Obama administration – No USA flags fly at Haiti relief centers

Even though the United States is the world leader for earthquake-related aid in Haiti, the Obama administration has ordered relief stations NOT fly the American flag. Other countries proudly display their colors, but we have a president who is NOT proud of our country, so this is what we get.

President Obama does not want our presence to look like an occupying force, so the administration has ordered no US flags fly anywhere in Haiti. Since Obama has been running around the world apologizing for everything left and right, leaders of other countries can tell our own leadership is weak, and they are taking advantage of it.

From the Navy Times…

The many nations helping Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that struck there have set up their own military compounds and fly their flags at the entrances.

France’s tricolor, Britain’s Union Jack and even Croatia’s coat of arms flap in the breeze.

But the country whose contributions dwarf the rest of the world’s — the United States — has no flag at its main installation near the Port-au-Prince airport.

The lack of the Stars and Stripes does not sit well with some veterans and servicemembers who say the U.S. government should be proud to fly the flag in Haiti, given the amount of money and manpower the U.S. is donating to help the country recover from the Jan. 12 quake.

The Obama administration says flying the flag could give Haiti the wrong idea.

By no means am I suggesting we don’t help or stop helping countries in need, but when the aid comes – and it does come – the troops and volunteers bringing that aid should be proud of their country and what their country is doing to help.

This action – quite honestly – is a slap in the face.

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.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air sums it all up quite well…

The decision not to fly the flag is an embarrassment of weakness on the part of Obama.  Our nation has conducted relief efforts for decades through our military, saving millions of people from death, disease, and starvation.  Like France, Britain, and Croatia, we have flown our flag during those operations not to note occupation but to represent the American people’s solidarity with those suffering from disaster.  That historical record is answer itself to the lunatics in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and even France who indulge in paranoid hysteria.

Fly the flag, Mr. President.  Let our actions speak for themselves, but demonstrate that we aren’t ashamed to arrive anywhere in the world with that flag flying proudly.