What remains true, however, is that:

We are not a nation of Flag-Wavers, but some of us are.

We are not a nation of Flag-Burners, but some of us are.

We are not a nation of NASCAR enthusiasts, but some of us are.

We’re not a nation of Football fans (armchair or otherwise), but some of us are.

We are not a nation of Chess players, but some of us are.

We are not a nation of Gun-Toters, but some of us are.

…This could get awfully long.

What our forefathers designed for us to evolve into, b, was a Nation of Tolerance, not a Nation of Sides. No matter what you run into out there, man, it’s really just a bunch of opinions. Don’t let it boil your egg.

In the military, there is a certain amount of flag ritual and ceremony because that is what passes for sentiment in that environment. In many nation-states and military services (including our own Confederacy) there was a separate battle flag and civil colors. Royal Navy ships fly a Naval Ensign, not the Union Jack. In the US Navy, the Jack (just the blue field and stars, no stripes) flies from the forepeak jackstaff in port. The moment the ship casts off, the Jack is struck and Old Glory is hoisted to the top of the mast, where it flies, day and night, until the ship ties up again.

This reverence for the flag can be carried to ridiculous extremes. I used to room with a military re-enactor who often wore a flight surgeon’s uniform like the one her father wore in the Army Air Corps. She scrupulously followed the decorations on her uniform, but was very upset because the American flag shoulder patch had the flag facing “the wrong way.” She was conflicted because wearing the uniform authentically required displaying the flag “incorrectly”. When I pointed out that she was neither a man, a doctor, or in the military, and that the rules for flag display did not exist in the 1940s, she acted as if I were spitting on a crucifix.

Although it is fitting that a certain amount of solemnity and dignity should be offered up to the national symbol, it seems to me that complex and detailed handling and display instructions for civilians borders on the creepy. It is flag fetishism, and too often insisted on by pseudo-patriots and nationalistic bullies to intimidate those who dare to disagree with them. To hell with them.
They’re not the boss of me.

See my post “The first refuge, too.”, below.

Bringing up the issue of improper Flag display at a KOA for the edification of an offender, though, is a great way to make them feel, at the least, self-conscious. Later on, they may even get a bit o’ readin’ in ‘em.

I love my wife, too, but I wonder about the man who feels compelled to put it on a bumper sticker.

They do not take it down at night, illuminate it at night, or bring it in during rainy weather. All violations of the rules for displaying an American flag.

Should they be prosecuted? (Of course, and then shot.)

As Mark Twain said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” Absolutely true.

The event in question, however, involves city property, and is therefore a city crime, one which should be able to call in all levels of investigation, from on-site cameras to DNA fingerprinting.

And as for the vulnerability of that bridge, the security is likely not as it was, just a few days ago.