Today’s NY Times has an article that is sure to draw a lot of acrimony. Quite a few states in our country lower the flags at their capitol buildings after the death of a service member in Iraq or Afghanistan. It seems like a simple courtesy, a moment of remembrance for the ultimate sacrifice of a man or woman in uniform, obedient to his or her nation’s command. There is a uniform code of courtesy in handling the flag, but no such list of rules for lowering it to half staff in times of remembrance.

IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich., June 19 — The Stars and Stripes in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge here flies at half-staff because Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm issued a statewide order to lower the flag for 24 hours to honor a Michigan soldier killed in Iraq.

Just blocks away, however, at the veterans’ hospital run by federal officials who say they do not answer to the governor the flag flutters at full staff.

Some states have codified the lowering of the US flag and state flag on such times. Others lower only the state standard.

But in Michigan, the differing response to Ms. Granholm’s order is part of a broader and, perhaps, more universal wrangle over how to commemorate tragedy when there is so much of it and whether lowering the flag each time a soldier is killed cheapens the tribute by doing it too often.

Since the start of the Iraq war, more than half the states have decided to lower their flags for 24 hours or more when a local soldier dies in combat.

Opponents of lowering the flag see it as a subtle antiwar gesture that may run counter to federal guidelines, which reserve the action for “officials,” not soldiers.

It will surprise no one to learn that those who oppose lowering the flag for dead soldiers generally belong to the same political party that ramps up public outrage every four years, in the runup to a national election, demanding that there must be a Constitutional Amendment protecting it from being burnt by citizens, although general usage recommends given torn and damaged flags to the VFW for disposal by – burning. It seems to me that party considers the Stars and Stripes to be its own personal property, just as it does most other things in our country.

Handling our flag has a checkered history. Strict regulations determine its handling, display, storage and disposal. An emblem of the nation, it has been burned in outrage and protest, actions that have sparked ire at times. Tradition tells us that soldiers have wrapped its folds about their bodies in past wars, in their firm decision to die protecting its sanctity.

While the flag is not the country, it is inextricably associated with our presence at home and abroad. It marks our embassies and consulates, and other buildings that serve our interests and perform as outreach to other peoples. Our military carries it wherever they go. And it flies on flagstaffs where they are. It announces to the world that Americans are here, a nation that used to be dedicated to human dignity, freedom, and the defense of the helpless. One day it will again carry that message. When our soldiers die under its waving symbol they leave a small piece of our hearts on that foreign soil.

It’s unfortunate that there is not one single unifying code requiring all flags, national and state to be lowered in sad commemoration of the death of a solder. It’s important to remember sacrifice, and to teach our children the meaning of the word.

In Michigan the flag has been lowered 127 times since Governor Granholm began the practice in 2003. I’m sure many other states have a similar record.

Last week, federal lawmakers passed a measure that would give governors the authority to order all officials in their states, including federal authorities, to lower the flag. President Bush has until next week to sign or veto the measure.

Although Congressional staff members involved with the measure say Mr. Bush may want to sign it for patriotic reasons, he may also be reluctant to appear to be ceding power over federal officials to the states

A cynical man might wonder if there is some other reason Mr Bu$h might not want this practice to be a national practice.

Behind the counter at the post office in Crystal Falls, [Mich] Gary Burk said the flag in front was not lowered despite the governor’s order because the decision lay with the postal director of each district.

“When we lower it now, people notice it and ask why,” Mr. Burk said. “If you lower every time a soldier dies, it will be down so often that people will only notice and ask when it’s up.”

Yes, I’m sure people in Washington might not want Americans to notice how often flags would be flown at half staff.