As soon as Easter is over, the seasonal aisle of the grocery store is instantly transformed from pastel pinks and purples to Red, White, and Blue in celebration of the patriotic summer. Beginning with Memorial Day in May, that aisle will retain those colors through July’s Independence Day, boosted along the way with Flag Day which falls on the 14th of June. 

Flag Day celebrates the day that the Second Continental Congress agreed upon the design of The Flag of the United States by ratifying The Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777. 

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I have this dreamlike childhood memory from my days at E. L. Ficquett Elementary School — I think it was my first-grade year.

It’s time for recess but before going down to the playground, our principal, Mr. George B. Hutchinson, has circled us around the flagpole. We are looking up at the two flags, The Flag of the United States, and below it, the Georgia flag. Mr. Hutchinson points out The Flag of the United States. He draws our attention to the seven red stripes and the six white — a teaching moment, “seven plus six equals…” — he tells us that these thirteen stripes represent the thirteen original colonies. He says, “Georgia is one of those!” He points out the blue field with the fifty stars. He tells us that each star represents a state. “Georgia is one of those, too!”  Mr. Hutchinson wants to make sure that we understand that the flag is ours and that it belongs to “We the People,” the citizens of The United States of America. And then, Mr. Hutchinson instructs us to place our right hands over our hearts as he leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

The Pledge of Allegiance is, of course, a form of veneration.

And why do patriotic Americans venerate the flag?

The all-important answer is because, as a country, we don’t venerate a single person above anybody else. A familiar example is found with knowing that the National Anthem of Great Britain is God Save the King. The National Anthem of The United States is The Star Spangled Banner, a poem-made-to-song about the Flag — what so proudly we hail.

Sure, we honor plenty of people, but we don’t bestow fealty upon them. In The United States, the central tenet of our shared citizenry is that we hold these truths to be self-evident that we are all created equal. We are all peers.Again, sure, there are people who hold positions that we extoll. A judge may hold an office of such high esteem that she or he is be-robed, and we are instructed to rise as she or he enters the courtroom and address them as “your honor,” but at the end of a criminal case, the guilt or innocence of an indicted citizen is decided by a group of heretofore silent everyday people, a jury of the indicted citizen’s peers.  (It is important to remember that each person who serves on any jury must be approved by the prosecution and the defense.)

When I was a child, at home, at school, and as a Boy Scout, I learned flag etiquette — how to carry the flag, how to salute the flag, how to care for and fold the flag, how a faded and tattered flag should be discreetly destroyed. These rituals of properly honoring the Flag helped instill in me a patriotic fervor, strengthening my hope that all of our nation’s residents may be able to fulfill their quest for what is stated in that most remarkable phrase: “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Flag Code

There’s no federal legislation quite like The Flag Code [Title 4 of the USC (4 U.S.C. § 5 et seq)]. The Flag Code is full of “shoulds” rather than “shalls;” it states “customs” rather than “commands.” Simply put, it is a set of laws, but laws that are not enforced because of that aforementioned Liberty in my previous paragraph. The Supreme Court found that indicting those who might desecrate the flag is unconstitutional in the case of United States v. Eichman, 1990.

My gut response to that oddball law is, Okay, sounds right. First Amendment, freedom of speech. Fair enough. Thank you, James Madison, George Mason, et al.

But your correspondent surmises that since the Flag Code is indeed law — albeit a law free from legal consequences — whosoever disobeys the Flag Code by desecrating the flag, loses the right to declare themselves a “law-abiding citizen.”

The Flag Code is a codification of customs we Americans learned as children (with rules most naturalized Americans can recite with greater authority than those born here). But lately, two examples of defilement and misuse of our Flag, stand as examples of desecration.

The Flag Code States:

“The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.”

This includes the name and/or image of a former president.

The Flag Code States:

“The flag should never be upside down, except to signal distress or great danger.”

Being in a nasty squabble over political differences with your neighbor does not denote a moment of distress or danger.  To state otherwise is asinine.

On June 14, I will fly the flag from my front porch. Of course, I will bring it in before the sun goes down, something I have known to do since I was a Cub Scout.

That’s part of the Flag Code.

Andy Offutt Irwin is a storyteller, singer/songwriter, and professional whistler from Covington, GA. He can be reached at andy@andyirwin.com