L. F. Eason III, american hero

It's easy to forget what principle and conviction and honor look like, but this man reminds me. Mr. Eason, an employee of North Carolina's Agriculture Department, refused to fly the flag at half mast after the death of avowed racist and bigot Jesse Helms. In return, he was forced to take early retirement from a job he loved.

My hero of the day, L. F. Eason III. If only we had public financing for elections, this man could take his courage to Washington and take on the lowlife scum oozing all over that city.

Update: NPR interviewed Mr. Eason; you can listen here. Predictably, he's had a death threat ~ "thinly veiled" ~ via newspaper comments responding to one of the articles. Otherwise, he reported that people have been very supportive. Could there be hope for us?