Friday, February 17, 2012

Honor Should Be Reserved for Real Heroes

     Last week New Jersey Governor Chris Cristie announced his state would honor the recently deceased Whitney Houston by lowering all the American Flags in that state to half mast. With all due respect to Gov. Cristie, I think that decision was a mistake. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Houston's music, I do not believe she did anything in her life which could warrant such a gesture. Traditionally the lowering of the US flag to half staff is done to honor fallen service men and women, police officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty. It is also done to honor a deceased President or Governor and on Memorial day to honor all those who have died in battle.
     Ms. Houston was born with a God given talent which she shared with the rest of us through her songs and for which she was handsomely compensated. She also struggled with drug and alcohol abuse and some people, including me, believe she wasted her talent by engaging in the activities associated with those  issues. How does her life compare to that of police officer, soldier or firefighter who makes the ultimate sacrifice while performing his or her duty? In my opinion it doesn't. In too many instances our society worships celebrity instead of service and real sacrifice and I think this decision is an example of that.
     Governor Cristie explained he wanted to recognize Ms. Houston's status as a cultural figure from New Jersey and her accomplishments as a musician. He also said he hoped his gesture would lead to an awareness of the substance abuse problems this country is facing. Those reasons are not good enough to honor anyone by lowering the US flag to half mast, a gesture which should only be used for real fallen heroes.