why I ultimately disagree with him when it comes to Dolly Parton, and why his willingness to push back also makes sense on principle.
—Ray Nothstine
— The Federalism Beat