# Where are they getting these US flags to burn from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2001, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154 "2001-10-03T09:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/1 "2001-10-03T09:36:45Z")
I keep reading about these rallies where they’re burning US flags. Where do these guys get US flags? Even I’d be hard pressed to buy an Afghani, Cuban, or Iranian flag from here. And it’s not like FedEx has overnight service to Kabul or Khandahar. If some company is exporting these flags, maybe they should think about making them out of asbestos impregnated material. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/2 "2001-10-03T13:25:05Z")
My WAG is that they make their own. In several of the photos I’ve seen, the flags look like they were hastily put together, probably for the purpose of being burned. In most of those cases, the flags were not completely accurate, being changed either for the sake of simplicity (I guess sewing 50 stars can be a pain, and after about 18 or so, it’s pretty clear which country you’re PO’ed at) or to make other political points (such as interspersing swastikas or stars of David with the regular stars). Just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dec6dc/32.png) [@Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Friday)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/3 "2001-10-03T14:11:41Z")
They probably make the real flags in China, and that isn’t that far from Kabul. I wonder if there is a black market for American flags. ---
**Author:** ![heptapod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@heptapod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heptapod)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/4 "2001-10-03T14:16:39Z")
Their government probably buys them in bulk so when they want to rile up America they’ll start passing them out to people and tell them to burn the flags and look joyous. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/5 "2001-10-03T14:18:32Z")
I know of at least one palastinian man who owns and operates an american flag ‘factory’. Apparently he uses very cheap cloth (lots of wood fiber so it feels somewhat papery) and colors them using a silk screening process. He has several paterns which include a correct version and versions where the stars are replaced by the star of david. Unfortunately I am unable to find a reference online for you. (Most of the flag burning reference pages seem to have been taken offline in the past month.) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/6 "2001-10-03T14:27:15Z")
Maybe they got them from China? I wonder how they learn to write english signs they are holding up? ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/7 "2001-10-03T14:46:59Z")
Hell, if I lived in Middle Eastern Nation hostile to the U.S., I think I could do a booming business making specially burnable U.S. flags. I’d design some special flags that would shoot up extra-high flames, or would burn slowly, or whatever. Free book af matches with every flag purchase! ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/8 "2001-10-03T15:02:29Z")
they probably have a little factory that makes them espesially for burning ceremonies. it’s not hard to make a flag you know. alot of them are used to making things like that anyway, unlike us unskilled westerners. ---
**Author:** ![Killerjoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/51bf81/32.png) [@Killerjoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Killerjoke)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/9 "2001-10-03T17:39:20Z")
**Major Feelgud** , if you are so inclined, check out [http://www.flagsoftheworld.com](http://www.flagsoftheworld.com) **Cranky** , my boss and I have the same idea everytime we see one of **Sublight’s** patented 18 star flags. What a great business opportunity! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/10 "2001-10-03T17:53:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan \* > \*\*Hell, if I lived in Middle Eastern Nation hostile to the U.S., I think I could do a booming business making specially burnable U.S. flags. I’d design some special flags that would shoot up extra-high flames, or would burn slowly, or whatever. Free book af matches with every flag purchase! \*\* Maybe you could get in touch with the company that makes those “Match-Light” charcoal briquettes, and propose a business plan. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/11 "2001-10-03T18:24:20Z")
Could we make some exploding versions and ship them there free? ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/12 "2001-10-03T18:37:03Z")
Could we make some exploding versions and ship them there free? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/13 "2001-10-03T22:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I guess sewing 50 stars can be a pain, and after about 18 or so, it’s pretty clear which country you’re PO’ed at The United States circa 1818 is the Great Satan! Down with the Second Bank of the United States! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/14 "2001-10-03T23:29:06Z")
Maybe they bought all of ours that’s why we don’t have any in the US? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/15 "2001-10-03T23:34:11Z")
What makes you think it’d be so hard to get the real thing? Every third ad banner I’ve seen in the past three weeks has been for someone selling American flags. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/16 "2001-10-03T23:39:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Maybe they bought all of ours that’s why we don’t have any in the US? \*\* What are you smoking, and where can I get some? 😃 There are flags all over around where I am. Nearly every streetlamp here in Havre, MT has a flag or two on it, most businesses have at least one, and plenty of houses are flying them. I mean real flags, made of cloth of some kind (doubtless nylon or some other artifical material) and accurate. The kind you fly from poles or hoists or masts. The VFW was selling them cheap after the tragedy (heck, they probably still are selling them) and you can barely look around anywhere there is so much as a family home without seeing one or two. So, **handy** , where are you that American flags are scarce? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/17 "2001-10-04T00:26:54Z")
You could look at it as an opportunity for America. We could secretly supply them with flags having poles made of dynamite. “Burn your little flag, my friends. We can wait.” ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/18 "2001-10-04T01:09:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > I guess sewing 50 stars can be a pain, and after about 18 or so, it’s pretty clear which country you’re PO’ed at > > The United States circa 1818 is the Great Satan! Down with the Second Bank of the United States! \*\* So it’s all Lousiana’s fault for joining the union. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SolomonGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SolomonGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolomonGrundy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/19 "2001-10-04T01:26:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Maybe they got them from China? > > I wonder how they learn to write english signs they are holding up? \*\* From the ones I’ve seen, I’d guess that they learn it from American grade schools. It’s a really surreal feeling to be watching television of protesters (ors?) on TV holding up signs that say “DIE TO GORGE BUSHES AND AMERIKANS” and the only thing that comes to mind is how awful the spelling and grammar are. And all the R’s are backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2001, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154/20 "2001-10-04T22:54:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SolomonGrundy \* > **"DIE TO GORGE BUSHES AND AMERIKANS"** Amerika is the name of one of Kafka’s novels, and a rather anti-‘Giverment’ (his ‘word’) former friend of mine used the misspelling for effect. But that’s probably moot. I doubt most Afghanis have ever read Kafka, so it’s a misspelling. Doubtless… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-they-getting-these-us-flags-to-burn-from/85154.md?page=2)