While driving home today, I had an occasion to go down North Main Street and 11th Street. I noticed that the American flag in front of the school was flying at full staff. Then, as I continued to my home, I noticed a couple of businesses flying the American flag at full staff and the Liberty Fire Department on Bringle Ferry flying the American flag at full staff. This really bothered me. When I arrived home I checked on the computer for the proper American flag etiquette.

The following is extracted from http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html (U.S. Flag Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, section 7, sub-section M):

“The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the president or a former president; 10 days from the day of death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States, or the speaker of the House of Representatives …”

President Bush also included in his proclamation that the flag should be flown at half staff for 30 days out of respect for President Ford.

It really bothered me that our schools, who should be showing our children the proper and correct thing to do, failed to do that by not flying the American flag at half staff.

— William A. Foley

Salisbury