Olive Branch, Mississippi Mayor Ken Adams has issued a statement explaining his decision not to lower the American flag to half-staff for Dolly Parton. In the statement, he says Parton was a great person who brought happiness to millions, but that he believes lowering the flag should be reserved for military heroes, fallen first responders, presidents, and events with a tremendous impact on the country. He also cites Mississippi's Home Rule doctrine, arguing that local governments have the ability to use their own judgment on these decisions rather than simply following state or federal leaders.

Did they lower it for Charlie Kirk?

I think the Mayor's points are perfectly valid.

This seems like exactly the right question to ask. If yes, then why not for Dolly, if no, then I can get behind this argument.

As long as this is the legitimate reason and not just the cleaned up politically correct reason

As long as it's not "she supported the transgender" or some bullshit in other words

I am not American, and I cannot surely appreciate the importance of a figure like Dolly Parton. For sure I know her name even if do not live in the USA and am no American, so she must have been well known.

Bit the flag at half mast is something that you reserve to high officials and military and other onorific people. If she was such, then all for it. Of she was just a show woman, musician, and maybe also the best ever... Why?

It would appear that they did. The governor ordered flag lowering for both, but the mayor only speaks up about this now.

I mean.. that would make him a shitty person but it would not invalidate his points.

I think he would be in the mayor's 'fallen heroes' category. Unfortunately!

So only for people who serve the state, not for people who served their neighbors without official capacity.

Translates to "not for people we could not control" pretty readily.

Symbols are for the symbol minded

-George Carlin

This mayor is a fool for thinking his flag-staffs are important. Getting outraged over this makes the same mistake.

They could be if not for the blatant hypocrisy of lowering it for the neck breather on the governors order and not this time.

Sooo… I’m going with him being a shitheel from the south.

I might get a lot of downvotes for this, but in a perfectly working democracy "she supported the transgender" can be a legitimate reason not to honor them with a flag at half pole. But usually in a perfectly working democracy the ruling parties dont need a scapegoat, nor would there be much reason to incite so much prejudice that supporting trans rights is a bad thing. But still, i'd argue if a majority doesn't want trans people to have human rights, the leader of that majority would have a democratically legitimate reason for that bullshit. Not saying that is the right thing, but we can't only persue democracy if we like the results - if we fifight for it, we should also accept the bad.

What groups persons would be considered honorific? Only people that work for the government (army, politicians etc)? Esteemed business men too? Nobel price winners? Esteemed scientists? It's a slippery slope either way. I'd argue that it's not up to the government to when it is allowed and when it is not, I'd argue every individual and every governmental body gets to decide for themselves.

Mayor wants flags lowered when they die, and want to make sure it'll be special for them.

You and the 33%

No, they're not. You know what actually "lessens the meaning of the gesture"? Doing it for every grifting politician and shitty soldier instead of someone who's actually tried to make the world a better place.

dolly had a hell of a lot more impact on a country than the military, world leaders, or presidents.

also i'm fairly certain that if you went back you would find that he lowered the flag for charlie fucking kirk

You can get behind not lowering it because a person who spent their entire life helping people and encouraging and enabling others to do the same is somehow comparable to a racist bigoted piece of shit?

You seem fun at parties /s

If I flew a flag, I wouldn't personally lower it for Dolly Parton.

But I also wouldn't be upset if someone else did (or if someone else chose not to do so).

I also wouldn't lower such a personal flag for Donald Trump's death, and US Flag Code does specify it on the death of people who have served as president. I don't feel that he's earned a salute of respect from me. That being said, I understand and would expect federal institutions and such that do follow US Flag Code to do so.

Did he lower it for Charlie Kirk?

This mayor probably doesn’t mind if a private person lowers their flag for a country singer.
He only seems to care for a flag in front of eg the city hall. That’s how I interpret the text.

Can I ask why everyone seems to love dolly? Like, I am not into that kind of music, I know nothing of her besides for her having outrageously large implants, which I consider in bad taste. All implants are in bad taste but these huge ones especially.

I think you forgot conspiracy nut, antisemite, misogynist, homophobe... and a bunch more.

For me?
Mostly that she was a caring, compassionate, human and she spearheaded a foundation to give free books to kids. https://imaginationlibrary.com/

I don't particularly like her music either but I've never heard a bad thing about her... But lots of good she did. Which is saying something and I personally find most "famous" people to be shit bags.

Edit : I also love her quote "it costs a lot of money to look this cheap"

People don't invite me for the fun

There are lots of reasons people love her for who she was as a person, from her genuine compassion to her "be true to yourself" attitude. If you're looking for other more tangible positive influences she had on the world, Variety has an article listing a few examples.

What's a neck breather?

Who are the 33%?

Dolly Parton was a major philanthropist, she did a lot of work in children's literacy.

Well, first off, implants were not involved. The lady was known for her chesticles waaay before implants were a thing. She may or may not have had some kind of implants later in life to keep her existing measurements, but they were the same size in the oldest pictures of her as an adult. I don't know about anything later in life, but i do know that boobs like that exist naturally, and that she started with that.

I'm not sure where folks get the idea she had implants when pictures exist like that.

Anyway, it's kind of a tripartite thing. Music, charity/beliefs, and personality.

Musically, she's one of the better songwriters out there. She was on par with, or better than, anyone of her generation for sure. Part of that was her ability to use her real life to make songs that resonated with a lot of people.

Her voice shifted a lot as she aged, but she was well loved for both the sweetness she could use, and her gentle vibrato. A high, almost crystalline tone that managed to never be shrill or piercing because she knew how to be delicate with it. You don't have to like her music to recognize the skill she had with it.

In terms of her public works, she truly believed in doing good. Her book based reading initiative made sure that multiple generations of people grew up not only knowing how to read, but having access to materials that made doing so a normalized and omnipresent thing.

She was an outspoken advocate for "loving thy neighbor". She was one of the celebrities that was behind gay marriage, and equal rights for gay people. That was also the case for trans people.

In other words, she practiced what she preached. She made a ton of money between her music and related business ventures, but she was willing to put it to work doing good things without making it missionary work. She didn't just hand out bibles like some supposed reading initiatives do. Despite having a deep faith, she never pushed it on anyone.

And, importantly, that wasn't just her public face. In her private life, she was well known for doing good acts for their own sake, even when nobody would know about it. But you talk to people from around where she lived and worked, and her generosity is legendary. Again, generosity without strings.

She also was known for having hiring policies with her businesses that were inclusive. Orientation, race, gender, nobody was excluded. And, again, it wasn't just a front, because it wasn't something she made a big deal out of. That was just how things were.

Then it comes down to her. She was a larger than life performer. When she was being DOLLY, she put forward the brighter, flashier side of her self, but in interviews and in person, she was open and honest and nice. She treated people well, and did so with no ego, and a down-to-earth simplicity that often belied how sharp she was. She had an almost self deprecating way of handling being famous, and that's how she really was. She didn't think of herself as being special, she was just grateful to have the chance to do something she loved and was good at.

Now, I never met her. But I know a ton of people that did. And I know a ton of people that had access to books as a kid due to her charity efforts. That's going back decades, and it was not really a well known thing until maybe fifteen years ago or so.

Everything you hear about her from people that knew her, that had regular contact with her, it's all about how damn good she treated everyone.

There's places in Tennessee in specific that when people call her a saint, they aren't just being nice. There's folks that have been touched by her good works and place her on a much higher pedestal than she ever would have. Which kinda sums it all up. She never abandoned being a simple mountain girl, no matter how famous or rich she got, and she lifted others up along the way.

Me? I grew up hearing her music, but didn't really become a fan until well into adulthood. I loved her as an actress, but it took me a while to "get" her music. Now, I can't hear her sing without crying a little.

Or any other reason

What a dick

Same. Every once and a while we get a weird half-staff death, we've had more than a few weird ones under Trump, Charlie Kirk obviously comes to mind. Tim Curry died a few days later, and I found him to be a much more noteworthy celebrity in my life, so why does Dolly get a half-staff? The system necessarily means you're ranking people's value, and requires that you draw a line somewhere.

People keep bringing up the book thing, which is awesome, but she also pretty much replaced all government aide to Appalachia when the government essentially abandoned and cut off every social program. She helped people pay rent, put food on the table, afford school for their kids, and made sure those schools had funding.

Dolly has legitimately cared for and done more for the common people than any politician ever even pretends to have done, simply because it was the right thing to and she was able to do it.

Dolly changed a lot of lives for the better. She did the one thing that every other rich person is incapable of, she cared about other people enough to do something about it.

Also, she turned down a place in the rock and roll hall of fame because she, objectively and inarguably one of the greatest and most influential song writers of all time, thought others deserved it far more than her. That’s just rad.

I kinda get it...

Like, I feel you man, lowering the flag every time a famous person dies...it devalues the gesture.

So I get it.

But of all fucking people to use as an example, he chose Saint Dolly.

Nah man. That ain't right.

This mofo is gonna forget all about the honor being for military heroes and mass civilian casualty events (like 9/11) the moment that that draft-dodging fuck Agent Orange finally kicks the bucket. I guarantee it.

... Except he lowered it for Charlie Kirk.

Already baked into the post. They included 'presidents' under people who half staff should be used for.

Someone with a sudden involuntary ventilation hole in their neck.

The argument presented for not lowering the flag seems solid enough to accept and move on, but only when applied fair and square for all scenarios. If other figures that don't come anywhere even close to Dolly Parton's legendary status HAVE gotten the flag lowered for them, then the very sound argument is actually just two-faced bullshit. I don't see how that's a hard concept to grasp.