Five days after an Islamic radical murdered five unarmed military personnel in Chattanooga, Barack Obama has yet to lower the White House flag to half-staff to pay his respects. Symbols are important, and Obama isn’t ignorant of that. In fact, he recently treated the White House itself as a billboard for his political agenda by lighting it up in rainbow colors after the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage. Perhaps he’s been too busy reviewing the case for allowing transexuals to serve openly in the military to remember that lowering the flag would be appropriate. Military.com reports, “Obama has issued presidential proclamations that lowered flags at federal facilities and military bases after many mass shootings, including attacks at the Washington Navy Yard, Fort Hood in Texas, and Sandy Hook elementary in Connecticut.” But not Chattanooga. Why? Probably because the administration is still trying to spin this as “workplace violence.”

Update: It took long enough, but Obama finally gave the order.