Jesse Helms Derangement Syndrome

We noted the outpouring of venom from the left upon the death of Jesse Helms last Friday.

Well, now some idiot at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture actually went and quit his job rather than lower the flag at half mast.

L.F. Eason III gave up the only job he'd ever had rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

Eason, a 29-year veteran of the state Department of Agriculture, instructed his staff at a small Raleigh lab not to fly the U.S. or North Carolina flags at half-staff Monday, as called for in a directive to all state agencies by Gov. Mike Easley.

When a superior ordered the lab to follow the directive, Eason decided to retire rather than pay tribute to Helms. After several hours' delay, one of Eason's employees hung the flags at half-staff.

The brouhaha began late Sunday night, when Eason e-mailed eight of his employees in the state standards lab, which calibrates measuring equipment used on things as widely varied as gasoline and hamburgers.

"Regardless of any executive proclamation, I do not want the flags at the North Carolina Standards Laboratory flown at half staff to honor Jesse Helms any time this week," Eason wrote just after midnight, according to e-mail messages released in response to a public records request.

He told his staff that he did not think it was appropriate to honor Helms because of his "doctrine of negativity, hate, and prejudice" and his opposition to civil rights bills and the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Such sanctimonious arrogance. Just because he's a liberal twit with his own opinions, in his mind he gets to decide which state directives to follow.

And just because these leftists say such things about Mr. Helms does not make them true.

Sure enough, this haughty Eason is a John Edwards supporter. Who knows, before long Silky will sue on his behalf for wrongful termination. You can be sure this Eason will be put on the leftist pedestal of worship for his courage. Heck, they'll probably have him speak at the convention in Denver.

H/T Alouette via the LGF links.