Hey, “Patriots!” How About Showing Some Real Respect For Your Flag?

There's Nothing Wrong With Displaying Your Love Of Country And Your Respect For Its Flag. Except When You Don't.

Newcomers to the United States are often impressed and/or mystified by the predominant presence of Old Glory on display seemingly everywhere they look. Indeed, I read of one foreign visitor who mistook an American fast-food joint for a post office because there was a big flag flying over the building. That's not to say that other nations don't take pride in showing off their national colors, but leave it to the Americans to “super-size” their patriotic fervor.

The Star-Spangled Banner that we all grew up to believe was the product of the mind and fingers of a Philadelphia upholsterer named Betsy Ross has been around since Revolutionary days. Not all historians agree on the Betsy Ross story and the flag itself underwent a lot of changes in those early days, but the banner that the Continental Congress approved on June 14, 1777 – the one described as consisting of “thirteen alternating stripes of red on white with thirteen white stars on a blue field” – wound up being pretty much the same as the one we see flying over post offices and fast food establishments today.

And in those early days, display of the flag was generally limited to military usage. As much as we like to think of those early American patriots as being flag wavers, they really weren't. They would have been as puzzled as the aforementioned foreign visitor to see flags flying from every home and business in the village. It wasn't until after the Civil War that displaying the flag became a “thing” and even then it was still pretty much limited to official and governmental use. Very few private homes owned or commonly displayed the American flag. No, it took the Communist “Red Scare” of the 1950s to really bring the old Red, White, and Blue to front porches across the land. Everybody was an unabashed patriot in those days and the preferred method of exhibiting that patriotism was to plant a flag somewhere on your property. And, of course, if you were a “super-patriot” you couldn't be satisfied with a common 3' x 5' flag. Oh, no! Bigger was better and soon the spectacle of flags the size of football fields streaming in the breeze over car dealerships became an everyday sight.

And that's all fine. Wonderful, in fact. There's nothing wrong with displaying your love of country and your respect for its flag. Except when you don't. And a whole lot of well-intended people don't.

See, there's this thing called a flag code. Did you know that one actually exists? Do you know what it says? If you're one of those people who leaves your flag out until it fades and tatters to shreds, I'll bet you don't. And I'm sure you know less than nothing about the flag code if you proudly wave an American flag that has been defaced by a silk-screened image of whatever social, political, or cultural icon or logo you find appealing. Or if you wear your flag as some sort of misguided fashion statement.

People have been disrespecting the flag for a long time. In fact, it was a reaction to the use of the flag on beer bottles and such in the late nineteenth century that first inspired the idea of a code of official guidelines for the display of the United States' flag. Early efforts on a federal level failed, so individual states took up the cause. In 1923, the Supreme Court ruled that state governments had the authority to ban desecration of the American flag and in that same year, under the auspices of the American Legion, the first rendering of a flag code came into being. By 1932, all forty-eight states had adopted flag desecration laws. On June 22, 1942, FDR signed the Federal Flag Code, which led to Congress enacting it into public law on December 22, 1942. Titled simply as The United States Flag Code, it has been updated and amended a couple of times since then, but remains substantively the same.

The Flag Code is an actual federal law, but, by design, it lacks any real provisions for enforcement, relying instead on voluntary customs and non-binding terms like “should” rather than “shall.” Unfortunately, that makes it a law with no teeth with which to bite the numerous miscreants who flaunt its provisions.

I've got a twenty-five-foot flagpole in my front yard and I've got a flagpole bracket attached to the front of the building that houses my office. I even have little American flag garden flags that I put out on occasion. Lots of my neighbors have flags on display, too. But there's a difference between me and most of them in that I actually pay attention to the condition of my flags and to the proper display thereof.

I am an admitted flag-nazi. (Oxymoron? Perhaps.) I'm the guy who calls your business and demands that you remove that tattered pink, beige, and periwinkle remnant of what was once a proud flag from the pole in front of your store and replace it. I'm the guy who once stopped in a driving rainstorm to lower a flag that had torn away from one of its grommets and was unceremoniously and disrespectfully streaming loose in the wind in front of a local store. I'm the guy that will let you know if your state or business flag is an inch bigger than your American flag and if it's flying a quarter of an inch higher. My flag means something to me beyond being an ostentatious bit of pseudo-patriotic décor that I tack up and forget about. Does that make me some kind of super-patriot? Nah. I'm just a guy who respects the flag and what it represents.

For instance, unlike my neighbors, I raise my flag briskly early every morning, weather permitting, and lower it, slowly and ceremoniously, around sunset every night. Wouldn't it be easier to just stick it up there and leave it out all the time? Yes. Would it be proper and respectful. No.

Now, the current revised Flag Code does make provisions for me to leave my flag up all the time. It says I can leave an “all-weather” flag up in the rain. Nowadays, of course, just about all flags are "all-weather," made of durable nylons and polyesters, unlike the all-cotton flags of my youth. But since I'm older than that revision, I still bring the flag down when bad weather threatens. And the Code also allows for a flag to remain on display after dark provided the flag is properly illuminated. I've got an array of solar floodlights around the base of my flagpole to cover me in case I'm not home at sunset, but I still prefer to lower the flag before dark. It's just me. Is it you, too, or do you prefer to let the symbol of your patriotism hang limp and wet in the dark?

I generally go through a couple of flags per year because I absolutely will not fly a flag that is the slightest bit faded or torn. Section 8k of the Flag Code states, “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.” Man, if I had a dollar for every time I observed that provision being violated, I'd be incredibly rich. It saddens and disgusts me to drive around and see torn, tattered, faded rags hanging from the poles of some “patriot's” home or business. You want to be all “patriotic,” bubba? Then don't just hang your flag out until it rots and forget about it. Look up at it once in awhile. Remember it and what it stands for. And replace it when it needs to be replaced.

And if you're going to put on a patriotic show for your neighbors, don't display your flag in such a way that it drags the ground or comes in contact with trees, bushes, or what have you. Section 8 (b) says, “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.” Which also eliminates using the flag as some sort of “patriotic” drape. That's what bunting is for. “The flag 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.”

And then there's my neighbor down the road who, I guess, considers himself a “god over country” kind of guy. As such, he displays his “Christian flag” over the U.S. flag on the pole in his yard. The Flag Code clearly says: “Other flags should not overshadow the American Flag in any way. The American Flag should be flown higher than lesser flags. If state, local or society flags are flown on the same halyard with the American Flag, the American Flag should be at the top.” I once sicced the local American Legion on some little Bible-thumping church that committed the same offense. I was pleased to see the situation rectified soon thereafter.

There is one religious exemption allowed by the Flag Code: it is permissible for a Navy chaplain to fly a religious ensign higher than the US flag while conducting a religious service at sea. But it is a temporary exemption: after the service concludes, the US flag goes back to the top. Since neither the little church by the highway nor my neighbor's yard remotely resemble a naval vessel at sea......

And then there are the “patriots” who like to mix their patriotism with their favorite political party, candidate, or brand of motorcycle by emblazoning all kinds of dreck on the surface of the flag they display. Uh, no. The Code states, “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.” That means that, no matter how devoted you are to your favorite candidate, it is a violation of federal law to silkscreen his name and/or image on an American flag! Same goes for your favorite brand of car or motorcycle. Or those kitschy things you buy at flea markets that have cowboys or Indians or soldiers or whatever emblazoned on them. It's your patriotic Second Amendment right to own a gun but it's a violation of federal law to have a picture of one printed on your flag.

Oh, and by the way, if you're showing your patriotism by wearing the flag, you're also displaying your disrespect for it. Section 8d is pretty straightforward: “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel.” It goes on to include bedding and drapery in that prohibition and adds that, “No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.” So, obviously, if you're wearing all or part of an actual flag as an element of your ensemble, you're in direct violation of the code. Flag patches on uniforms, of course, are allowed, but not flags as uniforms.

And, technically, those cutesy “American flag” t-shirts, neckties, and boxer shorts you like to wear to “honor” patriotic holidays are also Flag Code no-nos. See, under Section 3: “The words 'flag, standard, colors, or ensign', as used herein, shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America.” So if you're wearing something that an “average person” would think represents the flag, you're breaking the law. Again, technically speaking, your t-shirt with an American flag proudly flying across its front or back is, according to the Code, an actual flag and should, therefore, be treated and disposed of properly. So do you patriotically burn your flag t-shirt or do you just turn it into a rag with which to wash your car?

And speaking, as I was in the previous paragraph, of patriotic holidays, how about all that nifty, patriotic stuff you have around for the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day festivities? Paper plates, cups, and napkins all adorned with the image of Old Glory. How stirringly patriotic! Except for Section 8i of the Flag Code which reads, “The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.” The same section goes on to say, “It should not be printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard.” In other words, although it may seem festive and patriotic, it's somewhat disrespectful to crumple up and throw soiled representations of your flag in the trash.

Oh, and that stirringly patriotic moment when your team's band or pep squad stretches the Stars and Stripes out across the football field? Sorry, not so much. Section 8c of the Flag Code reads: The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.”

Speaking on Flag Day (June 14) 1915, Woodrow Wilson said, “The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history. It represents the experiences made by men and women, the experiences of those who do and live under that flag.” There's nothing in that speech that represents the flag as a trivial patriotic decoration.

I've got a great book I picked up years ago entitled, “The Care and Display of the American Flag.” It was printed in 2004 by the editors of Sharpman.com and is probably the best and most comprehensive guide to flag etiquette I've seen. The American Legion offers a PDF of the Flag Code online at https://www.legion.org/documents/legion/pdf/flagcode_07.pdf. And there are tons of other resources available to assist and educate people in honoring the American symbol that the Flag Code itself describes by stating, “The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.’’ If you really consider yourself to be a patriotic person, shouldn't you take better care of the “living thing” that informs your ideal? 

Let's Stop Constantly Yanking The Flag Down To Half-Staff

We Have Lowered Our Standards On The Lowering Of Our Standard

Even as I write this I know I'm swimming against the tide and shouting into the wind, but I'm old so indulge me.

I went into a McDonald's the other day, noticing as I entered that the flag was flying at half-staff in front of the restaurant but not at any of the neighboring businesses. Pretty sure of the response I'd get, I nevertheless asked the teenage counter person why. I was not disappointed: she had no idea. “Let me ask my manager.” When the manager came forward she was similarly clueless. “I don't know,” she said. “I just got an email from corporate telling me to lower it.”

Traditionally, lowering the nation's flag to half-staff (or half-mast if aboard a naval vessel) is a mark of honor and a symbolic gesture of solidarity in mourning. But how can you have a gesture of solidarity when no one knows anymore what that gesture symbolizes? In this modern day and age of nearly weekly bombings, mass shootings, and other insane acts of violence, we find ourselves hauling Old Glory halfway down the pole on a frighteningly regular basis. And unfortunately, at some point it becomes meaningless.

The first time I actually remember seeing the Stars and Stripes flying at half-staff was in the thirty days after November 22, 1963. I'm sure it was similarly lowered for the death of former Vice-President Alben W. Barkley in 1956, but I was far too young to remember that. The point is, it used to be that when you saw the flag flying at half-staff, you knew why: a president, vice-president, senator, governor, or some other highly-placed and highly-regarded government figure had died.

Or maybe it was Memorial Day. That was the McDonald's manager's guess: it must have had something to do with Memorial Day. Except, as I pointed out to her, Memorial Day was last week and in any event, the flag is only supposed to fly at half-staff on that day until noon. When I suggested that perhaps it was in reaction to a recent mass shooting in Virginia, she agreed that that was likely the reason. Except we weren't in Virginia.

But that doesn't seem to matter anymore. Nowadays if somebody dies – if anybody dies – anywhere in the country, especially if they do it en masse, down comes the national banner. Think I'm exaggerating? Uh-uh. Remember the flag being lowered when singer Whitney Houston was found dead in her bathtub? Or when baseball great Yogi Berra passed? Or how about upon the death of that great American statesman, Nelson Mandela? Oh......wait. My favorite instance was when the honor was afforded to a recently deceased Ohio police dog. Or maybe it was the Oklahoma road worker who died while helping to fill a sinkhole.

The United States Flag Code, as adopted by the National Flag Conference held in Washington, D.C. on June 14-15, 1923, and revised numerous times over the years, has this to say about flying the flag at half-staff:

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 or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving on active duty, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff and the same authority is provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia with respect to present or former officials of the District of Columbia and members of the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia. When the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, or the Mayor of the District of Columbia, issues a proclamation under the preceding sentence that the National flag be flown at half-staff in that State, territory, or possession or in the District of Columbia because of the death of a member of the Armed Forces, the National flag flown at any Federal installation or facility in the area covered by that proclamation shall be flown at half-staff consistent with that proclamation.

The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 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. The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.

Did you see anything in there about celebrities or dogs? Or even victims of mass murders? I suppose the “in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law” provides the loophole there.

Anyway, after the questions raised at McDonald's, I looked it up: yes, indeed, a Presidential Proclamation was issued “honoring the victims of the tragedy in Virginia Beach” and directing the flag to be lowered from June 1 until sunset on June 4. But where do you draw the line? As I have only somewhat facetiously opined, considering the nearly constant state of mourning in which we find ourselves today, perhaps half-staff should become the default position and we could then celebratorily raise the flag to the top of the pole to note the increasingly rare occasion in which somebody or some group of somebodies didn't die violently or tragically.

And then there's the matter of participation. Okay, so McDonald's corporate got the memo and passed it along. But the hotel next door and the auto parts store across the street didn't get said memo and so their flags remained at the top of the staff. The flag at the post office is down but the flag at the gas station is up. The flag at the bank is lowered but the one at the funeral home is not. And if anybody ever tried to lower that massive banner that flies proudly over the automobile dealership out by the interstate they would likely create a traffic hazard, so that flag stays all the way up regardless of circumstance. It definitely makes for a mixed message. And what about you folks at home and the flag you fly on your front porch? Yes, there are ways to rig it to fly at an approximation of half-staff, but do you bother?

And at what point does the gesture become meaningless? According to an Associated Press analysis, in 2015, the flag of the United States flew at half-staff somewhere in the country for 328 of 365 days. At what juncture does the “honor” become so commonplace as to lose its significance? The short answer to that question is when nobody knows why the flag is at half-staff on a given day to begin with and I think we've already reached that point.

The problem is jerky knees. Somebody dies heroically or tragically and the immediate emotional knee-jerk reaction is to “honor” them. And the quickest, cheapest, and most expedient way to do that is to drop the flag a few feet down the pole. There. All nice and neatly honored and we can move on to the next tragedy. Which will likely occur next week. Unless the local dogcatcher – “who served our community proudly for fifty-seven years” – dies in the interim. Down goes the flag.

I say all this because I am an admitted flag-nazi. (Oxymoron? Perhaps.) I'm the guy who calls your business and demands that you remove that tattered pink, beige, and periwinkle remnant of what was once a proud flag from the pole in front of your store and replace it. I'm the guy who sicced the American Legion on a little group of Bible-thumpers who flew the so-called “Christian flag” above the American flag on the pole in front of their church. I'm the guy who stopped in a driving rainstorm to lower a flag that had torn away from one of its grommets and was unceremoniously and disrespectfully streaming loose in the wind in front of a local store. I'm the guy that will let you know if your state or business flag is an inch bigger than your American flag and if it's flying a quarter of an inch higher. I don't care that the flag code was long ago revised to allow a flag to be displayed in the rain as long as it is an “all weather flag.” Poppycock! You'll never catch my flag out in the rain. Or in the dark, either. My flag means something to me beyond being an ostentatious bit of pseudo-patriotic décor that I tack up and forget about. I respect it and what it stands for and that's why I refuse to support the current politically correct and emotionally driven trend toward turning it into a red, white, and blue yo-yo.

And by the way, did you know that Flag Day is next week? And do you care? Or is it just an irrelevant leftover from a bygone day when the flag, its origins, and its meaning truly mattered? My flag will be out and at full-staff, thank you, unless there is a recognized, legitimate reason for it to be otherwise. (Death of a president, vice-president, governor, etc.) And if some brownie-point-seeking politician tells me to lower my flag to “honor” the passing of a Nigerian dwarf goat at the National Zoo or something, I think I'll just bring it in instead.

The flag is often referred to as our “national standard.” I think perhaps we have lowered our standards on the lowering of our standard just a bit too much.

Am I The Only One Tired Of A “Stylized” National Anthem?

Just Sing It, For Gawd's Sake!

A good Italian girl, Lady Gaga, sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl 50. And it was said that some people were moved to tears by her performance. I know I was, because in spite of an inspiring voice that soared to terrific heights on “the rocket's red glare,” she did the same damn thing “artists” do all the time: she turned the National Anthem into a stylized performance piece. And that makes me weep.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States of America. In and of its own right it is a powerful song of majestic beauty and feeling. It is the anthem of our nation, representing us as a people. It is not a bluesy jazz number, a twangy country hoedown, or a screaming rock opera aria. It is a song that should be sung with utmost dignity and respect for the music and for the ideal it represents.

Various dictionary definitions of “anthem” cite it to be “a song of loyalty or devotion,” and “a rousing or uplifting song.” Taken from the Old English “antefn,” an anthem was originally a song sung antiphonally, or in turns by two groups of singers. Today's anthems, when sung by a group of people, represent a devotion to a particular cause espoused by that group. Some anthems are raucous and rowdy while others are staid and dignified. Our national anthem should always be the latter.

Vocal gymnastics are completely uncalled for when singing the National Anthem. Trills and frills and ruffles and flourishes are fine for lesser compositions. If you want to jazz up or rock out “America the Beautiful,” go for it. Knock yourself out reaching for octaves above the score. Change up the melody and the tempo to match your musical “style” and identity. Make the song “your own.” Stamp it with your stamp, mark it with your mark, sing it with all the acrobatics your vocal cords posses and leave the audience gasping at your unparalleled artistic virtuosity. Just don't do it with the National Anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is not a performance piece with which to showcase your style. It is our song, not yours. So you can go up an octave on the phrase “land of the free.” I don't care and I'm not impressed. The song is not written that way and you have no right to “interpret” it. Just sing it, for gawd's sake!

I have sung the National Anthem at sporting events myself. And I have never been tempted to show off my range or otherwise screw with the traditional arrangement. I don't have that right. It's not my song. It is the song of my country and its people, and when I sing it, I sing it with the respect and honor that that country and those people deserve. I don't "perform" the anthem, I just sing it.

In fact, I remember the days when the singer on the field led the people in singing the National Anthem. When these ego-driven “artists” start screeching and squalling and stretching the high notes, who the hell could follow them? To them, it's not about the song or the people, it's just about them and their “performance.” Remember when Christina Aguilera butchered the lyrics? She didn't care enough to even learn the song. But she sure as hell performed it, didn't she? And I shouldn't even dignify the Roseanne Barr disgrace with a mention.

When they let opera singers, school choruses, or military chorales sing the National Anthem, nobody messes with the arrangement and the results are awe-inspiring. I get chills from hearing a solid, strong, well-performed note-for-note rendition of our sweeping, powerful national song. When I hear country, pop, or rock “stars” bellowing out their horrid interpretations, I just get sick.

"Artists" take note: you are being called upon to sing the National Anthem, not to "rock" it. Its purpose is to inspire the listener, not to stroke your ego. It doesn't require your "styling"; it demands your respect. Singers who turn the "Star-Spangled Banner" into a performance piece are a large part of the reason nobody respects the traditions associated with the song anymore. People are supposed to stand at attention facing the flag when the anthem is sung. Men are supposed to remove their hats. If not singing the anthem, people are expected to remain in respectful silence until it concludes. Look around at any sporting event and you'll see these rules flaunted regularly.

A few years ago, Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey was quite vocal about how proper etiquette for the singing of the National Anthem is necessary to show respect for the flag and those who fought for it. He criticized opposing players for not putting their hands over their hearts as the National Anthem was performed. I wonder if he noticed current Panthers quarterback Cam Newton standing on the sidelines with his eyes closed, holding on to his shoulder pads and swaying from side to side as Lady Gaga "performed" the song? Peyton Manning, on the other hand, was seen standing at attention with his hand over his heart. But in Newton's defense, why should he show any special regard for the song when the singer has turned it from a national anthem into a pop ballad? After all, nobody takes off his hat and stands at attention when Elton John sings "Rocket Man," right?

My heartfelt congratulations to Lady Gaga for proving to her detractors that she does, indeed, have a wonderful voice. And the next time she's called upon to sing the National Anthem, I hope she will stand straight and tall, eyes fixed on the fluttering banner for which the song is named, and belt it out with that outstanding voice in a way that will reflect the true glory of the anthem and the nation for which it stands. That would move me to tears.