Hmmm: He quit rather than lower flag for Helms

Nope ain't gonna do it.

That about sums up the stance that L.F. Eason III took when instructed to lower the flag to half-staff when Jesse Helms died. It cost Eason his job.

One word: Integrity

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, defying a directive sent 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.

For those who need a refresher on Helms and his racist career here are a couple of links:
Jesse Helms Wikipedia entry
Mother Jones article, May 1995