Thursday, October 04, 2007

THEY'RE TAKING OVER

TBogg points out this story:

A Mexican bar owner in Reno Nevada flew the Mexican flag above that of the United States. Only problem is that this is specifically illegal under United States Code Section 7, Title Four, which states,

(c) 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....

The brazen effrontery of the bar prompted an American veteran to cut down both flags....


You mean it's illegal to fly another country's flag to the right of the U.S. flag if it's on the same level? Really?

If that's the case, somebody needs to tell the feds -- or that knife-wielding veteran -- about every Irish bar in America.



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UPDATE: Gator90 says in comments:

Actually, it is not illegal. Title 4, sections 5-9 of the U.S. Code (including Section 7 which Tbogg quoted) is a codification of customs regarding how the flag "should" be displayed by civilians. "Should" (as distinguished from "shall") means it is not mandatory, which is why there are no penalties for non-compliance. By contrast, Section 3 of Title 4 specifies that certain misuses of the flag are punishable by fine or imprisonment. Those are illegal.

It appears from comparing Section 7 and Section 3 that there's no punishment prescribed for putting a foreign flag to the right of or above the U.S. flag. That's what I get for trusting NewsBusters.

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