What Would Uncle Sam Say?
Thursday, Aug 6, 2009 | Updated 1:30 PM PDT
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Uncle Sam (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
He won't do that again.
The city of Carson stripped its mayor of some power after he ordered the U.S. flag flown at half-staff to honor Michael Jackson.
Carson Mayor Jim Dear lowered the City Hall flag on July 7, the day of Jackson's funeral, calling the pop star an African-American success story and a world-renowned idol. Local veterans were upset and the decision sparked critical e-mails, letters and phone calls to Dear.
Dear then submitted the issue to the city's Veterans Affairs Commission and hammered out a change to the 1996 city code that
granted him authority to lower the flag. The City Council approved that change Tuesday.
Dear said if he had another chance, he would lower the city flag for Jackson -- not the national flag.
