Is it okay to draw your own union on the flag?

[amille]

Is it okay to display a personal rendition of the U. S. Flag on a TV program as the backdrop to your show? I know of one TV show that is doing this and they have drawn their own flag and as the union they have placed a peace symbol instead of the stars.

See link below and let me know this is disturbing to me and frankly I'm annoyed at what I'm seeing and what they are airing. See for yourself.


Silver City New Mexico Videos

[NAVA1974]

In my opinion a flag with 13 red and white stripes that has a white peace symbol on a blue canton is not a U.S. flag. Period. It simply uses elements that are common to many flags (striped field, canton, graphic symbol) and the R/W/B colors that evoke the US flag. I don't see that any more offensive than what we did in 1777 by taking the British Red Ensign, adding 6 white stripes to the red field and replacing the crosses of St George and St Andrew in the canton with 13 white stars to create the first Stars and Stripes flag 'representing a new constellation'.

Now, if today they took a 50-star, 13 striped USA flag and defaced it with a peace symbol, that would be a clear violation of the United States Flag Code and unacceptable in my mind.

Nick

[Peter Ansoff]

Flags with political symbols (peace signs, dollar signs, corporate logos, etc.) in the canton are very common, and have been around for quite a while. Historically, they seem to have been favored by liberal causes. However, the conservative "Tea Party" movement has recently created one of its own. There's a discussion about it in this thread:

http://www.usa-flag-site.org/forum/new-patriot-innovation-flags-appearing-6590.html

Nick is right that such flags are not covered by the flag code because they are not technically US flags. However, the fact that they resemble the US flag is an important part of their symbolic value.

Peter Ansoff