I have been told the ” backwards” flag is to give the impression the flag is moving foward. Think of a color guard, and how the flag looks to someone standing to the left or right as they walk forward .

As to those saying there is something wrong with the US flag he’s holding, it looks fine to me looks like any other mini flag I’ve seen

“Here’s the thing: Your boss rules your life,”

Well when your boss happens to be the government things are a bit different than if they were a private company.

And to degrade The Flag by “flying” it with the skull and crossbones?

Perhaps it is. Strange world …

Maybe he should try flying a flag saying “Al Capone was innocent”.

OT
In the UK there used to be posters put up to discourage people from sticking up their own posters (pauses for the irony to sink in …):

“Bill Posters Will Be Prosecuted”

People quickly added the comment:

“Bill Posters is Innocent!”

Let me start by saying I am not American although I love the country and (most of) her people. I do try to get myself informed before I make a total fool of myself. That is not to say I always succeed.

I know that The Flag is held in the very highest regard and respect in the US. Alistair Cook compared the position of the Queen in England not with the President but with The Flag.

I looked up the flag code/etiquette to see how The Flag should be treated. There are strict rules about the shape of The Flag (the aspect ratio). There are rules about how it should be displayed when other flags are present. How it can never be used in a disrespectful way. How it must be flown. How it must be formerly lowered at sunset unless it is to be lit all night. How even when it is worn out and a particular Flag is tattered it must be treated honourably and destroyed respectfully.

I look at the story our Frontier Marshall posted. The guy seems to be working in a semi-public area of a Court of Law. He “flies” a copy of the flag which appears to be the wrong shape and just tacked onto the side of his PC. He “flies” it along with the pirate “skull and crossbones” – a symbol of disorder, violence, theft, rape, anarchy.

If I were his Supervisor and if I held The Flag in the high respect required by the flag code/flag etiquette I would insist he removed both from public view! And I would not enter into a discussion about how long he served in the military etc. If the guy really served and if he really respected The Flag, how come he was “flying” it along side the ultimate symbol of disorder and anarchy?

Instead of complaining to all and sundry, with the story going to the Press and onto blogs for world-wide ammusement I believe he should have gone to his Supervisor and apologised. He should then have stated he would never have the pirate flag in the office. THEN he could explain how he felt about The Flag and asked how he could demonstrate that feeling in a respectful way that would be acceptable to the Supervisor.

Whether or not you believe the Bible, there is good practical psychology in there. “A soft answer turns away wrath” or in a more American idiom “More flies are caught with honey than with gall”.

Maybe I am entirely wrong here but I have talked to a number of Americans in the past and seen how they felt about The Flag. Maybe his Supervisor felt the same way?

Alan