Thursday September 2, 2010
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Flag Etiquette – A Flag Day Reminder
Sunday - June 13, 2010

American FlagFlag Day is a traditional day for retiring American flags. Recently I discovered a discarded American flag in a dumpster. I am not "Mr. Patriot" but I do know this is not the proper way to dispose of a  worn and tattered American flag. I fished the flag out and placed it in the trunk of my car until I could take it somewhere for proper disposal. I do recall seeing a flag drop-off box in Plano somewhere. I think it's an American Legion or VFW post. I didn't pay attention. The last bullet point in the following post states, "...should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning." I understand burying the flag is acceptable, but always bear in mind the purpose of disposal, to ensure the retired flag cannot ever be used or flown in its poor condition.

In honor of Flag Day, the following is a reminder of proper flag etiquette:

Position and manner of display

  • The flag, when carried in a procession with another flag or flags, should be either on the marching right; that is, the flag's own right, or, if there is a line of other flags, in front of the center of that line.
  • The flag should not be displayed on a float in a parade except from a staff, or as provided in subsection (i) of this section.
  • The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat. When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
  • No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof: Provided, That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor, and other national flags in positions of equal prominence or honor, with that of the flag of the United States at the headquarters of the United Nations.
  • The flag of the United States of America, when it is displayed with another flag against a wall from crossed staffs, should be on the right, the flag's own right, and its staff should be in front of the staff of the other flag.
  • The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.
  • When flags of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United States flag's right.
  • When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.
  • When the flag of the United States is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, the union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half staff.
    When the flag is suspended over a sidewalk from a rope extending from a house to a pole at the edge of the sidewalk, the flag should be hoisted out, union first, from the building.
  • When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.
  • When the flag is displayed over the middle of the street, it should be suspended vertically with the union to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street.
  • When used on a speaker's platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed above and behind the speaker.
  • When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.
  • The flag should form a distinctive feature of the ceremony of unveiling a statue or monument, but it should never be used as the covering for the statue or monument.
  • The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.
  • When the Flag is used to cover a casket, it should be so placed that the union is at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.
  • When the flag is suspended across a corridor or lobby in a building with only one main entrance, it should be suspended vertically with the union of the flag to the observer's left upon entering. If the building has more than one main entrance, the flag should be suspended vertically near the center of the corridor or lobby with the union to the north, when entrances are to the east and west or to the east when entrances are to the north and south. If there are entrances in more than two directions, the union should be to the east.

Respect for flag

  • No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.
  • The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
  • The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
  • The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
  • The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.
  • Bunting of blue, white, and red always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
  • The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
  • The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
  • The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
  • The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
  • The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkin or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
  • No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.
  • The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

A side note, here's some interesting information about flying the American flag on Memorial Day:

The flag is to be quickly raised to full staff then slowly lowered to half staff until 12:00 noon, then raised to full staff until sunset (remember, you may fly the flag overnight if it is an all-weather flag and it is illuminated). I must admit I did not know this but flying at half-staff on Memorial Day makes perfect sense.

I hope you find this information useful. Happy Flag Day, everybody!

 
Greedy Corporations? Try Greedy Ex-Vice Presidents!!
Wednesday - June 9, 2010

Those greedy corporations, sheez. The left whines constantly about the oil companies and other large industries making money hand over fist. Well have you lefties considered how much money is at stake and how much will be made by a few of the "players" if Cap and Trade were to pass? Think of all the money Al Gore will make in this deal if it became law to be able to tax air and to make it a commodity. Heck, they are already proclaiming CO2, aka Carbon Dioxide, is a harmful greenhouse gas. 5th grade biology tells us CO2 is a necessary and beneficial gas, which, without it, all plant life would die.

Here's Cap-and-Trade in a nutshell:

The bill is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by mid-century, through energy efficiency measures and a cap-and-trade proposal that requires energy companies to buy licenses from the government in order to emit carbon while producing electricity. The idea of the legislation is to drive Americans away from buying electricity produced with carbon emissions by artificially raising the price of electricity produced that way.

Over time, under the theory of the bill, the government would subsidize the creation of new "green" electricity producing industries and people would buy them because their prices were subsidized by the government while traditional electricity had prices artificially inflated by the government (our BROKE government).

Here's a run-down of what Al Gore has at stake:

Al Gore’s venture capital firm has invested $6 million in a software company that stands to make billions of dollars from cap-and-trade regulation, further fueling controversy that Gore lied about his profiteering from cap-and-trade to Rep. Marsha Blackburn and the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee during testimony in April.

Hara Software sells software to help track greenhouse gas emissions. The market for such software is now about $2.5 billion dollars in size, and is expected to grow by a factor of ten to $25 billion if cap-and-trade legislation is enacted.

Al Gore's $9m estateAl Gore is nothing but a greedy, lying son of a bitch. His $9 million dollar estate in Nashville, TN is reported to use over 12 times the energy as the average U.S. home. No I am not knocking him for that. Use as much as you want to pay for. Have at it! But don't claim we are destroying the planet and justify your huge energy usage by "buying" energy credits, which does absolutely NOTHING but move money from one hand to another. No less energy is used. It's a joke and a scam.

I agree we should not waste energy, and if I had money coming out of my ass I would LOVE to erect wind turbines and install solar panels. The problem is, that technology is financially OUT OF REACH for most people (me included) and we need to use the proven, affordable technology we have: coal, oil, and nuclear (YES NUCLEAR! Let's build some more NUKE PLANTS!).

OK I got off track. Bottom line is, stop whining about corporate greed until you start including greedy scammers in high places.

 

 

 
Things Derived from Oil and the Evil Oil Companies That Bring it to Us
Wednesday - June 9, 2010

Obama has spent the past week berating and villifying BP; you know, that evil oil company that is intentionally destroying the ecosystem with that out of control well 5,000 feet under the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

Just a reminder: Those "evil" oil companies are responsible for our modern quality of life. I am thankful for them every time I drive in my gasoline-powered car. I am thankful for them every time I drink a bottle of water from the plastic container on a hot day. I am thankful for them when I walk in comfort in my rubber-soled shoes.

The following is a list of everyday things we take for granted that are derived or partially made from the very petroleum those "evil" oil companies extract from our planet.

adhesives
air conditioners
ammonia
antihistamines
antiseptics
artificial turf
asphalt
aspirin
balloons
bandages
basketballs
boats
brushes
butane
cameras
candles
car batteries
car bodies
carpet
cassette tapes
caulking
chewing gum
clothing
cold cream
combs
compact discs
computers
contact lenses
cortisone
crayons
dentures
deodorant
dice
diesel fuel
dishwashing liquid
electric blankets
electrician's tape
eyeglasses
fertilizers
fishing lures
fishing rods
floor wax
footballs
gasoline
glue
glycerin
golf balls
guitar strings
hair coloring
hair curlers
hair dryers
hearing aids
heart valves
heating oil
house paint
ice chests
ink
insect repellent
insulation
jet fuel
kerosene
life jackets
linoleum
lip balm
lipstick
loudspeakers
marine diesel
mops
motor oil
motorcycle helmets
movie film
nail polish
oil filters
paint brushes
panty hose
parachutes
pens
perfumes
petroleum jelly
ping pong paddles
plastic chairs
plastic cups
plastic forks
plastic wrap
plywood
purses
refrigerator seals
roller skate wheels
roofing paper
rubber bands
rubber boots
rubber cement
running shoes
saccharine
shoe polish
shoes
shower curtains
solvents
stereos
sweaters
tape recorders
telephones
tennis rackets
thermos bottles
tires
toilet seats
toothpaste
transparencies
transparent tape
trash bags
TV cabinets
typewriter ribbons
umbrellas
upholstery
vaporizers
vitamin capsules
volleyballs
water pipes
water skis
wax paper

BP is doing everything they can to contain the spill, and they WILL pay every dime of the cost of cleanup and restitution. They can't pay a cent if they are unnecessarily driven to bankruptcy. This also serves as a reminder that with all those "record profits" these oil companies have been making comes with record liability and risk.

On a side note, don't you think this mess would be easier to clean up if the oil companies were allowed to drill in shallower water? Seems less risky to me. I'm just saying.

 
Ron Washington Tossed from the Game
Friday - June 4, 2010

On the heals of Jim Joyce's now famous "bad call" that led to Detroit Tigers' Armando Galarraga's failure to record a perfect game, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington was tossed from the game after only a few moments of arguing with the second base umpire, Chris Guccione. A replay of the slide into second by Rangers Center fielder Julio Borbon showed the umpire made a good call. It was close, but a good call. The Borbon was tagged before he touched second base, and Ron Washington was ejected from the game.

The Rangers went on to win against Tampa Bay 9-6.

 

Julio is called out at second Ron Washington ejected after arguing with umpire Chris Guccione

 

 
A New World Order - Closer Than We Think?
Wednesday - June 2, 2010
Obama may be intentionally leading our country down a dark alley. He has done nothing at all that is ultimately GOOD for our country as we know it. I am talking about a free society and the free market. Yes, that dirty little word, "capitalism". We are going down the socialist path and I fear the problem (the threat) is much greater, even larger than our President.

The world government proponents have infiltrated our top level leadership. Actually they have been APPOINTED to top level positions.

Even if we replace all top level politicians in 2012 with the most conservative and trusted people we can find, I have a pretty reasonable fear that they will be battling a greater force. A force driven by deranged Utopian socialist and communist ideology that is manifest in the form of extremely powerful people. These people already have and will continue to have immense influence inside Washington.
 
Dramatic Truck Crash Video Released
Tuesday - June 1, 2010

A tractor trailer crash on the Dallas North Tollway Wednesday morning, May 26, 2010, was caught on a couple of the DNT's many traffic cameras. It's pretty dramatic, but nobody was seriously hurt. Have a look:

 

 

 
Satellite Internet: It's Better Than Nothing!
Friday - May 28, 2010

Hughesnet  Satellite DishWe moved to a rural part of Fort Worth the first part of January, 2010. Little did I know there was NO cable access, and that meant no high speed internet. DSL is not an option either. For me, this is a deal breaker. Our only options were to move (again) or to get satellite internet service. Since satellite service also entailed a large initial upfront cost we had to do without for some time. It has been a little more than 3 months since we got Hughesnet (our satellite internet provider), and here is my take on it.

 
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