When we moved into our current home, it came with a flagpole flying the U.S. flag, to which we added a Kentucky state flag. The U.S. flag was developing tatters, so I took it down and replaced it with a new one.
The old flag is made of synthetic fiber(s), so burning it is out (harmful fumes). Yet you’re not supposed to put it in the garbage - disrespectful. What to do?
“Other veterans service organizations say people can also bury the folded flag in a dignified box, or recycle them — an option that’s common for flags made of synthetic or nylon material that can be hazardous if burned. Some groups, including the nonprofit Stars For Our Troops, carefully cut embroidered stars out of the flags* and give them to veterans with a note that reminds them that their service won’t be forgotten.”
But now I’m confused. What’s a “dignified box”? I assume that the cardboard box Amazon sent my shelled pecans in may not qualify. What if I remove the Amazon shipping stickers? Or how about the wooden box a gift of dried fruit came in? Is that dignified enough?
*another site suggests you can dispose of a U.S. flag if you cut it into pieces first, since then it’s no longer a flag (according to the Boy Scouts anyway). But you mustn’t cut across the part with the stars, since they symbolize union.
**if you’re disposing of a used “Don’t Tread On Me” flag, is it disrespectful to cut across the snake?
At the Magic Kingdom, Disney does a flag retreat everyday to get the flag down before night time. I’m certain that flag is real. Disney will often look for a veteran to participate in this ceremony. There might be other ‘flags’ that are ‘fake’ for other reasons, but the MAIN flag at the entrance is a real one.
Not according to U.S. law. It is actually a living organism. “… The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. …” 4 U.S.C. section 8(j).
Technically, ANY flag that was at one time the US flag is still a legal US flag. So anything from the early 13-stars in a circle to the 15-star 15-stripe one up to the current 50-star one is a real, valid US flag.
When I was young, 48-star versions were common, since the last 3 states had been recently admitted, and many people still had the older ones, and kept displaying them. Now, most of them have worn out and been replaced, so 50-star versions are by far the most common.
Currently, there are people pushing for admitting 2 more states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. If that happens, all the 50-star flags will become outdated – but still valid US flags, and OK to display.
Also per the flag code you’re allowed to fly the flag 24 hours a day as long as it’s “properly illuminated” which they seem to be from photos online. That, plus the fact there’s no enforcement provided by the Flag Code other than Disney getting angry letters from flag nerds makes me think the 45 star flags are purely because they’re evoking Victorian-era America and not as some secret loophole to get out of a federal requirement.
This sounds plausible, but do you have a cite for this? I am just curious. This thread inspired me to waste some time this morning reviewing the United States Code sections concerning the flag. I didn’t see anything explicitly stating this there. 4 U.S.C section 10 suggests the President could make this “legal” by proclamation. I seem to vaguely recall that President Eisenhower issued an executive order authorizing continued use of existing 48 star flags when Alaska and Hawaii became states.
I can see how that would apply to an actual antique flag that was representative of the number of states at the time, but the Disney flags are new “wrong” flags, so is that still considered legit? If that is in fact the case, then Disney should just make proper flags because they’d be just as much in violation of the Flag Code with 45-star flags as they would be with 50-star flags.
So, I’m now having flashbacks to 1976, and the Bicentennial, when flags like the below designs, which were contemporary to the Revolutionary War, were widely sold and flown by Americans, 200-ish years after they were no longer “right,” in observance of, and celebration of, the U.S.'s independence.
Were they all in violation of the Flag Code? I suppose they were. But, even if they aren’t the current flag designs, they’re still absolutely U.S. flags.
I’m not sure what the reason is - but the “evoking a prior time period” explanation doesn’t really make sense either . I doubt the average person even notices that those flags don’t have 50 stars and it’s even more unlikely that the average person would have any idea of which time period a 45 star flag was supposed to represent.
It might be more noticeable if they were using the 1912-1959 48-star flag – the 6x8 rectangular array of stars is easily distinguished from the staggered rows of the current 50-star flag. The 45-star flag looks pretty much the same as the 50-star flag unless one looks closely and counts.
Fairly sure that that second flag, the one with “76” in the canton, was never an official US flag. I think they came up with that for the buycentennial.
With so many of the little flags around, I think they would want fake (non-living) ones to keep them from breeding. Feral flags would be problematic, I imagine.
I’m still questioning the premise here. I see this ‘fact’ referenced in a lot of places, but I have yet to see a photo that clearly shows those flags are short on stars, a citation to a reliable source, or any official reference to the different flags.
This is still strictly urban legend territory as far as I can tell.
Seems to me that the flags flown at various points in the Magic Kingdom are those from the era that the portion of the park represents. Main Street USA certainly evokes a time well before the flag had 50 or even 48 stars. Ditto for Tom Sawyer’s neighborhood or the Pirates of the Caribbean section. I’m surprised that Tomorrowland doesn’t fly say a 52 star flag. Isn’t the bottom line is that nobody is obliged to fly the current US flag, or follow any part of the US Flag Code?
