Woapalanne

Never heard that term until I read it here. (And my travels have included 45 states and 16 countries.) As far as I am concerned it sounds vaguely vulgar - too close to that "n" word.

My OA Vigil card got brittle with age and a corner broke off. I still have it in an album, but would love to get a replacement.

"From what I'm reading, it's clear that the flag is being worn on the right sleeve. If it were on the left, there'd be no issue here. "

True.

I have a Stars and Bars patch that is about the same size. I'm thinking about sewing it on a uniform just to see if anybody notices. ;^) I'll bet not.

When I was a Scout (and early Scouter) you wore your neckerchief (it's NOT a "necker" and it's NOT a "scarf") on top with the collar of the shirt folded under. (That was a half century ago, by the way.) Later they came out with a collarless shirt, which was really nice. And you tied the ends into a square knot ONLY after doing your "good deed" for THAT day.(This message has been edited by Woapalanne)

Interesting comments, Stosh, and appreciated. I agree that one should use the most current code.

And, as I thought I was well-informed, but apparently not. I was unaware that a flag on the coffin was proper for a civilian, as well. Thanks for the update. (A different flag will be on my coffin, though.)

As for folding the flag in a triangle, the U.S. flag is the only one done that way, by the way. And yes, it is optional, but always proper.

Nobody's "undies are in a knot". It's just an interesting discussion. You can actually buy U. S. flags turned the other way if you want to replace, but I find them only with gold edges, not blue. Doesn't matter. I'm not going to change all my uniforms. They are correct to BSA protocol, so that's good enough, even if they do look awkward to my eyes.

Interestingly, I was at a National event this summer (not BSA) where a dozen American historical flags were arrayed around the room. 10 of them were backwards (but not the Stars and Stripes).

Sherminator, you are correct. I just went upstairs and looked at my uniforms. We are wearing it backwards. >hang head in embarassment

Actually, here, the government does NOT own the schools. They are owned by the school boards, which are an independent elected body not answerable to the governments (either state or local) except in adherance to the law, just like everybody else. County Council, for example, has NO say in the operation of schools, even though the school district matches the county lines.

Scouts are wearing the flag in the same manner as the U. S. military. Here are the particulars:

"The full-color U.S. flag cloth replica is worn so that the star field faces forward, or to the flags own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observers right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. "

Nuff sed.

"I don't wear a uniform to boost my ego, but rather to boost the organization."

AMEN!!

"Alot of people are in the dark about Freemasonry."

That's because it's a secret order. Non-members are supposed to be in the dark. What the public sees are the charitable works of Freemasonry. What they don't see are the ceremonies, rituals, and oaths that members are bound to keep secret from non-members."

Not correct. It is NOT a secret order. It is an order with secrets. BIG difference. A secret order keeps its existance secret. Freemasonry does not. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Had I made Eagle, Dwight Eisenhower's signature would have been on the certificate. Ronald Reagan's is on my son's.

Actually, nowhere in the code does it say which direction the Union is when it is worn as a patch on approved civilian uniforms. Union forward is simply the logical direction. Anything else on the right sleeve is awkward. And awkward is disrespectful, imo.

"The union is to the left only when the flag is displayed flat upright.

would be correct from the observers point of view."

Correct. But applies to the flag, or A flag, not an embroidered patch representing the flag, which is worn with the union to the wearer's front, giving the same orientation as if the person were carrying a flag. ie: The patch is not "backwards" on the uniform.

"Define "upright" "

In a fixed position. Not horizontal, not flown from a pole.

Strange story - true: I was bullied in high school (being the skinny bespectacled kid) by a real jerk. Later he became a cop, and was killed on the job. I never heard the fine details, but have to wonder if he threw his weight around with the wrong criminal.

If a flag patch is worn on the right sleeve, the union (the blue part) should be toward the wearer's front. That is not backwards. The union is to the left only when the flag is displayed flat upright.

"Then take Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. Formed/ founded outside America, yet they build factories in America, hire American workers who in turn spend money at their local stores, local economy, etc.."

You forgot BMW. They just opened a $750,000,000 expansion here, hiring thousands more, and moving X3 production from Austria to South Carolina. Dozens of supplier companies are building or expanding here, and our ICAR (International Center for Automotive Research) is world class!!

""Blue laws" don't prohibit worship, those are laws that are designed to enforce religious behavior, such as laws making it illegal to sell liquor on Sundays."

That's right, they enforce ONE religious behavior, at the expense of others. Forcing Jewish owned stores, for example, to close on other than the Sabbath, thereby limiting their operating hours to 5 days when others can be open for six. They also discriminate against non-religious, by limiting their actions to conform with one particular religion. They definitely discourage worship in other than the officially approved form. I am amazed that they still stand.

"The ACLU doesn't attack individual prayer...... " Sure they do. They recently forced councilmen in a nearby county to NOT go into a private, closed room to pray, under threat of a Federal lawsuit. Yes, the judges make the rulings, I didn't say they don't. But the ACLU has been strongly against any religious practice, ignoring (or opposing) the second half of the clause I mentioned above.

My 3 National Jamboree staff patches. Because that's when I had the privilege of "paying forward" all that was done for me when I was a Scout.

Eagle92, you are correct. And the Constitution did not prohibit that, until the passage of the 14th Amendment, which extended the prohibitions on Congress to the State governments. The states that had state religions basically eliminated them of their own accord, not because of any Constitutional prohibition at that time, because there wasn't.

What I was referring to (about the second half of the religion clause) was the common prohibitions on worship today, ranging from Blue Laws to the ACLU's attacks on individual prayer (if one happens to hold public office, or be in a stadium).

From an earlier post: ".....as well as the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, specifying that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"."

Common partial statement. What many people forget is the other part of the Amendment, which is commonly ignored (or even denied) in this nation today. That part says "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

"Few persons in contemporary American society truly understand the word "socialism". When people scream about certain policies and practices representing the threat of growing socialism, they don't realize that much of what they are advocating is also socialistic."

Only partly true. MOST of the things labeled "socialist" in today's debates are most definitely NOT "socialistic". Socialist is government (not public) ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods and services. REA and TVA are socialist programs. Government ownership of General Motors is socialist. Public (actually "government") schools, fire protection, police, military are definitely NOT socialist. They are services provided by taxes.