... 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

I "rescued" one once.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

It had been a small flag, tied to a car antenna. When I saw it it was a little triangle. I pulled the rest off (the car was parked), and put it in my purse, for later respect. Never found it again; it must have self-disintegrated.