Went on a walk today per usual. The difference was, being Memorial Day, lots of people were flying the flag. Since it isn't the scouts anymore, the flag-planted-in-the-yard fundraiser is now the "young men" of ward xxx. $45 gets a flag planted a few times a year including pioneer day but not Veterans Day...go figure.

Anyway, the condition of some of the flags was awful..very faded and very dusty and dirty looking.

With the $100B slush fund or even the money raised from this fundraiser, you'd think they could keep the flags in better condition and replace them when they get worn out!

were those ones that look like the scout ones planted in the front of the yard. I think maybe 3. I haven't seen any in this ward. I was going to ask my daughter about that.

Yes..it used to be a scout project. I got a flyer earlier this year that it was now going to be a YM project from ward so and so in my neighborhood. Seems like the price went up and the number of holidays went down. I never participated in it even when it was the scouts. The PVC pipes are also looking really shabby and dinged up. It was just sad to see how little respect was given to the whole project.

You mean the flags with the tag that says “Made in China”?

Pioneer Day, but not Veteran's Day? I wish I had been in the room when those decisions were made.

Pioneer Day, when illegal American immigrants moved onto land claimed by Mexico and occupied by various First Nations.

As for Veterans Day, what, too cold for the boys? Afraid there might be snow on the ground that would slow things down?


Not that I am that big a fan of vending machine patriotism - insert $45, prepackaged patriotism will be delivered.

My thought is that the COB has drained the local leadership of all interest on actually doing a good job. Before, it used to be a Boy Scout thing, and not just a Mormon church thing, so the whole neighborhood was engaged. Now it's just the Mormon contingent, and even the staunchest of Mormons is starting to balk of the idea of giving the church even more money which will not go the YM program but will, like everything else, end up in the pockets of RMN and his Gang of Twelve. So if I were a YM leader I would feel very little incentive to do more than the bare minimum, including caring for the flags and replacing old ones.

Having said that, it would seem quite easy for some other charity to take over the job. Even the Boy Scouts, although I know they are dealing with a small PR issue right now.

I don't do flags. Well, that is to say, I don't do flag worship. I will put the flag out on July 4th, only. But before that, on July 1, I put out the Canadian flag. Then July 14 is Bastille Day, and I put out the French flag. On 3 October is German Reunification Day, I put out the German flag. I missed my opportunity to fly the English flag, because I forgot. I hope I can remember to fly the Scottish flag at the end of November.

Cludgie, you need to fly an Italian flag! On April 25, festa della Liberazione, or June 2, festa della Repubblica.

No reason to retain flags that have well served and should be honorably retired.

That way when our democracy is gone we can at least cherish our crisp clean colors

Wow. Sadly and powerfully said.

Generally speaking, literal democracies are few and far between.

Americans supposedly live in representative republic, where any popular cause that doesn’t interrupt commerce, and looks good in a meme, has a shot at succeeding.

The official way to dispose of a tattered flag is to burn it.

Ditto: My husband, a WWII veteran, would walk into establishments which flew dirty, torn flags, and demand that they take them down and burn them.