“Dear Flag Maven,” a loyal reader wrote us this afternoon, “We were driving through traffic in our eternal capital Jerusalem, only a handful of days before the great event of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv, and were delighted to see that the local municipality has already decorated the streets with handsome pairs of American flags each facing one another, in honor of President Donald Trump’s visiting delegation of dignitaries who are expected here on May 14 and 15.”
So far, so good, we figured, but our loyal reader continued: “Suddenly I was struck by an uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong. The flags seemed strangely out of place. Can you please check it out? Is it too late to alert the authorities?”
The United States is deadly serious about the respect it dedicates to its national flag, and the US government has issued volumes of detailed instructions regarding every aspect of their management and display.
“When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window, the American flag should be displayed in the same way, that is with the union (blue field of stars) to the left of the observer in the street.
When the US flag is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, the union (blue field of stars) of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff, unless the flag is at half-staff.” Which means the union should on the outside, away from the vertical pole.
We contacted the municipality and told them. Maybe you should, too.