I know we shouldn't fly damaged or faded flags -- but what do I do with old flags? Also, I know the sun shouldn't set on a U.S. flag, so the flag at our house is automatically illuminated at sunset and through the night and the floodlight turns off at sunrise. What are other rules of flag etiquette? By the way, people might be interested to learn that a flag flown over the Capitol can be purchased through their U.S. representative.
Loyal Nye, Kensington
The rules regarding the display and disposal of the American flag can pretty much be boiled down into one edict: Treat the flag with respect.
The Pittsburgh-based National Flag Foundation has details on its Web site, http://www.americanflags.org , including the text of the U.S. Flag Code, which was written in 1924 and adopted by Congress in 1942. The code is quite specific, outlining how to display the flag in various places, from ship's masts to automobile fenders. It is advisory in nature, stipulating no penalties for falling afoul of it.
And there is some wiggle room. Joyce Doody , the Flag Foundation's executive director, says the flag may be displayed at night as long as something such as a porch light provides enough illumination so passersby can tell it's a flag. A flag may be flown in the rain, if it's an all-weather flag. (Take it down in high winds, though.)
You don't need to destroy a flag if it's touched the ground. You should just pick it up and wash it if it got dirty. (Many dry cleaners launder American flags for free. "It kind of makes me feel good," said George Stratigis of Nu Look Cleaners in Beltsville. "It's just a little thing I can do.")
When a flag is torn or frayed beyond repair, it should be retired respectfully, which means folding it properly then burning it, or cutting it along the stripes and then burning it. You can do it yourself (the foundation's Web site has details on a family ceremony) or contact the nearest post of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, or Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop. They often will perform the service.
If you want to purchase a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol, contact your member of Congress. Some 100,000 flags a year are run up flagpoles on the roof of the Capitol.
As for where exactly those flagpoles are and the process by which the flags are raised, the architect of the Capitol's office says it's a secret because of security. Answer Man plans on filing a Freedom of Information Act request to discover what they're smoking over there that makes them think something so innocuous should be secret.
