Hmmm. This might be fun. Well, it will amuse me anyway.

By The Armorer on April 21, 2008 | | Comments (27)

Given the discussion that erupted in Kat's post One Man And A Symbol Of Freedom I thought I would toss this out for you to chew on.

The local Ford dealership takes up a full city block. They are ringed with flagpoles. The flags all fly non-standard-sized (there really is a spec) US flags.

Okay.

Since I'm one of those who is not going to beat someone up for flag desecration, edgy "art" and setting illegal fires in urban areas by igniting cloth imbued with symbolism, I thought I would pose this question -

How does wrapping your business in the flag in that way, clearly for crass commercial purposes, differ from the other abuses of the flag?

Or, how about those businesses that run up a flag, slap a light on it, and then fly it until it's little more than tatters?

Is that offensive and abusive?

Full disclosure - I'm the guy who goes to businesses who fly their flag to tatters and gives them a new flag, telling them how sorry I am that their business is doing so badly they can't afford a new bit of $15 bunting.

Fire away!

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27 Comments

By MajMike on April 21, 2008 10:54 AM
TINS: once a month, maybe, i get over to the mega-box home repair type store (rhymes with Foam Re-po), and they have these two poles mounted just outside their main entrance. now mind you, these poles are advertised and sold by them as being "special", in that they rotate in such a way as to never cause Old Glory to get tangled. which of course, not so much... so every dang time, i got straight to the "service" (word used with extreme irony) and ask to speak to a manager regarding said tangled-up-edness... every time they say will do something, so i continue to shop, and every time i check out and go back to my car, you guessed it, the flags are still tangled. usually takes another visit to the manager, ask to see his/her boss, before it gets corrected. so i get their customer complaint line toll-free number, and duly register my concerns with someone in Bangalore. it wouldn't be so bad if i actually had another choice of places to get the materials i need.
 
By Rod Thorsen on April 21, 2008 11:01 AM
Luv the give 'em a new flag solution.
 
By kat-missouri on April 21, 2008 11:34 AM
The local Ford dealership takes up a full city block. They are ringed with flagpoles. The flags all fly non-standard-sized (there really is a spec) US flags.
I know exactly where of you speak because, when I see those flags, I know exactly where to turn to take care of business near there or how many blocks to go to get to a certain restaurant. More flags at the Ford Dealership then at the Memorial day ceremony near by I sometimes think. Materialism on display. Then again, as a true believer in capitalism, I sometimes I wonder what is more patriotic than...well...capitalism.
 
By Boquisucio on April 21, 2008 11:44 AM
Maybe it's true. Its great numbers cheapen its value as the rags from China whence they came.
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 21, 2008 11:51 AM
Well, the current flags at the Castle are proudly made in... Malaysia!
 
By kat-missouri on April 21, 2008 11:54 AM
Mexico here Oh no! Free Trade!
 
By Boquisucio on April 21, 2008 12:01 PM
¡Ajujuy! Si Señora yo so El Frito Bandito!
 
By fdcol63 on April 21, 2008 12:48 PM
But the real irony is that the liberal-leaning UAW has put pressure on Ford and other domestic auto makers to "fly the flag" to promote "Buy American" as part of their protectionist agenda against free trade. LOL
 
By DL Sly on April 21, 2008 1:07 PM
The school (in Coliformico) where SWHNOB attends her formal indoctrination has been given a flag not once but twice. Have I seen them flying anything but the faded, tattered rag that I first saw upon enrolling her last August? Of course, I don't know why I expected better, this is the same school that had a Spanish language segment for the National Spelling Bee competition. *sigh*
 
By Ironside on April 21, 2008 1:08 PM
What's that quip about a dog kicked versus a dog tripped-over? Even he knows there's a difference? Intent can't be totally ruled out, but ignorance of due respect is so lacking these days that you're signing on for a LOT of work trying to fix it. 'Course, that's sort of this crowd's forte, isn't it?
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 21, 2008 1:17 PM
Ironside - what? Us? Tilt at windmills? Never! [Sancho, keep that donkey under control, would you?]
 
By Boqui-Panza on April 21, 2008 2:12 PM
Sí Señor - Pero El Burro, habiendo comido tantas fabas, está muy peoso.
 
By NevadaDailySteve on April 21, 2008 2:23 PM
What gets me are the political rallies with the flag printed on napkins. As far as I'm concerned it's barely better than having a flag printed on toilet paper. The people with the napkins all seem to think nothing of it but to me it's desecrating the flag to use it to wipe your greasy fingers on such a napkin. If I weren't so lazy I'm sure I could find the relevant part of the flag code (but then with this audience I don't need to.)
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 21, 2008 2:44 PM
Boq - I dunno what a fabas is, but are you telling me they make your burro gassy? As the thread careens wildly out of control...
 
By kat-missouri on April 21, 2008 3:02 PM
Pero El Burro - Pardon. Donde es la bano?
 
By ry on April 21, 2008 4:08 PM
I think the bathroom is over there behind the Ballista, Kat. Just remember to open the ventanas(SP, blow me John and Bill) or light a match when you're done. (I don't speak Spanish, I just know how to use it defensively. I resisted every attempt to force me to learn it back when I lived in Cali. I studied German and Japanese instead, and still suck at both. I was even yclempt 'Caballo' for having the odd running gait and blonde hair that flopped around like a mane back in the day.) You're going to have to teach me this 'soft hand' approach one of these days, BB. I've contemplated it, but don't understand it. And I'm getting too old to continue to be a screamer.
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 21, 2008 4:37 PM
(SP, blow me John and Bill) Heh. Potty mouth again. [Opens bag of cheetos, puts out on the deck to "air out."] Fine. You want stale cheetos, you get 'em. I *was* going to be nice. Oh, and you *did* spell "windows" correctly, boyo. Same-same cannot be said, however, of your changing the religious affiliation of 'yclept' to some form of Yiddish construct.
 
By Damian on April 21, 2008 5:20 PM
Maudit Americains... Asti, parlez en anglais pour eux autres, en collisse de tabernac! (Avant la question inevitable, non, je n'peut pas parler francais/quebecois sans sacrer. Asti de niaseux.)
 
By kat-missouri on April 21, 2008 5:29 PM
Pardone me? Yo hablo poco Frances. Digame "collise en tabernac!"? Church? and are you asking if we can speak french? If yes, only enough to get me in serious trouble on this blog and abroad. ;)
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 21, 2008 7:36 PM
Kat - I thought you liked guys? What's this about a broad?
 
By kat-missouri on April 21, 2008 8:26 PM
well, those french women sometimes look like men with their hairy upper lips.
 
By Boqui-Panza on April 21, 2008 9:12 PM
Behold Fabada Asturiana: Faba Bean Soup with Blood Sausage. My favourite. Just keep dat donkey down wind.
 
By Attila on April 21, 2008 9:36 PM
John, What's the spec for lapel pins? When you find out, send a note to Nancy so she can pass it on to Barack. Frankly, I'm more affected by a tattered flag than a too big/too small one. My feminine side says, "Size doesn't matter." Of course, my masculine side says, "Yeah, right." But that's another story. Anyway, I'm now sensitive to another improper display. I am honestly offended every time I see Obama talking while standing in front of a bank of Old Glories. He, and his wife, view a very large segment of this nation with (poorly) disguised contempt (see remarks made during recent fund raising meeting in Kollyfornia) and the hypocrisy makes my head swim. Desecration comes in many forms, some worse than others.
 
By Damian on April 22, 2008 12:02 AM
Kat, I was feeling left out, given that I have only Dora The Explorer spanish (the benefits of having a four-year-old daughter!), and so I decided to switch to quebecois french, just to tick you guys off. Unfortunately, you have to swear to speak it properly. A rough translation: $*&(@! Americans... *%&^, speak english for the rest of us, fer #$^*$ing *&^%$ sake. (Before the inevitable question, no, I cannot speak french/quebecois without swearing. *(&^!@$ing *&^^%%heads) Pay no mind to the crazy Canuck with the bilingual Tourette's...
 
By Ironside on April 22, 2008 7:37 AM
Not to be the wet towel and get back on track, but check out this effort: http://www.operationnationalanthem.com/ Due respect for national symbology- check Tastefully done- check Implied violence for the willfully disrespectful- not enough.
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 22, 2008 7:50 AM
Well, Ironside, it's only appropriate you grab the tiller... since the thread went adrift after your previous post.
 
By Ironside on April 22, 2008 12:35 PM
Sheesh, wander out above decks one time...