Perhaps because we grew up during the Second World War, we are especially sensitive to how to properly display the American flag. Note the excerpt below from “Flag Care.”
• Always display the flag with the blue union field up- never display the flag upside down, except as a distress signal.
• Always hold the flag carefully- never let it touch anything beneath it: the ground, the floor, water or merchandise.
• Always carry the flag aloft and free- never carry it flag or horizontally.
• Always keep the flag clean and safe- never let it become torn, soiled or damaged.
• Always dispose of a flag properly, preferably by burning it.
When we walk around the neighborhood, on occasion we encounter poles with old, torn and soiled flags.
Even more common are tiny flags put around plantings for a holiday but then allowed over time to touch the ground. (In the latter case, just as we pick up litter and put it in the doggy bag, we reach over and correct the situation, sometimes placing the flag in a nearby bush.)
To us, the flag is a symbol of all of the aspirations of our founding fathers and patriots who have followed in their footsteps. We all can play a role, albeit humble, in that continuum.
We have never faulted protestors who burnt flags. We felt they too understood for what the flag stood and their burning did not desecrate it, but rather expressed their disappointment that our nation has not lived up the values for which the American flag stands.
They also are reminding us of our First Amendment Rights. Too few speak up. Silence undermines democracy.
And note an irony from the above. The proper way to dispose of a flag is “burning it”
