The irony being that (duh), celebrities get more attention not because of the heroic deeds they perform but in fact, shock of shocks, because they're famous. Make no mistake: I am NOT detracting from the sacrifices of our troops so that we can all sit here and post about inane bullshit; I am just pointing out a fact that all too often, those high-horsed self-righteous individuals seem to forget.
I hate addiction, I loved Whitney's voice, and I feel very bad for her family. I hope that her daughter has people who can and will help her.
That depends on the soldier. If someone joins the military because they're itching to shoot people, I think I'd put Whitney well above them.
Good for Chris Christie, who ordered the flags in New Jersey lowered in memoriam to her - and double that for sticking to it and responding directly to the criticism.
I don't, but I do have a childhood friend who is currently serving in Afghanistan, and I know he's in it only for the money. He'd never call himself a hero or anything like that. To him, it's just a job he can tolerate that he gets paid decently for.
Why all the hate. Inspite of all her faults, could you at least respect the family who are grieving for their lost child. My God, people can't even respect each other even in death. Btw, I know that she wasn't perfect and she had demons, and believe it or not, I never care for her music. But I'm still going to respect this woman's life.
Chris Christie should have lowered the New Jersey flag only. No national flag should be lowered for any celebrity--drug abuser or not. Singer, actor, athlete. None of them. It's absurd. She was a citizen of New Jersey. Fly the New Jersey flag at half mast.
I must have missed something ... Was Whitney Houston's impact on music restricted to New Jersey only?
Lowering the national flag is, in theory, reserved for those who gave their lives for the country or who died tragically in an event concerning the country. Lowering it for any Hollywood celebrity cheapens the entire idea. Whitney. Mariah. Peyton Manning. Joe Paterno. Captain Kangaroo. I don't care who.
It is also left to the discretion of the President and the Governor of a given state to dictate what circumstances justify the flag being flown at half-staff. I'm also not clear on why you think lowering the flag in honor of Houston "cheapens" the entire idea? Is she somehow less deserving of being grieved and remembered?
Any celebrity. Not Whitney in particular. Yes, it's at the governor's discretion and he can do what he wishes. I happen to have a difference of opinion. That's all. A person can be grieved and remembered without lowering the national flag. You can lower the state flag. You can broadcast her funeral online.
Not necessarily pointed at you, but how I feel in general... People throw the word "tragedy" so carelessly that the word loses it's power. Two children bludgeoned with an ax then burned to death by a demented parent is a tragedy. A famous person with a drug abuse problem who drowned to death because of said problem doesn't deserve adulation from the masses. She hit the proverbial lottery and squandered it away because of poor choices and a lack of self-control. She deserves to be a poster child for stupidity in its purest form. I will not "celebrate" the life of a drug addict. One who had the means to fight addiction and seemingly refused to do so. I will hold her as an object lesson for my kids on what effect poor choices will have on one's life. YMMV.
1) We don't know if she died from a overdose. 2) She had faults, but she was a mother, daughter and friend and those around her that still loved her. 3) Her fans still loved her inpsite of her foolishness. What's wrong with celebrating the life of a person that despite of all her failings, she still had a good life? She was still loved. Would you celebrate the life of a friend or family member who was a drug addict?
Not at all. You want to teach your kids that she led a great life and made smart choices, more power to you. I'm simply stating my opinion on a squandered life and how I plan to use it as a lesson for my kids. Since I recently had to deal with a similar situation minus the celebrity. I mourned the person I lost deeply, but the night I came home from the hospital, I sat my kids down and told them that the persons choices led to death. I refused to sugar coat it or make it sound like a tragedy when his actions led to his own undoing.