[EmailPoster]

Question about proper flag disposal...

Originally Posted by Debeerun3

Hi, I have a question about proper flag disposal. I just purchased a new American Flag because my old flag was starting to become tattered. How do I dispose of the old flag without showing disgrace to this great country?

[jproffitt10]

Originally Posted by EmailPoster

Question about proper flag disposal...

There are several ways in which you may give your American flag the proper retirement without showing disgrace to this great country. If you would like to dispose of the flag yourself then the most fitting way is to hold your own, private ceremony. The U.S. Flag Code states, "The flag, when it is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferable by burning." After your flag has been burned, the ashes should be buried. If you cannot burn and bury the flag yourself, then there are several organizations that will retire your flag in a proper and respectful ceremony. Among them are:

VFW @ vfw.org
American Legion @ legion.org
Boy Scouts of America @ scouting.org
Girl Scouts of America @ girlscouts.org
Marine Corps League @ mcleague.com

Contact one of the organizations obove and they will be able to direct you to a local post, troop or location near you.

[LisaM]

Hi,
In response to your question about properly disposing of an American Flag,
I have this to offer...

In conformance with rules and customs established by Congress in 1942 simply say that when a flag is in poor condition it should be destroyed by burning it. It is kind of a ceremony in itself, a type of cremation.
Hope this helps.

[ESUS_TEUTATES]

I think that flags should Only be disposed of [in whatever shape]only never to fall in Enemy hands !!! If one really loves his country's flag,he'll never dispose of it[it doesn't mean he has to display it when in bad shape,he can always get a new one],but he will keep it in a special box in a special place till the last thread is eaten up and no more exists all by itself,and even if only a thread remains ,he can "worship" it as a relic if he so desires. Meaningne never gets rid of something just because it became old or useless,IF HE REALLY LOVES IT. And what love is greater than one's love for his country ?

[CultureGeek]

Well, that's an interesting perspective. Wonder what Mark Twain would've had to say about that.

Although the official flag says you can't do that, the Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that you have a right to violate the Flag Code. Just as a protester has the right to burn a perfectly good flag, you have the right to keep your old and tattered flag in a special box and worship the last thread as a relic.

P.S. If you're not sure whether or not your message has showed up and you think it's stuck, you can copy it to a text file so you won't lose it if it didn't go through and then hit refresh to see if it's showed up before you press "post" again. Hope this helps.

[Peter Ansoff]

one never gets rid of something just because it became old or useless,IF HE REALLY LOVES IT. And what love is greater than one's love for his country ?

But the flag is not your country -- it is a symbol of your country. If you discard it and replace it with another one, the new one is just as much a symbol of your country as the old one. The flag itself is just a piece of colored cloth. We treat it respectfully because of what it represents, not because it is some sort of magic relic from a Harry Potter story.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with keeping an old flag if you want to. This is especially true if the flag has historic or personal associations. There are also many people who collect historic flags.

Although the official flag [code] says you can't do that

That's a bit of a stretch. What the flag code says is: "The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning." The obvious intent was that one shouldn't just throw a used flag in the dumpster. Preserving it in a "special place," is not a violation of the code. Neither is displaying it on the wall at home or in a museum, as long as it's done in a dignified way.

Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that you have a right to violate the Flag Code.

The 1989 ruling had nothing to do with the Flag Code per se. What it said was that flag desecration is a form of political speech that is protected under the First Amendment, and that federal and state laws against flag desecration are therefore unconstitutional. The ruling did not affect the status of the Flag Code, which has always been (mostly) a set of voluntary guidelines.

There's a subtlety to the 1989 ruling that most commentators seem to miss. It did not say that it's unconstitutional to ban flag burning, but that it's unconstitutional to ban flag burning as a form of political expression. In other words, either flag burning is legal, or it's not -- you can't discriminate based on the burner's motivations.

Peter Ansoff

[madlw]

Its a real shame that almost everybody i know does'nt respect the flag we have a grocery store in Beamsville and the other day i was looking at the canada flag and it was all colour burnt and faded and it was even torn!

People should really try to respect the flags they fly not just there country.

[yankeedoodle]

Hello, friends. I work for the EPA and just had a call from an American Legion member in Arizona regarding disposal of the flag. The local Fire Dept. there won't let him burn the flags they need to get rid of because they're made of synthetic material. That is some information you might want to add to your site. Peace, brothers.