The Flag

The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. - US Flag Laws and Regulations

There is a nice anecdote from the Spanish Civil War, which I hope to quote in full some time. Ernest Hemingway and the British journalist Sefton Delmer (who would later write a very amusing autobiography which is my source here) were travelling through the country in a car adorned with and protected by the banners of their respective nations. This car broke down, and they were in dire need of a rag to wipe away some grease. Sefton Delmer with little or no hesitation used the Union Jack for this mean task, gleefully aware of the shock this procedure caused Hemingway, and the fact that he would never bring himself to follow suit.

I think it serves as a good example for the quasi-religious reverence most Americans feel for the Stars and Stripes. Burning or defacing a flag is covered by the First Amendment (freedom of speech), but is considered a vile or at the very least highly immature act even by those who strongly maintain it should not be rendered illegal by a new amendment.

Dissident opinions about the flag do exist, especially in the south.

US Flag Laws and Regulations
The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat. When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.

When used on a speaker's platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed above and behind the speaker. When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.
The Flag of the United States of America
My Grandfather was a glider infantryman in WWII, an advisor in Korea, and lost one of his sons, my uncle Gary Edwards, in Vietnam. I worked in his auto repair station during high school and he flew his flag in front daily. One day while I was sweeping the oil dry out of the bays it began to sprinkle rain. He told me to go get the flag and I said "gimme a second." He said, "It is raining, go get the flag NOW." Well I popped off my mouth about how he should cool it, it isn't going to melt or some such typical teenage comment.

My grandfather is the toughest man I've ever met. He explained once that he thought basic training was some sort of country club during WWII, because he was used to hard work anyway, and at home he didn't have indoor toilets or hot running water! And when I said whatever it was that I said to him, he turned deep crimson and I thought, "God save me, he's going to kill me for talking back." Instead tears welled up in his eyes and he squeaked out "You don't understand what this family has paid for the right to fly that flag." Then he turned his back on me and went out and got the flag. I just stood there feeling like the smallest person to ever live. Those words cut me so deep. I wish the entire country could have heard them. - Mike Dalka
The Flag-Burning Page
The only "respectable" way to dispose of a worn or soiled flag is to give it a ceremonial and dignified retirement, preferably by burning it. Ironically, the American Legion and Boy Scouts burn thousands of flags every year in respectful retirement ceremonies. The only difference between their actions, and the actions of a long-haired hippie protestor are the thoughts in the minds of the two. Do you want to live in a country that arrests people for "anti-American thoughts?" I sure don't.
Maurice Makes a Political Statement
The United States flag is a symbol of the federal government and it has become the symbol of those who wish to continue to increase its centralized power. It should not fly over any state property at all. It should fly only over federal property. As long as it flies over any state property the wrong impression is given to the people and the incorrect conclusion is drawn; that is, that the federal government is sovereign over state governments. States are the sovereign power in the United States and the federal government is the child of the states, not their master. The insistence by our federal masters that all powers should be transferred to their hands has already lead us a long way down the road to tyranny, and this centralization of power continues, unabated, every day.

Last modified 2004-01-20