As singer Whitney Houston was laid to rest last weekend, municipalities across New Jersey lowered their flags to half-staff, a salute to a native daughter who, as Gov. Chris Christie put it, made significant cultural contributions to her home state.

“For those people who say, 'I don't think she deserves it,' I say to them, ‘I understand that you don't think that. I do, and it's my executive order,’” Christie, a Republican, said last week.

At least one town, however, ignored the governor’s executive order. (A man in Michigan burned the New Jersey state flag to express his displeasure, but more on that in a bit.)

Wayne Township, population 54,000, did not lower its flags -- at the request of Mayor Christopher P. Vergano.

“As of today I have received 13 emails in favor of not lowering the flags and one opposed to my decision,” Vergano wrote Monday in an email to the Los Angeles Times. “The emails came from as far as Florida, Texas and Virginia. My personal feeling is that the flag should only be lowered as an honor for military personal and fallen police officers. Most of the people that contacted me were in the military service and thanked me for my decision.”

Houston died Feb. 11 at age 48. Her body was found in the bathtub of her guest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Authorities have not yet announced a cause of death.

Among those in the township objecting to lowering the flag in Houston’s honor was the Wayne Township Policemen’s Benevolent Assn., Local 136. In a letter posted on the group’s Facebook page, association President Scott Rappaport wrote to Vergano on Feb. 16:

“Every death is a tragedy and we mean not to take that away from Ms. Houston’s family, friends and fans. However, we disagree that her death is somehow more significant or more important than the thousands of military personnel and civilians that die serving our country.”

What the association did not know was that Vergano had already made up his mind to keep the flags flying as usual.

Christie’s decision to lower the flag prompted comments, both pro and con, across the country. Also Saturday, the day funeral services were held in Newark for Houston, a man in the city of Wyoming, Mich., burned the New Jersey state flag on an outdoor grill in response to Christie’s order.

“It was a slap in the face. It cheapens the meaning of lowering that flag,” John Burri, 60, told the Detroit News. “They're watering down the meaning of a hero.”

Burri’s son, Army Spc. Eric T. Burri, was killed by an improvised explosive device while he was on patrol in Iraq in 2005. He was 21.

John Burri told the Detroit News: “I didn't do this to offend the people of New Jersey. If I did and you're offended, I'm sorry. But I did this because it was wrong and it was to show the governor [of New Jersey] how wrong this was.”

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

What was Bernsie doing in Michigan?

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I don't know why Christie Christine wanted to lower the flags for Whitney. I didn't even know she came from there until after she died.

Yeah,I was surprised to hear that,too. I think Christie is hoping to get a VP nod at the convention.
This was politcally motivated.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."