The passing of Nelson Mandela has caused an outpouring of support from leaders all over the world... except, of course, in the fine and progressive state of South Carolina, where Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark has refused to honor the former South African leader with a half-mast flag because "he wasn't American."  

According to Fox News, even though President Barack Obama has ordered that flags be flown at half-mast in honor of Mandela, Clark announced on his Facebook page -- a post since removed -- that he will not go along with the President's orders. "I usually don't post political items, but today is different. I received this notification today, 'As a mark of respect for the memory of Nelson Mandela, the President orders that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff effective immediately until sunset, December 9, 2013.'"

The sheriff continued: "Nelson Mandela did great things for his country and was a brave man but he was not an AMERICAN!!! The flag should be lowered at our Embassy in S. Africa, but not here. Our flag is at half staff today for a Deputy in the low country who died going to help his fellow Deputy. He deserves the honor. I have ordered that the flag here at my office back up after tomorrow's mourning of Pearl Harbor Day!"

While the President cannot force anyone to comply with the order to fly flags at half-mast, this is also not the first time that the flag has been ordered to be lowered at half-mast for a foreign dignitary. The passing of Winston Churchill, Anwar el-Sadat, and Pope John Paul II all merited the lowering of the flag to half-mast. According to Global Grind, Pickens stated that he would have made the same decision to not lower the flag in 2005 when Pope John Paul II passed, when then-President George W. Bush ordered the flags to be lowered to half-mast. 

Needless to say, this refusal has caused an outcry and accusation of racism. And while Clark is "glad" that he lives in a country where we can all agree to disagree, there's certainly the question of "doing the right thing." The comments on the Fox South Carolina website are all in agreement with the sheriff (with a few obligatory "Obama as Jihadist" comments thrown in for good measure), while the comments on Global Grind are a bit more progressive. What's your take on this?