Flag problems and faux problems

by Bill Jones, Stevensville

It is high time a few facts were offered up about the rampant misinformation being bandied about regarding U.S. Flag display. There are essentially two sets of circumstances involved here, both involving  some combination of populist mythology, limited interest in researching facts, cultured thought imprinting, much too much confidence in well presented b.s. and who knows what else.

The first of the circumstances I am citing is almost certainly simply a matter of the topic’s rarity. The average adult would never have cause to think about such a thing. The condition of experiencing severe distress and feeling the need to express distress in the form of a signal to others. The most universally known method of signaling dire distress is to raise your nation’s flag inverted, so in the case of Americans, union down.

Let me quote some synonyms for the word “distress” from sources (Webster and Roget) to head off any Trumpian distortions of word meanings. Distress means discomfort, trouble, affliction, privation, harassment, anxiety. Those are equivalent nouns. A good verb for this is “worry.”  

There is no law against this signal. It is a recommended response as a matter of fact. If you are aware that your situation is that of dire distress and you have a flag you can raise, do so, union field down. Presently many millions of Americans recognize that their country is very much suffering in dire distress. They have chosen to raise the alarm, raise their voices and raise signals of distress. 

Let me now turn to the second set of circumstances. This involves unlawful behavior, blatant desecration and severe disrespect for the American flag.

Look around our beautiful valley to see many examples of this appalling behavior. Is it just ignorance of the flag laws? Probably, but ignorance  does not come with an excuse clause. The laws of our country are codified in The United State Code. In the Title 18 set of these Federal Laws is Section 700. Violation of (a)(1) of Section 700 allows for imprisonment of 365 days and a fine (unspecified). 

“Whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both”.

How many defaced, mutilated and defiled U.S. flags do you see in people’s yards, on vehicles, teeshirts, hats? Our country’s flag is never to be altered in any way for any purpose. Altered, even its proportions as specified, is a defacing act. Hundreds of these defaced and defiled flags will be sold at the fair this summer. Many more by vendors here and there, not to mention on-line. Out of curiosity I searched online for flags like this. In a very short time I had screenshots of 40 different expressions, so cut the session off in disgust. When the one came up of a silhouette of Trump plastered “bigly” upon it and the words “IT WILL BE WILD,” I was finished. Celebration, on our nation’s flag itself, of the invitation to storm a joint session of Congress. That, an undeniable act of insurrection involving thousands, nothing but an act just as treasonous as Jefferson Davis’s forces attacking a U.S. Army fort on April 12th,1861. The kind of folks who might defile our nation’s flag.