French Lowered Their Flag...Again

The French are used to lowering their flag, usually as they surrender to somebody. This habit of capitulation has led to the many tree-lined streets that you'll find in their country. Invading armies like to march in the shade.

Well today they have a different flag-lowering problem. The government ordered their flags to half-staff in honor of the death of Pope John Paul II. Keep in mind this is a country which is almost violently secular and won't allow Muslim girls to wear headscarves to school. Some of their lefty politicians are not happy (HT Drudge):

Politicians in secular France squabbled over whether the government had been right to order flags lowered on public buildings in a sign of respect for Pope John Paul.

Socialist senator Jean-Luc Melenchon and Yves Contassot, a senior Green party member on the Paris City Council, said the government had abused its powers on Monday by ordering the official tribute to the Pope, who died on Saturday.

The Unsa union said the government was guilty of double standards having ordered schools to take part in the tribute to a religious leader after banning Muslim headscarves in state schools in a drive to keep them firmly secular.

"Let the Christians pay tribute to the head of their church, it's a private matter," Contassot told France Inter radio.

Seems like Chirac may have some 'splaining to do given his other anti-religious stands.