... that our flag was still there..

[gridlore]

Most of y'all know that we had one hell of a winter storm last week, complete with hurricane force winds in many places around the Bay. The rest of us got off easy, with winds hitting the 65mph mark. Trees down, 50,000 people still without power, etc, etc.

And a lot of shredded US flags. People, I learned flag etiquette in the frigging Boy Scouts. It's not that difficult, so follow along.

1. If the forecast is for a major storm with high winds, take your flag down. Unless you shelled out for an all-weather flag, flags cannot withstand hours of heavy rain and high winds.

2. If you do not do this for some reason, look at your flag when the storm clears. If it is torn, tattered or (as in the case of a local gas station) reduced to a few strips of ragged cloth, take it down immediately!

3. If you find yourself with a flag that cannot be displayed due to damage or wear, contact the American Legion to see if a local Chapter is collecting flags for disposal. The BSA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other organizations are also happy to give old flags a proper disposal (ironically enough, the Flag Code suggests burning.) Do NOT throw an old flag away.

It's the symbol of our nation, folks.. treat it with pride.

Comments

[benkenobigal.livejournal.com]

For crying out pete's sake, who doesn't know to do this?? I wasn't a girl scout (except for Brownies) and I know this stuff. You take the flag down at night (unless properly illuminated). You don't let it touch the ground. You place it on top if you have multiple flags. C'mon...it's just common sense!

[lysana.livejournal.com]

I know you were being rhetorical, but as an example of how widespread the stupidity is, in my area, there's at least one post office that's blowing it on multiple levels. While they light the pole 24/7, allowing them to fly the flag at all times, their flag is not only yellowing and unraveling, it's too small for the pole.