# ! ! !Old Glory! ! ! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 4, 2000, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916 "2000-04-04T04:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Federalist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@Federalist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Federalist)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/1 "2000-04-04T04:44:00Z")
I, personally, do not believe it should be illegal to burn the American flag in disgust. That act, though I disapprove vehemently, is freedom of speech. Now the questions I pose, however, do not have much to do with that. 1. What does Old Glory symbolize? Represent? 2. What does a tattered and dirty Old Glory, flying above a public school represent? 3. Is there a law that requires ALL government owned building to fly a public flag? Thanks- Any responses are welcome, please add your own questions or comments. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/2 "2000-04-04T04:48:00Z")
> [@](#): > > please add your own questions What’s the average annual rainfall of the amazon river basin? What’s the square root of 293? Who was the president of the Confederacy? Are you really a federalist? -andros- ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/3 "2000-04-04T05:19:00Z")
I don’t get the whole flag-burning thing in general. I don’t understand why someone would let themselves get so bent outta shape about it or why someone would think it was a powerful way to protest anything. I understand it symbolizes “america” and all that, but, I mean if you burn a picture of my mother or something hoping to incite me I’m more likely to say “What’s that supposed to prove?” I mean, is that the best you can do? Seriously, get my attention by cutting of my electricity or something, not idle threats. * * * “Mrs. Krabappel, are you trying to seduce me?” ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/4 "2000-04-04T05:41:00Z")
> [@](#): > > please add your own questions How did Jennifer Lopez keep that dress on? How can a cereal which advertises itself as “cookies for breakfast” possibly be part of a balanced diet? When in Finch’s name did money make that miraculous transformation from property to speech? When exactly will this gag get old? 1. I try not to infuse things with symbolism. It tends to complicate matters. The Confederate flag atop the SC state courthouse is drowning in all of the symbols that have been placed on it (deliberately by the folks who put it up back in the 1960s). All it has done was cause pain and antipathy these past 30 years. 2. That we have negliected our schools, children and infustucture for far too long. Though I’d look close to the school and at the leaky roofs, the frayed electrical wires and all other evidence that no one batted an eye at the school since it was built back in 1959. 3. That I don’t know, but it helps me find the city hall and courthouses. 4. Only my hairdresser knows for sure. 5. 17.117 6. Jefferson Davis 7. I’m not affiliated with any group ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/5 "2000-04-04T06:57:00Z")
andros wrote: > [@](#): > > ## quote > > ## please add your own questions > > What’s the average annual rainfall of the amazon river basin? > What’s the square root of 293? > Who was the president of the Confederacy? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/6 "2000-04-04T12:03:00Z")
African or European? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/7 "2000-04-04T12:08:00Z")
With or without coconuts? ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/8 "2000-04-04T12:48:00Z")
It’s not a question of where he grips it, it’s a simple matter of weight ratios. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/9 "2000-04-04T13:11:00Z")
Bricker challenges are three doors over, on the right. BTW, why do cheerios float together? And, isn’t it an incredible coincidence that water freezes at exactly 0 degrees? * * * rocks ---
**Author:** ![cleosia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@cleosia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleosia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/10 "2000-04-04T16:45:00Z")
Cheerios float together because it’s lonely out there on the prarie…ur…milk! 😃 * * * Bitch by Birth ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/11 "2000-04-05T05:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Coldfire: > **With or without coconuts?** What part of “unladen” do you not understand? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/12 "2000-04-05T05:10:00Z")
Sigh . . . we’ve gone over this before, folks. To maintain velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings four hundred and ninety three times every second, right? ---
**Author:** ![Crystalguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Crystalguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crystalguy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/13 "2000-04-04T18:13:00Z")
Sterling North said: > [@](#): > > How did Jennifer Lopez keep that dress on? ## Don’t have any idea but it sure held up against my strongest wishes for it to fall. Crystalguy ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/14 "2000-04-04T18:18:00Z")
And that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be bannana-shaped. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/15 "2000-04-04T21:36:00Z")
Nice debate. So, just what color is an orange? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/16 "2000-04-04T23:25:00Z")
ripe or unripe? * * * “there’s nary a dog alive can outrun a greased Scotsman” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/17 "2000-04-05T00:06:00Z")
But African swallows are non-migratory! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/18 "2000-04-05T01:56:00Z")
**Federalist,** I’m afraid you’ve caught them in a rather silly mood today. Part of the problem is, I think, that they just finished a discussion about flag burning over in this thread, [http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001596.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001596.html) ## So don’t take it personally. 🙂 “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/19 "2000-04-05T02:32:00Z")
From US Code Title IV, Section 6: > [@](#): > > (e) The flag should be displayed daily on or near the main administration building of every public institution. > (f) The flag should be displayed in or near every polling place on election days. > (g) The flag should be displayed during school days in or near every schoolhouse. Hope that answers that question. And [http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/](http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/) is quickly becoming one of my favorite sites on the net. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916/20 "2000-04-05T13:17:00Z")
Wow, hey, mine too! Thanks a lot, **Water**! 🙂 (“Where does he get those wonderful toys…?”) * * * “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-glory/17916.md?page=2)