This post is born out of confusion, really. Today I’ve seen the flag at half-staff at a few different locations, but I’ve also seen the flag flying normally at a few other locations.

Confusing.

So I’m sitting here wasting a few minutes (that’s another story for another day), and I decided to do a little google-digging to see what the Internets say. This is all I found:

Only the President and state Governors can decide when and how long the flag should be flown at half-staff.

Thirty days after the death of a president or former president

Ten days after the death of a vice president, the chief of justice or a retired chief of justice or the speaker of the house of representatives.

Until the burial of an associate justice of the Supreme Court, secretary of a military department, a former vice president, or the governor of a state, territory, or possession.

On the day of and the day after the death of a member of Congress.

On Memorial Day, the day set aside to honor all the people who have died while serving the United States & originally called Decoration Day, the flag is flown at half-Staff until noon, then raised to full staff until sundown.

There is nothing on the White House website announcing that a flag should be flying at half today.  There should really be a website that announces half-staff.  Something like HalfStaff.com or SomeoneDied.com.

UPDATE: I found an email list that will email you when your flag should be lowered to half-staff.  I have no intentions of signing up…but thought it was worth mentioning here.  The address for the half-staff site is: http://www.gettysburgflag.com/FlyFlagHalfMast.php and they explain that today is Peace Officer’s Memorial Day.  What did people do before the Internet?!?

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