American Flags

“I have a question. Why is the American Flag still flown at half-staff? How long is the mourning period for President Regan supposed to last? Are these things related?

Ok, so that was more than one question. But too bad. I'm feeling sassy today.”

“I think they said 30 days.”

“LZ is right.

on March 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a proclamation on the proper times.

The flag should fly at half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president. It is to fly 10 days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives. For an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives the flag is to be displayed at half-staff from the day of death until interment.

The flag is to be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels in the Washington, D.C., area on the day and day after the death of a United States senator, representative, territorial delegate, or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It shall also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials.

Upon the death of the governor of a state, territory or possession, the flag shall be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in that governor's state, territory or possession from the day of death until interment.

The president may order the flag to be flown at half-staff to mark the death of other officials, former officials, or foreign dignitaries. In addition to these occasions, the president may order half-staff display of the flag after other tragic events.

The flag should be briskly run up to the top of the staff before being lowered slowly to the half-staff position. When lowering a flag at half staff position it should be run briskly back to the top and then lowered slowly.”

“Thank you HPM.”

“Wow. Interesting. I didn't know anything about hte last part, running it up briskly and then lowering it slowly.

I knew someone here would know just the right place to find the info! Thanks!”

“Something new I learned recently:

It's half-staff unless it's on a boat. Then it's half-mast.”

“The Washington Post informed Dick Cheney how to correctly display the flag at his house. Can't find the article nor whether or not Dick corrected his lapse in Protocol.”

“You are very welcome.”

“But you flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore.”

“Does that list apply to former occupants of all those offices? We stand the risk of dipping the flag more days than not. We also risk losing the reason for the dipping.

I think that the rules are a bit excessive. Respect is great. However, 30 days is too long.

I also think that people should fly the flag at full mast on Independence Day. Our ideals and system are stronger than any one person.

BTW, you can fly the flag at full mast and affix a black ribbon and still observe respect.”

“The reason I asked was becuase it seemed very depressing that the flags were still at half-staff. Regan has been buried two weeks, I figured that was plenty long, since they were at half-staff before the funeral as well.”

“That lauguage was not paraphrased. That is the actual wording of the proclamation current in effect.

No, it only applies to current office holders unless specificly stated otherwise. But yes I do agree.

The flag is supposd to be flown at full staff on all federal holidays except Memorial day where the flag is flown a half staff untill noon and then raised to full staff for the remnainder of the day.

Attaching anything to the flag is considered disrespectful.”

“Considering the hullaballoo a few years ago, even to the point of amending the Constitution, this is somewhat ironic...

§176.(k) 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.



The key word here would be 'dignified'.”

“Current UL going around about the flag.”

“The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or used cars.”

“I still get kids who are told that one.

We have done several flag retirements with the troop. They are getting hard to do because we collect so many flags (last time 48 and one of them was a battle flag from an aircraft carrier, the stars were bigger than tea saucers) and they are all nylon or some synthetic. Burn those suckers and everyone feels ill afterwards from the fumes.”

“hay 1 tim wen we wur campin an gene the rednec cam wit us, he haded a flag an i startd rainin so we useded tha flag to start tha firee.

lol”

“Sarabelle's got competition ---”

“You know, HPM, I am curious about the black ribbon now.

I, apparently, read the 1976 version of the US Flag Code. The excerpt is below:

"Where half-staffing is not appropriate: for indoor and permanently-mounted flags or outdoor flags on very short staffs. It is recommended an older mode of expressing mourning. Attach black ribbons to the flag-staff (above the flag but below the finial). A black ribbon no more than 10% as wide as the flag itself, but twice as long as the flag, can be tied with a knot or bow at its center so that the two resulting parts that hang down are each as long as the flag.

Note: the U.S. flag should always be on its own right in relation to other flags on adjacent staffs - to the left of the observer - except when displayed as in #5.

Excerpts From The Flag Code of The United States - Public Law 94-344, July 7, 1976"

So, I am curious. Is this no longer applicable? And, if so, what was the reason for the change? Why would a black ribbon be inappropriate?”

“HPM thought you meant to attach a black ribbon to the flag itself, when you meant the flag-staff.”

“That's a good question RL. I've never seen that language before. Thanks for posting it.

I actually called someone I know in the American Legion. One of the major aims of that organization is flag etiquette and I was told you never add anything to the flag or flag staff. I asked about mourning displays and was told half staff or nothing.

I assume his understanding is that adding ribbons and such was unacceptable as per the following:

176 d) 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...

The keyword here being festooned. Festooned means to adorn with flowers or flowers and ribbons.

and,

(g) 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

but adding a ribbon in my mind doesn't constitute a modification as described above.

Seems resonable for indoor displays during mourning.

Huh. Anyone work near a federal office that has an indoor flag display? Is there a black ribbon on the flag?”

“bitpushers right, that's what I thought you meant.”

“But you flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore. . . . "
Arky
10:08:10 AM
06/25/04

. . .we're already overcrowded,
from your dirty little war.
And Jesus (maybe Allah?) don't like killing,
no matter what the reason for.
And your flag decal won't get you into heaven any more. "

John Prine”

“"Something new I learned recently:

It's half-staff unless it's on a boat. Then it's half-mast."
Ruby
09:37:33 AM




you must be land locked....arent you??”

“No one knows for sure who he was, that Middle Eastern man in an American flag shirt and a cowboy hat who was supposed to sing the national anthem at a rodeo Friday night in the Salem Civic Center.

But he sure shook up this town before leaving in a hurry.

Introduced as Boraq Sagdiyev from Kazakhstan, he was said to be an immigrant touring America. A film crew was with him, doing some sort of documentary. And he wanted to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" to show his appreciation, the announcer told the crowd.

Speaking in broken English, the mysterious man first told the decidedly pro-American crowd - it was a rodeo, of all things, in Salem, of all places - that he supported the war on terrorism.

"I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq, down to the lizards," he said, according to Brett Sharp of Star Country WSLC, who was also on stage that night as a media sponsor of the rodeo.

An uneasy murmur ran through the crowd.

"And may George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq," he continued, according to Robynn Jaymes, who co-hosts a morning radio show with Sharp and was also among the stunned observers.

The crowd's reaction was loud enough for John Saunders, the civic center's assistant director, to hear from the front office. "It was a restless kind of booing," Saunders said.

Then the man took off his hat and sang what he said was his native national anthem. He then told the crowd to be seated, put his hat back on, and launched into a butchered version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that ended with the words "your home in the grave," Sharp said.

By then, a restless crowd had turned downright nasty.

"If he had been out there a minute longer, I think somebody would have shot him," Jaymes said. "People were booing him, flipping him off."

more...”

“Stupid prank.”

“Too bad he didn't sing "She Bangs"- he'd be a star by now!
last edited: 1/11/05 1:54:40 PM”

“Sounds like something Ali G would do.”

“It will be interesting to see the documentary”

“Nigal - further down in the story:

By Saturday afternoon, Jaymes had observed that Sagdiyev looked a lot like the title character of "Da Ali G Show," a Home Box Office production that often catches its guests and audiences unaware and then records their reaction to "shock value" material such as Friday night's performance.

The show has a character named Borat from Kazakhstan, according to the HBO Web site.

Jaymes said she recalls that one of the five cameras was turned on her and others on stage, as if to catch their reactions.

"I looked at Brett and said, 'Why do I feel like I'm in the middle of a bad "Saturday Night Live" episode?'" Jaymes said.

”

“it is Ali G!!!”