Friday, May 18, 2007 Got a question? Get an answer. Send an e-mail to Dear Mr. Mullings Dear Mr. Mullings: A friend was at the debate and mentioned to me that there were thousands of Fair Tax demonstrators outside of the arena. Somehow, this has escaped mention anywhere in the national media, though it seems like a newsworthy tid-bit. There isn�t a liberal agenda in the media is there? Am I missing something here? Bobby Atlanta, GA First of all, whenever the national press is gathered in one place (like a major debate), all manner of groups, organizations, clubs and societies gather like moths to a bare lightbulb on the front porch at your gramma's farmhouse on a hot, sticky summer's night. The Fair Tax folks are (according to their web page) a 501(C)(4) organization which favors doing away with all taxes and replacing them with a national sales tax. I don't know whether this is a good idea or not, but I do know that the pro-war, anti-war, pro-abortion, anti-abortion, get-out-of-the-UN, get-the-UN-out-of-America, and many, many other groups were walking around with t-shirts, signs, buttons, and brochures in Columbia, SC on Tuesday night. Second, we have learned from long experience not to trust the number of marchers, demonstrators, or supporters which are provided by the group involved. We, in Your Nation's Capital, remember all too well the Million-someone marches here which got the government so excited they made mass transit free, and changed traffic patterns only to see that the only "millions" involved were the number of tax dollars wasted on the effort. Unless someone had set fire to the CVS across the street, they were not likely to be mentioned by the press which was there to cover the debate, not to provide highlighted coverage to the many pro-this or anti-that groups which, in the end, amount to nothing more than background noise. Dear Mr. Mullings: It seems to me that your latest musings are off-track. No real Republican is going to vote for any of the candidates you're stumping for. During my voting years, we had one conservative in the White House from 1969 to 1974 and another slightly conservative one from 1981 to 1989. We need a true conservative on the slate. Someone that will kick Democrat liberal [butts] from here to Hanoi if elected. You give me the candidate, and I'll get energized! Other than that, quit pimping nasty RINOs. Paul San Leandro, CA Ok, Paul. We'll put you down as Undecided. I don't believe I'm either stumping or pimping for any candidate. Given the cold stares I got in the Marriott lobby from the Romney folks for my post-debate analysis, I guarantee you they don't think I'm stumping for them. If you think that Ronald Reagan was a "slightly conservative" I'm pretty sure you are not going to find a candidate you can vote for in November of 2008. And, if that is the case, you should use the next 18 months to good advantage: Practice saying these two words: President Clinton. Dear Mr. Mullings: Could you review the rules under which the U.S. flag is permitted to fly at half-staff? While we all honor our men and women lost in Afghanistan and Iraq, I am not a fan of lowering the flag on what increasingly seems to be a discretionary basis. Yesterday's example (walking on PA avenue past the Treasury building): Treasury flag = full staff, PNC bank = full staff, Bank of America = half staff. Today's example (walking on PA avenue past the Reagan building): Willard hotel = full staff; Mariott hotel = half staff. Chip Washington, DC Actually, the rules regarding flying a flag at half-staff are very clear as we can see from "The Flag Code" (Title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1) which was adopted in 1942 and amended through the years, most recently in 1999. In the section dealing with the protocol which attends to flying the flag at half-staff: By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff. The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. Thus there does not appear to be any leeway for banks, hotels or Cabinet Departments to unilaterally decide to fly the flag at half-staff to honor a person in their organization who has died unless he or she fits into one of the other catagories. Having written that, lowering the flag in the town square in honor of a citizen who has been killed in action in Iraq or Afghanistan or, for that matter, fighting a fire or enforcing the law may not be stricly legal, but I wholeheartedly endorse the sentiment. Last one Dear Mr. Mullings: Where did the term "whip" come from when refering to Congressional minority leaders? Wayne Copperas Cove, Texas In the US system, both the Majority and the Minority parties have a position called: "Whip." As the name implies, the job of the Whip (and his/her deputies) is to enforce party loyalty especially on crucial votes. In the House the Majority Whip ranks third in the hierarchy (behind the Speaker and the Majority Leader) and second on the minority side (because the Minority Leader is the top dog). Similarly in the US Senate the Whips on both the majority and minority sides are the number two ranking party officials. In Britain the Prime Minister appoints the "Chief Government Whip" who has Cabinet rank. According to the British Parliament's web page: The job of the whips becomes more important if the majority of the party in government is small. This makes it easy for the government to lose in major votes. Therefore, it's crucial that the whips on both sides (government and opposition) try to get as many Members to vote as possible. Every week, whips send out a circular (called 'The Whip') to their MPs or Lords detailing upcoming parliamentary business. Special attention is paid to divisions (votes), which are ranked in order of importance by the number of times they are underlined. Important divisions are underlined three times - a 'three-line whip' - and normally apply to major events. In the US House, Whip is a major stepping stone to the highest ranks. Newt had been minority Whip before the election of 1994. Dennis Hastert had been Chief Deputy Whip before ascending to Speaker in 1999; Nancy Pelosi had been Whip (when Dick Gephardt (D-MO) was Minority Leader). She became Minority Leader when Gehpardt retired, and then became Speaker in 2007. See you next week. Rich Got a question? Get an answer. Send an e-mail to Dear Mr. Mullings                                     Click here to return to the Secret Decoder Ring page Copyright © 2007 Barrington Worldwide, LLC