Alabama Official Refuses To Lower Flag After Orlando Shooting

A man looks over an impromptu candle-lit memorial set up in Sydney, Monday, June 13, 2016, following the Florida mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub where police say a gunman wielding an assault-type rifle o... A man looks over an impromptu candle-lit memorial set up in Sydney, Monday, June 13, 2016, following the Florida mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub where police say a gunman wielding an assault-type rifle opened fire, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that the Orlando mass shooting was "an attack on all of us — on all our freedoms, the freedom to gather together, to celebrate, to share time with friends." (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Despite orders from President Obama and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) to lower flags to half staff in the wake of the deadly shooting in Orlando, Florida, one county official in Alabama refused.

Baldwin County Commissioner Tucker Dorsey said that the shooting was not a “valid circumstance” according to the U.S. Flag Code. The code requires flags to fly at half staff on Memorial Day and after the death of a government official, and also allows the President to add more rules regarding the flag.

In a Facebook post, Dorsey wrote that his “soul aches for the families of the innocents killed, and my family prays for them and the world” but argued that the flag should not be flown at half staff following the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

“When the flag is at half-staff, our country’s head is figuratively held low, and quite frankly, I am not willing to hang my head down because of a terrorist attack against our people and our allies. I am not willing to hang my head down because evil shoots up a church, school, or movie theater,” he wrote. “We need more than a gesture as a response. I want us, as Americans, to stand tall, courageously, and fight back against the forces of evil, and let’s fight like we intend to win.”

Dorsey also refused to lower the flag to half staff following the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, last year, according to NBC News. In his Facebook post, he expressed frustration that he again had to explain his view on the flag.

“Once again I have to copy this post regarding lowering the flags because another follower of Islam decided to shoot up a bunch of innocents in a place where they didn’t have the chance to defend themselves or flee,” he wrote. “When are we going to acknowledge the truth? When will we stop the PC and identify the enemy?”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. “We need more than a gesture as a response. I want us, as Americans, to stand tall, courageously, and fight back against the forces of evil, and let’s fight like we intend to win.” (Alabama County Commissioner Tucker Dorsey)

    Yet no mention of the gun manufacturers and the NRA? You’re an asshole.

  2. Avatar for jsfox jsfox says:

    frankly, Dorsey you’re an ass.

  3. I only follow orders from American-born Presidents. But I do have some extra thoughts and prayers If you’d like 'em.

  4. OK Mr. Tucker Dorsey, Baldwin County Commissioner. Hate to break this to you. No one gives a shit what an obscure official in some county in Alabama thinks the flag code means. Just follow your governor’s directive. Save your grandstanding for the local Baldwin County Daily.

    (Edit) You just look stupid when you argue flag should not be flown at half staff following deadliest mass shooting in American history, a mass shooting made possible by a decidedly American product… one produced over in Shelby County near Birmingham not far from you. You wouldn’t be trying to take the spotlight off your own state produced weapon. Would you?

  5. Avatar for fuzz fuzz says:

    “When are we going to acknowledge the truth? When will we stop the PC and identify the enemy?”

    OK, here we go: this ridiculous outdated second amendment that says citizens should be allowed to have guns so they can fight our government with them. It’s bullshit. In 2016 we call that terrorism. OK? Is that not-PC-enough for you? The second amendment is about terrorism. To stop terrorism we need to stop the second amendment.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

62 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for pearlywhite Avatar for 1audiofile Avatar for flownover Avatar for firstprime Avatar for osage Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for lastroth Avatar for midnight_rambler Avatar for magical_panda Avatar for 538liberal Avatar for tao Avatar for jcblues Avatar for azjude Avatar for pshah Avatar for occamsrazor2 Avatar for beattycat Avatar for irishbark Avatar for kelaine Avatar for carorami1984

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: