I remember staying in a school hall during the sponsored bike ride across the USA in 1996. They had some booklets in the classroom called “The flag code”. I read through one and was astounded by some of the things it said.
We see a lot of people in the USA making an issue of how important their flag is. Many of them have the flag on their clothing, or maybe on a face mask. Most do not seem to know that one of the items in the flag code says “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel”.
A really interesting rule is section 4 which says
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
The question might be – is this then illegal?
At the same time there are parts of the code that they all know. “I pledge allegiance to the flag…”
But hang on – just what does that mean? How can you be allegiant to a flag? I always find it interesting that the groups who oppose big federal government are the strongest supporters of this pledge to obey federal government.
In the USA the Jehovah’s Witnesses have stood out as a group by calling this idolatry. Good on them.
Of course we never would have idolatry like that.
Recognise this? Do you know the rules about it? Did you know that only certain government vehicles can use this?
When developing documents for government we had to add this sign to it. Do you see that little cross on the top of the crown? The rule is that you cannot place text above that (no headers on that page then).
I remember one old film about a war where the officer complained that God was more important to some people than country.
Pledging allegiance to an inanimate object is in effect an act of worship to the puppet masters behind the object. What do the crown or the flag demand of us? Whatever the high priests tell us they demand!
And no doubt my friends on the left will agree to this, as they sing the red flag.
But what about religion? I was lucky to be brought up in a tradition that recognised that opposing views were worth listening to – that there was no monopoly on the truth. I don’t see organised religion as idolatry, but I do question established belief systems that cannot be challenged.