From Ed in answer to Barb's question:
No, those "rules" are not laws. All the rules surrounding the handling of our flag, and others
are meant to insure respect for the flag, but they do not have the force of law.. That is why you see the American flag in whole or in part, put on vehicles, clothes, etc.--and even used to sell products
(which is disgusting, but lawful).
Years ago a teenage girl (read hippie) was arrested on the phony charge of disturbing the peace for wearing an American flag stitched to the seat of her pants (she was acquitted). We don't need laws to try to force people to treat the flag with respect--laws never can do that and never will teach that.
People learn respect for the flag from the way people act and conduct themselves who do respect and revere the flag and who do have some appreciation for such symbols of our national heritage and character. If people don't learn it from watching the way veterans in general, and disabled veterans in particular, revere the flag, they will never learn it. It's that simple. To try to force any view of "patriotism" onto people under threat of law, is to invite the eventual institutionalizing of the fascist and authoritarian mind into our culture.
Every time you turn around some idiot is trying to pass laws to make any misuse of the flag a crime--which is a path we never want to go down. What symbol will we "protect" next when we start that kind of stuff?
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