Flags

I have some friends in Scotland who are appalled that every where they turn when visiting the United States they see an American Flag. So they grit their teeth and enjoy everything the flag represents, but think it is boorish to display the flag so prominently and especially at retail establishments. Though they have a point of sorts, especially at retail outlets where it now seems to be a requirement to have a flag in front of the building, I find their complaint out of place.
If a place wants to put up a flag as long as it is kept clean and in good repair I like seeing them wave in the breeze. I'm patriotic enough, and enjoy the sight of the flag itself, but I like to watch them flutter. It is fascinating to watch what the breeze is doing to the flag. Sometimes it is just straight out and few wrinkles...other times it just kind of flops around, kind of like the politicians that keep arguing about whether it should be protected with a constituional amendment. I understand how important it is to those who fought under it. I've pledged allegience to it as one nation under God...and will continue to do so.
What I won't do is frequent businesses who are so stupid they don't know how many days are in a 30 day time frame. When a president dies the morning period is 30 days. It has nothing to do with the president's politics and how it meets your own personal agenda. When Nixon died there were a number of places that refused to lower the flag. When Clinton Dies I would have the same thoughts...but it has nothing to do with the politics, it has everything to do with the mourning the country is in when a president dies, regardless of their politics. We fight wars under that flag, we play baseball games, we shop under it, we freely elect officials because of it, when a president dies the flag goes to half staff, for 30 days, not a week, not 15 days...not 28 or 29 or whenever the janitor decides its been long enough. Businesses and others who fly the flag at full staff during a period of mourning not only show disrespect, but their own ignorance, and don't deserve anyone's reciprocal good feelings or money.
I mean the next time your mother-in-law passes on how wonderful for you when some guy gets up at the funeral and does a comedy roast on the state legislature. That's how inappropriate a full staff flag is during a period of national mourning. Ford was not in the class of Washington or Lincoln, but he had a place in history, some of it good, some of it controversial, some of it stupid (WIN buttons), and some real bloopers (Poland comes to mind), but he was the president elected or not. He died. We are in national mourning for 30 days...and that doesn't end on the 17th of January. I was on vacation when I heard of the death, but I know it was after the 25th, so it looks to me like there are some real stupid people out there who can't count up to 30.
I pledge allegience to the flag of the United States of America
And to the politicians who hide behind it
One nation with an attention span under 30 days
divisible by bipartisan bickering
With liberty stolen and morals legislated for all.