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Old 09-24-2001, 04:19 PM   #1
Sazerac
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Join Date: January 7, 2001
Location: Monroe, LA
Age: 60
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There's a lot of patriotism going on in the US right now, which I am glad of (although I think it's abominable that it takes a tragedy of the calibre of September 11 to bring people to a sense of unity and patriotism in the first place). However, in the enthusiasm of a lot of individuals and businesses displaying the American flag, I have seen some terrible abuses of the national banner. Flags flown upside down (which should ONLY ever be used as a distress signal) or backwards, flags that are windworn, torn, and faded, which are a symbol of shame rather than pride, flags that hang limply in a downpour...this is all within a 1.5 mile distance between our home and my wife's place of work that I go by and see each day and cringe as I do.

There are several rules of etiquette for displaying and handling the US American flag. Here are some of them. It would be interesting to find out how many US citizens are familiar with these rules.
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1. The US American flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.

2. The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

3. The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.

4. The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.

5. The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.

6. The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.

7. The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.

8. The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

9. The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.

10. The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.

11. No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.

12. The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning (italics mine).

13. The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff. The flag shall be flown at half-staff thirty days from the death of the President or a former President; ten days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. As used in this subsection (1) the term "half-staff" means the position of the flag when it is one half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff; (2) the term "executive or military department" means any agency listed under sections 101 and 102 of title 5, United States Code; and (3) the term "Member of Congress" means a Senator, a Representative, a Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.

14. The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed.

15. The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.

16. It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness (italics mine).

17. When flags of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United States flag's right.

18. When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

19. When the flag is displayed over the middle of the street, it should be suspended vertically with the union to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street.

20. When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be so placed that the union is at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.



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Old 09-24-2001, 04:24 PM   #2
Beaumanoir
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No, I didnt know hardly any of them, but im not american, i wonder how others will do

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Old 09-24-2001, 04:27 PM   #3
Sazerac
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Join Date: January 7, 2001
Location: Monroe, LA
Age: 60
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Beaumanoir, I noticed while researching this that just about every nation has similar codes for the handling of their own flags as well. It would be interesting to compare them and see how many of them are universally accepted rules of etiquette.

Cheers,



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Old 09-25-2001, 09:17 AM   #4
Zateel
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Join Date: March 11, 2001
Location: Long Beach, MS
Posts: 354
Thanks for the reminder. With flags in such short supply, my co-workers have even reported thefts of flags from their yards! What kinds of patriots are these (meaning the thieves, of course)?
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Old 09-25-2001, 09:23 AM   #5
Father Bronze
Baaz Draconian
 

Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Northern Illinois
Age: 55
Posts: 719
In our town, people have been painting their cars with that window chalk/paint stuff. Driving around town you see lots of cars with flags and patriotic slogans drawn in the car windows. Its really sort of neat.

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Old 09-25-2001, 09:25 AM   #6
DragonMage
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Join Date: September 6, 2001
Location: The lighter side of life, a.k.a. Newnan, Georgia
Age: 55
Posts: 2,767
Quote:
Originally posted by Father Bronze:
In our town, people have been painting their cars with that window chalk/paint stuff. Driving around town you see lots of cars with flags and patriotic slogans drawn in the car windows. Its really sort of neat.
Here in Georgia as well. One guy even replaced his tailgate with a piece of plywood painted nicely with the flag.

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Old 09-25-2001, 12:45 PM   #7
Kaz
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Join Date: August 16, 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 2,891
There is an American flag hanging in the entrance hall of our school with a black band. I tried to figure out if it adhered to all the rules mentioned here but I'm not sure. I don't know if we have any rules for handling our flag in Germany. As I mentioned in another thread, patriotism is frowned on in Germany, so I'll leave this thread now.

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Old 09-25-2001, 12:52 PM   #8
Sazerac
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Join Date: January 7, 2001
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Hm, Kaz...the rules that I copied in were from the U.S. Government code of rules for the handling and display of the American flag. I think there can be quite some leeway for civilian display of the flag, especially for those in a foreign country (and that is a VERY touching display that you mention, blessings on the administrators of your school!)

My "beef" in particular has to do with our cable company here in town, which is located right across the street from my wife's work. First of all, they hoisted the flag up on one of their ANTENNA towers (!), then have left it to be buffeted by the wind and rain. The flag is now torn in several locations, is wrapped around one of the metal posts of the tower, and is a general eyesore. That to me is an insult rather than an inspiration. That flag should be removed and ceremoniously burned. I keep thinking that the city should slap that company with a citation, but no one around here does anything like that. I don't know if there's anyone I can complain to, either. I called up the cable company and complained about it, and they didn't even offer an explanation or seem interested one way or another about it. It seems to me that all they were interested in doing was hoisting a flag up so that people wouldn't see them as "unpatriotic" and stop doing business with them, since they obviously have so little interest in it now. That, in my book, is despicable.

There's plenty of other instances of disrespect I've seen shown the flag in this town, either due to negligence or ignorance, but that one takes the cake. *sigh*



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Old 09-25-2001, 04:35 PM   #9
Rikard
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kaz:
There is an American flag hanging in the entrance hall of our school with a black band. I tried to figure out if it adhered to all the rules mentioned here but I'm not sure. I don't know if we have any rules for handling our flag in Germany. As I mentioned in another thread, patriotism is frowned on in Germany, so I'll leave this thread now.


Patriotism leads to Nationalism leads to Outsider Hate leads to war
I don;t like patriotism either
and i can see why the germans would dislike it even more


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Old 09-25-2001, 05:47 PM   #10
Beaumanoir
Iron Throne Cult
 

Join Date: June 3, 2001
Location: There is no IRL, Only AFK.
Age: 35
Posts: 4,896
No, I didnt know we had flag etiquette (wxcuse spelling) too! Bet i dont really do anything with flags, tho I once drew a union jack in pre-school

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