Oregon Scouts Cut Flag to Burn It

[Robin Hickman]

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I'm not sure if I'm mad or sad. A little of both, I guess.

TODAY, June 14th, 2010, a local TV station, KVAL, did a "Flag Day" news story on a local troop of Boy Scouts "retiring" American Flags. The Scouts and their troop leader said mostly the "right" things about the Flag, the "Flag Code", disposing of worn out Flags in a respectful manner, etc.

Then they started CUTTING UP the Flags.

On camera.


http://www.kval.com/home/video/96335479.html


Folks, after reading all of the threads here about "retiring" Flags and the "proper" and "respectful" ways of doing so, to me the most "problematic" of them has been the 10,000 or so (exaggerated) different "ceremonies" that involve cutting the Flag into bits & pieces before burning it.

I've tried to keep an "open mind" about it. In fact, I'm still trying to. Honest.

It's one thing to READ about people (usually some kind of "scouts") following and performing strange, ritualist ceremonies of cutting up Flags to burn them.

But to actually WATCH them do it..... UGH !


I wish I had the words and the eloquence to convince the various Scouting "entities" to cease and desist the barbaric practice of cutting up the American Flag before respectfully "retiring" it by rendering it to the flames.


Sorry to be so "down".....


Robin Hickman
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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[panmunjomi]

Actually, the BSA was wrong to retire the flag in public; my troop retires flags no longer fit for public display but we always do this in private and with a high degree of respect.

That Troop Leader should have his post removed.

"it is the right of every American Citizen to burn the flag of this great nation but never under the watchful eye of the public or in the harsh spotlight of the media, only then it is considered to be a sign of disrespect to the Americans who have fought and died for it's free display"

[watkeison]

Flags may be properly retired in public if it is done as part of a proper Retirement Ceremony.

y'all take care
Bill Atkeison
Veteran; Legal US Citizen

[Peter Ansoff]

Flags may be properly retired in public if it is done as part of a proper Retirement Ceremony.

This is true, in the sense that it's not illegal to publically dispose of flags. However, military regulations are fairly clear that it should be done in private, and the original (1923) version of the civilian flag code said the same thing.

Peter Ansoff