Fair warning – Don’t click through if you don’t want to read something political in nature.
I’m sensitive to those that don’t want to read that sort of thing, hence the fair warning. Nothing bad here, just a curiosity and I’m wondering if other people in the USA are doing the same thing, so testing it on WUWT’s wide readership will likely help answer it.
I have seen upside down US flags twice now in my town. The first time I just thought it was self commentary, now seeing it a second time in a different part of town, I stopped along E. 5th Avenue to get this shot. I wonder, how many people across the United States are doing the same thing after November 6th? In case you don’t know, flying the flag upside down is a sign of distress or emergency. Flying at half staff is respect for the fallen in service of our country. Combined it makes quite a commentary on the Benghazi incident, the fallen soldiers and ambassador, and the election. Checking the Internet I find there are others doing the same thing now, such as this fellow in South Bend, Indiana. Then there’s the story about an upside down half-staff flag at McDonald’s which has angered a lot of veterans even though it was claimed to be a mistake.
The U.S. Flag code says in section 8:
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.
Some people consider it flag desecration such as is on par with burning it as political commentary.
I wonder though, if this sort of visual political commentary I’ve seen in my town is being quietly repeated elsewhere since many people now see the USA as being in distress?
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Thats the beauty of the British flag, turn it upside down and only about 1% would even notice!
There’s a joke around here that Americans are so eager to fly their flag because they are making a community effort to combat the poor school record on geography and prevent kids from wandering off into Mexico or Canada by accident. Not sure what flying it half-mast and upside down means in that context.
Those folks fly an American flag on a flagpole in their front yard. Only Republicans do that. They’re probably in mourning over the election catastrophe.
I haven’t seen it myself. Thanks for the photo.
I think we’ve got a lot more pedants than that!
I live in a red state. I and many people I know have been wearing black since Wednesday. Of course, I did attend an actual funeral on Wednesday, but…
Flying the flag upside down and at half-mast is a protected form of Free Speech. The Supreme Court long ago decided that even burning the flag was protected speech, because it was done as a political expression. The flag burning case was during the Vietnam war.
Re-electing Obama as the post-constitutional president gets you this.
I think there’s a strong chance that the trend is related to the re-election of Obama. I don’t see it as desecration, but a signal of troubled times ahead (and it is an expression of free speech anyway). I’m not surprised at all to see this sort of reaction, and we might expect more in the coming months.
Here’s an observation for you, if I may. Is it me or do the people who tend to be skeptical of climate change “science” the same people who are skeptical of nutrition “science” (see Gary Taubes, Dr. Michael Eades) and are the same people who are skeptical of government in general? In other words, libertarian? Thoughts?
RE:Pingo However flying the Union Flag upside down ( which is what the British flag is known as – unless attached to a ship in which case its a Union Jack ) is also a sign of distress – just one harder to notice. But then that’s why its useful …http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/geography/unionjack7.html
Pingo says: November 9, 2012 at 8:04 am
But surely our flag is symmetrical with a circle of twelve gold stars on an azure background?
(If we’re having politics from early November I may as well light the touchpaper)
Election is over. Get over it. Move on. Learn to make lemonade.
I’ve seen it, too, here and there. I suppose it’s a statement.
For Dave Burton who said, “Those folks fly an American flag on a flagpole in their front yard. Only Republicans do that.”
What irony, Dave; I infer that you are saying that those who want the most of America’s free gifts refuse to fly the flag, and those who get to pay for them fly it proudly.
http://www.pittsreport.com/2012/11/news-voter-fraud-anyone/
What luck! Obama won dozens of Cleveland districts with 100% of the vote.
http://www.redstate.com/2012/09/04/colorado-counties-have-more-voters-than-people/
Colorado Counties Have More Voters Than People
http://freebeacon.com/buying-the-election/
the man who voted TWICE AGAINST the ‘BORN ALIVE ACT’
if the danger was any greater we would suffocate.
http://apocalypseparadigm.blogspot.com/
It seems to be a protest for some at least:
http://www.whiotv.com/news/news/man-flies-flag-upside-down-to-protest-election-out/nSzyp/
http://www.fox4now.com/news/177991351.html
When I was stationed at Ft. Belvoir performing duties as Commander of the Relief (COR) my squad sometimes had to take down the flag and put up the flag. There were 3 sizes of flags (storm, post, and garrison), and thus 6 clips on the cable to attach the various size flags. It was confusing (don’t remember why), and at least one COR had accidentally put the flag up upside down. To keep from doing this, I carried two different colors of tape with me to mark the proper clips and to denote which clip the top of the flag went to. Another military faux-pas at retreat — sometimes when the MPs would fire the canon (with a blank round) at retreat, they would forget to take the rain cap off the opening, and the gases would rip a hole in the cover.
Heard caller on a radio talk show mention this couple nights ago. Mentioned a newspaper blogger suggested doing this in protest. Didn’t catch the paper/town. This was also mentioned during the call: Wichita Falls businessman Harry Patterson flew all the American flags on his properties at half-staff Wednesday, the day following a presidential election he fears may cripple America.
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2012/nov/07/car-dealer-flies-flags-half-staff-after-election/
Thanks for this thoughtful, poignant post, Anthony. The upside down flags express well the sense of dire distress for our country and sadness for the loss of the honored dead at Benghazi that I feel. That our populace could have re-elected a president under whose watch our federal debt has grown by an average $1.3 trillion per year is shocking enough as a commentary on how oblivious many of us are to basic economics, let alone the less obvious but still real immorality of deficit spending, which takes from those who have not even been born and so cannot give their consent, and gives to ourselves. That we can have re-elected a president who has so deeply divided our country, showing such complete contempt for those with whom he disagrees, e.g., on the Affordable Health Care Act, particularly on its requirement that employers must provide insurance that pays for acts that they in their religious conscience consider sinful, is sobering. All this is not even to mention the rampant crony capitalism of his administration (e.g., $billions in loan guarantees by the Department of Energy to companies whose major stockholders were major donors to his election campaign), but that’s the sort of thing that’s not likely to come to the attention of the average voter, so I hardly count it. As a historian, I have less hope for our country’s recovery than ever before.
These are, of course, my own personal thoughts as an individual, not writing as representing any organization.
A M Priestas is probably right. The people who don’t take what “they” say about climate or nutrition as gospel are probably likely to be generally s[ck]eptical about everything. A healthy attitude, if not taken to extremes.
Pingo says:
November 9, 2012 at 8:04 am
Thats the beauty of the British flag, turn it upside down and only about 1% would even notice!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Actually no as any British boy scout, of at least my generation, would know which way up the Union Flag is to be flown. You may be right of course, just as people commonly call it the Union Jack which strictly it is not except when flown from a jackstaff.
And indeed flying it upside down is a signal of distress.
Kindest Regards
fxk says:
November 9, 2012 at 8:19 am
Election is over. Get over it. Move on. Learn to make lemonade.
===================================================
If only we could make lemonade.
But with the ingredients that we were given, all we can make is a Sh*T Sandwich.
And we all have to take a bite
A. M. Priestas – I’m not “skeptical” of those things at all. I have read enough relevant material to gather sufficient facts to convince me that the climate/earth can well take care of itself. My diet or health is simply nobody else’s business whatsoever.
And no, I’m not a “libertarian” of any sort. I’m a sovereign individual… a self owner and self governor. I am responsible for myself and my legitimate dependents, and nobody else – though I’m happy to cooperate with other self owners for mutual goals.
Here is my flag: http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/images/culpepper3.jpg
The idea of Capitalism and freedom died on the 6th of November 2012. The US Constitution and the Republic is very much in distress and is in danger of dying next.
Anthony,
Im a lifelong Democrat and appreciate and commend your efforts to keep this site apolitical during the election.
Continue to let the science speak for itself and you will broaden your audience.
Many skeptic sites alienate potential open minds.
My wife and I have been flying our flag upside down since John Roberts betrayed his oath, and thought it was his job to “fix” an egregiously written law. We had dearly hoped to be able to return our flag to its honorable orientation on Wednesday morning but, sadly, the “takers” held the day for the anointed one.
Who is John Galt?