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Obama Orders Army NOT To Fly U.S. Flag in Haiti
Publius Forum ^ | 03/16/10 | Warner Todd Huston

Posted on 03/16/2010 9:11:39 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus

It's bad enough that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is giving short shrift to American manufacturers and our economy by ordering extravagant new crystal stemware from Sweden to make the crystal cabinets in America's embassies sparkle impressively, but now we learn that Barack Obama has told the U.S. relief forces in Haiti not to fly the U.S. flag over its own military compounds. He says that it will "send the wrong message."

Never mind that all the other nations have their flags proudly flying above their military relief installations in Haiti. Even Croatia has its coat of arms flying outside its base. Yet not the U.S. Army. No U.S. flag flies anywhere despite that we are far and away the largest force and have supplied the most relief supplies and money to the earthquake recovery effort.

According to USAID, as of January 19, 2010 the U.S. had spent $130,864,571 on aid to the Haitian people to help them recover from the devastating earthquake. By Jan. 25 that number had already increased to $179,883,065. It is only going up from there....

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...


TOPICS: Government; Military/Veterans; Politics
KEYWORDS: haiti; military; obama
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41 posted on 03/16/2010 10:22:51 AM PDT by Irenic
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To: FourPeas

I swear the Obama administration and the Dems in Congress try to do something incredibly stupid each day.

Bret should ask Chairman Obama about his decision on the flag tomorrow during the interview. Better yet, he should ‘splain it to a group of soldiers that lost a brother in Iraq.


42 posted on 03/16/2010 10:23:29 AM PDT by Made In The USA (Home Depot should begin stocking up on pitchforks and torches.)
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To: Mobile Vulgus

THIS pisses me off almost more than anything that has happened yet under this administration. Those are our brothers and sisters serving there! Being a veteran, my flag flies 24/7, lit at night for all to see because I am PROUD to be an American, a veteran, and what I hope is considered a patriot. My father and grandfather and all my uncles were military. We served, and sacrificed to allow people like this president the freedom to expound on their ideologies and bring the type of unbelievable change that is occuring. I am so sad and dissapointed with what is going on, it sort of makes our sacrifices of years ago a wasted effort. All we did was to delay the disintegration of the American way of life and the ideals that were so much a part of that until now. We better wake up real soon and realize what is going on here.


43 posted on 03/16/2010 10:30:53 AM PDT by PWK arch
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To: TheClintons-STILLAnti-American

Treasonous is the correct word.

Thank God for the Second Amendment, which grows bigger every day.


44 posted on 03/16/2010 10:47:10 AM PDT by Loud Mime (Liberalism is a Socialist Disease)
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To: Mobile Vulgus
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
45 posted on 03/16/2010 11:55:05 AM PDT by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: Mobile Vulgus
A REAL PRESIDENT!

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46 posted on 03/16/2010 11:57:06 AM PDT by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: Mobile Vulgus

Here’s some more background on the decision from the Navy Times article within the Publius Forum article posted-

“Army Col. Billy Buckner, spokesman for Joint Task Force-Haiti, a group representing various Obama administration agency heads, said the decision not to fly the American flag was made out of respect as guests of the government of Haiti.

“It is no mystery that U.S. forces are on the ground, and we proudly wear an American flag on our right sleeve,” he said.

U.S. Air Force air operations specialists and FAA air-traffic controllers manage air traffic at Haiti’s main airport, where millions of dollars in aid from the United States has been arriving for weeks. More than 12,000 U.S. military personnel support relief operations.

“Our commanders are smart and intuitively understand their mission here in Haiti, and clearly the sensitivities that come with supporting the mission,” Buckner said.A U.S. flag went up at a temporary consular station set up in the first few days on the airport tarmac, according to Charles Luoma-Overstreet, a State Department spokesman in Haiti.

“Apparently, the prime minister (Jean-Max Bellerive) saw this” and thought it appeared as if the United States were taking over the airport, Luoma-Overstreet said.

He said Bellerive said something to U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten, who agreed that flying the flag wasn’t a good idea and told the consular officials to take it down.

The decision is not unprecedented, noted Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who says he is not bothered by the flag’s absence.

During the Gulf War in 1991, U.S. forces took control of the main airport in Kuwait and briefly flew the American flag over their installation, Davis said, but higher-ups ordered it taken down to avoid an impression that U.S. forces were conquerors.

The missing American colors at Port-au-Prince airport were no problem to Don Hollenbaugh, a former Army Delta Force operator who received the Distinguished Service Cross for actions in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004.

“Everybody in the world knows the U.S. is there,” Hollenbaugh said. “So by not flying the flag, we’re not changing anyone’s mind about anything.”

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/03/ap_haiti_flag_031510/


47 posted on 03/16/2010 11:59:35 AM PDT by Mila
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To: Mobile Vulgus

Nah. He does this type of nonsense as an “in-your-face American” I’m President routine.


48 posted on 03/16/2010 12:03:37 PM PDT by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: Mobile Vulgus
What the US Ambassador to Haiti should have said to Bellerive's complaint was, "Mister Prime Minister, we will be glad to comply with your request, but understand that the day the American flag goes, we go with it."
49 posted on 03/16/2010 12:16:14 PM PDT by Mila
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To: Mila
"The decision is not unprecedented, noted Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who says he is not bothered by the flag’s absence."

Well, it bothers the hell out of me. I hope he will be equally un-bothered when I fail to renew my VFW membership this year.

It doesn't bother the Haitians that we are there to hand out free stuff, treat and evacuate people, and rebuild infrastructure, but it bothers them that our flag was flying? Pull out like a boy on prom night. Pull out now!

50 posted on 03/16/2010 12:50:40 PM PDT by ronnyquest (That's what governments are for: to get in a man's way.)
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To: Mobile Vulgus

bump this should be in front page news everywhere and here


51 posted on 03/16/2010 1:04:10 PM PDT by Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!
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Ah, Camp Pendleton redux.

The Sor0bama campaign plane redux.

The bowing.

The lack of saluting the flag.

The leaving of American flags on the dirt at the DNC national convention in Denver.

The walking up to a Marine at attention while getting on the helicopter before take off at the WH.

Ah yes. We understand completely.


52 posted on 03/16/2010 1:18:23 PM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spirito Sancto.)
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To: Mobile Vulgus

“Barack Obama has told the U.S. relief forces in Haiti not to fly the U.S. flag over its own military compounds. He says that it will “send the wrong message.”

Wrong message...Mr. Obama, YOU are the wrong message.


53 posted on 03/16/2010 1:23:01 PM PDT by AuntB (WE are NOT a nation of immigrants! We're a nation of Americans! http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/)
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To: Mobile Vulgus

My God, when is enough enough? What will it take to begin impreachment proceedings on this ba##ard?


54 posted on 03/16/2010 1:27:40 PM PDT by Marathoner (One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: 444Flyer; Mobile Vulgus; Saoirise
"But, I'm sure he'd gladly fly the flag of the U.N. if he could get away with it."

Or, the flag of surrender, but then, they are one in the same.


55 posted on 03/16/2010 3:14:16 PM PDT by Semper Mark ("Yassir! I nicked the census man!" - "There's a good boy.")
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To: Markos33

Perfect.


56 posted on 03/16/2010 3:59:46 PM PDT by 444Flyer (America, we are being Waterboarded.)
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To: Mila
“Everybody in the world knows the U.S. is there,” Hollenbaugh said. “So by not flying the flag, we’re not changing anyone’s mind about anything.”

What utter nonsense.

57 posted on 03/16/2010 5:31:45 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: Nachum

Obama is so open about his dislike for America and what it represents, that I sure hope and pray people don’t get fooled by this guy again in 2012 and vote for his reelection.


58 posted on 03/16/2010 8:21:39 PM PDT by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Mobile Vulgus
How I wasn't pinged to this I'll never know...

What a piece of sh*t this president is.

59 posted on 03/17/2010 11:46:35 AM PDT by americanophile
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To: Mobile Vulgus

Maybe Obama can go down there and lower the flag himself


60 posted on 03/17/2010 12:10:04 PM PDT by NorseWood
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