My source is the local BSA Vexillologist (study of flags). This guy has every version of the US Flag. Whenever he does a Flag retirement ceremony at the camp fire, there is never a single eye that is dry. We kneel to GOD and stand for the Flag.
That being said, I see what I can find to verify. But this guy knows his stuff and he was rather ticket about the change.
Also learned that only flag that can be flown above the US Flag is at sea and church services are being held - there is a flag for this that tells other ships this one holding Service and therefore is out of Service.
For the record, I am all in favor of having a dedicated light for the Flag. What this article is stating is that there is an interpretation that moon light or other ambient light may suffice to illuminate the flag (which is complete BS).
Is Lighting U.S. Flag Required?
Is lighting U.S. Flag required at night? The answer is a matter of interpretation and good judgment. Therefore a direct spotlight on the flag at night may not be required!
At this time of year when the days are short and the hours of darkness are much longer, it seems that questions regarding the lighting of the US Flag are asked more often.
Does the U.S. Flag need to have a direct light shining on it during hours of darkness? On first analysis, the answer seems to be “Yes”. The Flag Code states “The flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.”[I]
What does the term “properly illuminated” mean? Upon further research, it is noted that the term “properly illuminated” has not been explained/defined in The Flag Code. The Congressional Research Service in a publication titled The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions dated February 7, 2011 has explained that “… the dignity accorded to the flag is preserved by lighting that prevents its being enveloped in darkness.” [ii] (Emphasis added) Note that this explanation does not require a light to be directly shining on the flag.
In further understanding the concepts of “proper illumination” and “preventing being enveloped in darkness”, it is relevant to note an explanation by the American Legion. This organization states that “Proper illumination is… having a light source sufficient to illuminate the flag so it is recognizable as such by the casual observer.”[iii] Again, note that the American Legion does not call for a light shining directly on the flag.
Dr. Whitney Smith, a recognized expert (vexillologist[iv]) on the U.S. Flag and flag etiquette has opined that “The Flag Code does not spell out “proper illumination” but common sense suggests that ambient lighting adequately meets the requirement when the colors of the flag can be seen.[v]
The Federal Flag Code does not purport to cover all possible situations. Consequently, different interpretations of various provisions of the Code may continue to be made. The Flag Code itself, however, suggests a general rule by which practices involving the flag may be fairly tested: “No disrespect should be shown to the Flag of the United States of America.”[vi] & [vii]
Most people would agree that the preferred approach for flying the U.S. Flag at night would be to have a spotlight directly and brightly lighting it. However, if one does not have the resources to undertake such lighting (and cannot be assured of being able to lower the flag at sunset), should that person not fly the flag? Or, given the research noted above, is there a reasonable alternative?
Would it not be better to demonstrate your patriotism by flying the flag…but be careful to not disrespect the flag by allowing it to be completely enveloped in darkness? In other words, if you do not have the resources to have the flag directly lit at night, fly the flag as long as there is sufficient ambient light to allow the flag to be seen at night.
This original Gadsden flag is SO much better than the cartoony "no step on snek" version so prevalent on Reddit. As a meme it's fine, but for public display this is about dignity.
SO much has gone into the freedom just to be able to fly those flags ...
Very nice. I like to alternate with some historic flags (e.g. Culpepper Minutemen, Bennington Flag, Pine Tree Flag etc.) I just need to get a nice Betsy Ross flag.
Haha! No, but per flag etiquette, let's say you want to fly all the Nations of the world, you would need "infinite" poles, with one above all the others, which is for the host country...in our case the Stars and Stripes..unless you are posted on your own territory that is in another country, say an embassy, then the US flag would fly directly above the host, but outside the territory the host flag would be raised over the US flag, but in certain ceremonial events they might be presented at equal height...so I understand it...
Fun fact, most civilians have no idea what the black flag even means. Neighbor : "Who's Powmia?"
They spoke those six letters as one word, like it was a celebrity like Madonna or Drake.
It hit me pretty hard that a large segment of the population believes that the black flag with the profile of a shaved head man is seen as akin to a death metal band logo or something else pop culture.
Me to them : "Prisoner of war and missing in action. P.O.W. and M.I.A."
Neighbor "Oh... so it's for war?"
Me : (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10)
Neighbor : "It looks pretty racist to me."
Me : "Is that your husband? It looks like he wants you back in the house."
Neighbor : (Turns to look)
Me : (Back inside my house and locking all my doors)
And this is why my two boys are in Scouts. Love when the old vets come to talk to the boys.
I always point out that when they see a Senior Citizen with the VFW hat that when he was 19 (only a few years older than the Scout) he was in some serious situations. You play war games and he LIVED and FOUGHT those wars.
Not going to make any excuses for BSA, they are reaping what they sowed. Only National BSA declared bankruptcy. Local Councils are there own legal entities and where the proverbial rubber hits the road; and they are all one offs.
That being said there is still a lot of good that BSA does. As a Scout Leader I just try to handle events on the local level and get the boys ready to face and make a difference (hopefully for the better) in this crazy world.
Dr. Strangelove was one of those old classics that I found discovering Stanley Kubric from his Eyes Wide Shut movie, that all the other kids were talking about. Seeing those scenes with Tom and his wife Nicole at home smoking and fighting was like watching your parents fight as a fly on the wall. I understand why they broke up after that film. That marriage was over.
I learned this flag from the veterans events we would do in school where they would all come in uniform with the flags and talk about their experiences. Most of them fought in WWII. This flag always got me right in the heart
The problem is that many kids of this generation have zero contact with Vets and think the black flag celebrates putting black men in prison. They don't ask, they just assume as asking could be construed as being out of the loop, the worst fear of people these days.
Yes. The culture now is to identify racism from a distance so that you are never associated with it/tagged with it/seen as supporting it even indirectly.
So you get a follower populace that errs on the side of caution with all things. Black man, black flag, head hung low. Racist flag? She said yup, better to question the person flying it and steer clear and warn others that they virtue signaled my 'politics'.
The only people I get along with in my area are the younger guys and the much older guys. The ones in my generation are soy and soft, with socialist leanings in everything. "Rachel Maddow said..."
Harbor freight has fiberglass telescopic poles for $63 before tax. Comes with fabric flag. I added pulley for rope (used carabineer to attach to top swivel), 50' rope, rope clear, and a 50 lb. Bag of concrete.
Reddit can eff itself.
sideways
And 3 hairy Mooses
This is what your kids search the net for? You are a great and blessed American family.
Dad is doing a whole lot of somethings right!!
My kids just tell Alexa to fart a hundred times in a row.
That’s a beautiful sight to see! Make sure you put a light on Old Glory if you are going to fly her at night.
Sad to say a few years back the US Flag Code removed the requirement that a light must be on Old Glory at night.
EDIT: Some interpret that moon light or other ambient light suffice for lighting the flag. (which i do not agree with)
Bottom line - put a spot light on Old Glory!
Source ? Couldn’t find any
My source is the local BSA Vexillologist (study of flags). This guy has every version of the US Flag. Whenever he does a Flag retirement ceremony at the camp fire, there is never a single eye that is dry. We kneel to GOD and stand for the Flag.
That being said, I see what I can find to verify. But this guy knows his stuff and he was rather ticket about the change.
Also learned that only flag that can be flown above the US Flag is at sea and church services are being held - there is a flag for this that tells other ships this one holding Service and therefore is out of Service.
That's an interesting fact about the church flag at sea. Thanks for sharing!
For the record, I am all in favor of having a dedicated light for the Flag. What this article is stating is that there is an interpretation that moon light or other ambient light may suffice to illuminate the flag (which is complete BS).
https://flagsinternational.com/is-lighting-u-s-flag-required/
Is Lighting U.S. Flag Required? Is lighting U.S. Flag required at night? The answer is a matter of interpretation and good judgment. Therefore a direct spotlight on the flag at night may not be required!
At this time of year when the days are short and the hours of darkness are much longer, it seems that questions regarding the lighting of the US Flag are asked more often.
Does the U.S. Flag need to have a direct light shining on it during hours of darkness? On first analysis, the answer seems to be “Yes”. The Flag Code states “The flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.”[I]
What does the term “properly illuminated” mean? Upon further research, it is noted that the term “properly illuminated” has not been explained/defined in The Flag Code. The Congressional Research Service in a publication titled The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions dated February 7, 2011 has explained that “… the dignity accorded to the flag is preserved by lighting that prevents its being enveloped in darkness.” [ii] (Emphasis added) Note that this explanation does not require a light to be directly shining on the flag.
In further understanding the concepts of “proper illumination” and “preventing being enveloped in darkness”, it is relevant to note an explanation by the American Legion. This organization states that “Proper illumination is… having a light source sufficient to illuminate the flag so it is recognizable as such by the casual observer.”[iii] Again, note that the American Legion does not call for a light shining directly on the flag.
Dr. Whitney Smith, a recognized expert (vexillologist[iv]) on the U.S. Flag and flag etiquette has opined that “The Flag Code does not spell out “proper illumination” but common sense suggests that ambient lighting adequately meets the requirement when the colors of the flag can be seen.[v]
The Federal Flag Code does not purport to cover all possible situations. Consequently, different interpretations of various provisions of the Code may continue to be made. The Flag Code itself, however, suggests a general rule by which practices involving the flag may be fairly tested: “No disrespect should be shown to the Flag of the United States of America.”[vi] & [vii]
Most people would agree that the preferred approach for flying the U.S. Flag at night would be to have a spotlight directly and brightly lighting it. However, if one does not have the resources to undertake such lighting (and cannot be assured of being able to lower the flag at sunset), should that person not fly the flag? Or, given the research noted above, is there a reasonable alternative?
Would it not be better to demonstrate your patriotism by flying the flag…but be careful to not disrespect the flag by allowing it to be completely enveloped in darkness? In other words, if you do not have the resources to have the flag directly lit at night, fly the flag as long as there is sufficient ambient light to allow the flag to be seen at night.
Just keep the flag lit with an all night long fireworks display. Rocket's red glare y'all.
amen
Do muzzle flashes count?
By the way... The tire in the background didn't hang itself. More to do with that later.😜
As a libertarian leaning maga supporter, I strongly agree.
Beautiful!
This original Gadsden flag is SO much better than the cartoony "no step on snek" version so prevalent on Reddit. As a meme it's fine, but for public display this is about dignity.
SO much has gone into the freedom just to be able to fly those flags ...
They don't actually make a flag with no step on snek, do they. I'd really love to find the centipede version though. Don't think that exists either.
Yes they do, I used to fly it on my apt in ATX until ppl complained and they made me take it down, ironic.
Which one? No step on snek or centipede?
Beautiful. Wife and I put one in a year ago. You have yours lit up at night?
Yeah. Got 2 solar powered spots at big lots yesterday.
Looks very New Englandy
Very nice. I like to alternate with some historic flags (e.g. Culpepper Minutemen, Bennington Flag, Pine Tree Flag etc.) I just need to get a nice Betsy Ross flag.
Nice
Wow! Nice.
Democrats only has a flagpole with no American flag, and a 'Don't READ' banner.
That's "cant read"
Thank you for that inspiring sunshiny site!
Right on!
In love the flag but holy crap, you gotta edge that sidewalk. Lol
Still winter here. Ain't touching lawn stuff till spring.
You should add a trump flag
Probably wouldn't have hurt to iron or steam the flag first to get rid of all those wrinkles....
Is it in accordance with US flag code to fly 2 American flags on the same pole?
As long as US flag is above it..
So you’re saying you need infinite US flags on a pole for it to work
Just a circular, rotating pole. Also known as a Freedom Wheel.
Haha! No, but per flag etiquette, let's say you want to fly all the Nations of the world, you would need "infinite" poles, with one above all the others, which is for the host country...in our case the Stars and Stripes..unless you are posted on your own territory that is in another country, say an embassy, then the US flag would fly directly above the host, but outside the territory the host flag would be raised over the US flag, but in certain ceremonial events they might be presented at equal height...so I understand it...
Technically there are only two other flags that are allowed to be flown on the same pole as the US Flag: POW / MIA (Black Flag) and the KIA (Red Flag)
Fun fact, most civilians have no idea what the black flag even means. Neighbor : "Who's Powmia?"
They spoke those six letters as one word, like it was a celebrity like Madonna or Drake.
It hit me pretty hard that a large segment of the population believes that the black flag with the profile of a shaved head man is seen as akin to a death metal band logo or something else pop culture.
Me to them : "Prisoner of war and missing in action. P.O.W. and M.I.A."
Neighbor "Oh... so it's for war?"
Me : (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10)
Neighbor : "It looks pretty racist to me."
Me : "Is that your husband? It looks like he wants you back in the house."
Neighbor : (Turns to look)
Me : (Back inside my house and locking all my doors)
And this is why my two boys are in Scouts. Love when the old vets come to talk to the boys. I always point out that when they see a Senior Citizen with the VFW hat that when he was 19 (only a few years older than the Scout) he was in some serious situations. You play war games and he LIVED and FOUGHT those wars.
Didn't the Boy Scouts go bankrupt? No one I know has their boys in that organization, due to their abhorrent changes to the program.
Not going to make any excuses for BSA, they are reaping what they sowed. Only National BSA declared bankruptcy. Local Councils are there own legal entities and where the proverbial rubber hits the road; and they are all one offs.
That being said there is still a lot of good that BSA does. As a Scout Leader I just try to handle events on the local level and get the boys ready to face and make a difference (hopefully for the better) in this crazy world.
Good on you. Your username is quite a throwback.
Dr. Strangelove was one of those old classics that I found discovering Stanley Kubric from his Eyes Wide Shut movie, that all the other kids were talking about. Seeing those scenes with Tom and his wife Nicole at home smoking and fighting was like watching your parents fight as a fly on the wall. I understand why they broke up after that film. That marriage was over.
“Gentlemen, You Can’t Fight In Here! This is The War Room!”
I learned this flag from the veterans events we would do in school where they would all come in uniform with the flags and talk about their experiences. Most of them fought in WWII. This flag always got me right in the heart
The problem is that many kids of this generation have zero contact with Vets and think the black flag celebrates putting black men in prison. They don't ask, they just assume as asking could be construed as being out of the loop, the worst fear of people these days.
Please tell me they did not say really say "that looks pretty racist."
If they dont understand it, must be racist.
Yes. The culture now is to identify racism from a distance so that you are never associated with it/tagged with it/seen as supporting it even indirectly.
So you get a follower populace that errs on the side of caution with all things. Black man, black flag, head hung low. Racist flag? She said yup, better to question the person flying it and steer clear and warn others that they virtue signaled my 'politics'.
The only people I get along with in my area are the younger guys and the much older guys. The ones in my generation are soy and soft, with socialist leanings in everything. "Rachel Maddow said..."
Me : "Are you gay?"
But it's black. What else could it possibly be, other than racist?
Obviously I'm being sarcastic and cynical, ripping on the terrible state of education today.
They seriously said the POW MIA flag "looks pretty racist"?
Powmia. All one word. Black man, looks to be in an American prison and I am proud to fly it. Racist.
Believe it or not flag code would prohibit this. No flag can be flown above the US flag, even if it's another US flag.
I've been wanting to get a flag pole, what did it run you?
Harbor freight has fiberglass telescopic poles for $63 before tax. Comes with fabric flag. I added pulley for rope (used carabineer to attach to top swivel), 50' rope, rope clear, and a 50 lb. Bag of concrete.
Nice job McGyver! I'll have to look into that.
Trump supporter (racist, sexist, Hitler) confirmed!
You forgot deplorable and infidel.
speaking of flag poles . we have been looking to add one. does anyone have recommendations on quality ones and where to acquire?
No steppe on snek.
https://imgur.com/gallery/Ac3xMBB