The North Andover, MA Debacle

People’s Stupid Actions

Absent-minded actions are leading to unnecessary anger and hostility. Nice job. If you had pulled your heads out of your virtue signaling backsides for a minute and actually read the Flag Code, you would have seen, in black and white, wording that explains national flags are flown from separate poles only! To place one national flag over another is a clear sign of aggression.

North Andover, MA flew the Israeli and Palestinian flags beneath not only the US, but the POW. What an absolute disgrace that could have been easily avoided. I cannot judge if the people involved are stupid, that’s not my place. I can, however, tell everyone that these idiotic ACTIONS, meant to please everyone, are immediately failing and you should all be fired. You’ve put your community in danger.

Further, you quickly tried to backpedal and hurriedly signed a ban on all non-government flags and now you cannot fly the Purple Heart flag that you have flown in years passed. You screwed up three times in royal fashion.

Let’s Review

1. The purple heart flag has not yet been federally recognized. The original intent for this design was to represent members of the military order of the Purple Heart Veterans Organization – putting it in a similar status as the POW/MIA flag- a private organization flag. Any changes to the flag code are vicious, obnoxious battles that result in the proposals never making it out of committee. Which is why the last update to the US flag was done by Executive Order. The core aspects of the Flag Code haven’t changed since it was adopted in the 1940’s and does not account for changes in manufacturing processes, materials, or social changes.
2. We have a situation here of mixing the Civilian Laws, Military Regulations, and International agreements.
3. The city of North Andover created their own debacle by violating the Flag Code.
   a. Nothing in any state or federal law authorizes municipalities to arbitrarily fly a foreign flag. The state department’s guidelines state that foreign flags should only be used when officials from that country are participating in a formal event.
   b. Foreign flags NEVER fly on the same flag pole as the US flag- EVER! The Flag Code clearly states all national flags are flown from separate poles and halyards.
   c. When a foreign flag is displayed with the US flag- the POW flag should be removed from the US flag pole as we have switched from Civilian law (Title 4 USC) to UN Flag protocol

Written with DeVaughn Simper, resident Vexillologist, Colonial Flag