How to properly fly the American flag

If you are planning to show your patriotism this 4th of July by flying the Stars and Stripes, here are a few things to remember about proper handling from www.usflag.org:

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• The flag customarily is displayed from sunrise to sunset but it can be displayed 24 hours a day if it is lighted at night. It should not be displayed during inclement weather.

• The flag should be hoisted briskly.

• When displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or at an angle from the window sill, balcony or front of a building, the union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half staff. When the flag is suspended over a sidewalk from a rope extending from a house to a pole at the edge of the sidewalk, the flag should be hoisted out, union first, from the building.

• The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

• The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor or water.

• The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.

• The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.

• The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

For more information on flag etiquette, visit www.usflag.org.