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This annoys me.
Author: TriSec
Date: 03/04/2017 12:45:27
Oh, it's not without meaning, and I get it. But there's something about the display that just rubs me the wrong way. In the interest of fairness, here is the background information regarding this alternately-colored, Non-U.S. flag:
Meaning of the Thin Blue Line Flag: The Blue represents the officer and the courage they find deep inside when faced with insurmountable odds. The Black background was designed as a constant reminder of our fallen brother and sister officers. The Line is what police officers protect, the barrier between anarchy and a civilized society, between order and chaos, between respect for decency and lawlessness. Together they symbolize the camaraderie law enforcement officers all share, a brotherhood like none other.
"But TriSec", I can hear you saying, "What's wrong with that?"
I had seen these flags around randomly, but it began to click when I started driving, actually. All of a sudden, I noticed more and more of these decals - always in conjunction with another, "TRUMP", plastered on the back of American SUVs.
It seemed to me like it was just another kind of supremacist, racist, or otherwise divisive symbol of the current political climate.
Naturally, I did some digging through the US Flag code, While it doesn't seem to explicitly ban alternate colorings, there are enough references to "design, color, and standard" that it could be interpreted that way.
§3. Use of flag for advertising purposes; mutilation of flag
Any person who, within the District of Columbia, in any manner, for exhibition or display, shall place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing, or any advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America;
or shall expose or cause to be exposed to public view any such flag, standard, colors, or ensign upon which shall have been printed, painted, or otherwise placed, or to which shall be attached, appended, affixed, or annexed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, or drawing, or any advertisement of any nature;
or who, within the District of Columbia, shall manufacture, sell, expose for sale, or to public view, or give away or have in possession for sale, or to be given away or for use for any purpose, any article or substance being an article of merchandise, or a receptacle for merchandise or article or thing for carrying or transporting merchandise, upon which shall have been printed, painted, attached, or otherwise placed a representation of any such flag, standard, colors, or ensign, to advertise, call attention to, decorate, mark, or distinguish the article or substance on which so placed shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $100 or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both, in the discretion of the court.
The words "flag, standard, colors, or ensign", as used herein, shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America.
Of course, to my way of thinking, these banners are not flags of the United States, and should actually not be given any kind of similar respect during any flag ceremony or other honors rendered using said banner.
§1. Flag; stripes and stars on
The flag of the United States shall be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; and the union of the flag shall be fifty stars representing the fifty states, white in a blue field
Again I state - I get the concept. It seems like a nice idea to honor our Peace Officers with some kind of banner. This is 100% the wrong approach - and like I also noticed, it already seems to have been hijacked by the Trump crowd. So at least from my point of view, any such camaraderie that's meant to be fostered by flying this "flag" is already tainted.
There's a much better flag out there, and I've also seen plenty of references to blue ribbons - you know the kind, it's just the same old yellow ribbon that was stuck to everything after we invaded Iraq.
