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Show PAGES UNIVERSITY JOURNAL FOCUS ON: AMERICA • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8 , 1001 'Old Glory' displays American Pride BY CATHERINE CHAN Flag a symbol of strength through ages BY STACY VENTURA The flag was given the name of · Old Glory" on Aug. I 0. 183 1 by Capt. William Driver, part of the brig Charles Doggett. A Congressional proclamation issued in 1818 said that a ncw star must be placed on the flag when a new state wa~ admitted to the union. At first. a new stripe was also added as states joine d the union, but this prac tice was stopped . The flag has since been modified to accommodate the United States· expansion . The Elementary school students arc us ually taught result was a 50-star flag after Alaska and Hawaii that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is a way to became states in 1958 and 1959, respect ivc.:ly. show respect for thcir country, but most of them Besides representing the 50 statcs, the stars on do not know the flag's significance or how it the flag symbolize the strength of the nation . came to he. 'tars were "a symbol o f India, Persia and Congress authorized the first flag on Egypt (that] symbolizc.:cl dominion and June.: l 4. l 777. The flag later became.: the sovercignt y, as well as lofty aspirations." subject of a national holiday known as The stripes of the flag re prescnt thc Flag Day, which is celehratedJum: 14. original 13 colonie~. Red stripes stand The United States flag is one of the for ·valor. zeal and fervency." White oldc.:st of the nationaJ sta ndards of the stripes represent "hope . purity, world , o lder than even thc "Union Jack of cleanlincss of life and rectitude of Britai n and the Tricolor of France ." It was conduct." Thc field of blue behind the first raised at Fort Stanwick in Rome, N.Y.. stars is "the color of heaven, for on Aug. 3, 1777. rewrence to God. loyalty, sincerit y. The American flag was carried into justice and truth ." battle for the first cimc on Sept. 11 , 1777. 5 Washington recognized the symbolism It was flown ovcr foreign soi l in the ; in the: flag when he sa'id that · we take Bahamas on Jan. 28, 1-78. '.:' the stars from heaven , the red from our According to history, the first flag was _ · ;; mothc.:r countrr. separating it by white produced by Elizabeth Griscom "Betsy • 6 .,tripes. thus showing that we have Ross," a seamstress from Philaddphia and "tiClit;""";tl ; scparatcd from her. and the white stripes friend of George Washington . Other shall go down to po~terity reprc..·:,cnting accounts give credit to congrcssman L-..L.J...,.:: liberty." Francis llopkinson for designing the U .S. The symbolism of the flag is one.: of The symbolism of the flag is one of independence and popular flag . "indepcndcncc and popular :-.overcignt} ... sovereignty. SENIOR STAFF WRJTER Songs in the land of Liberty (www.legion .org/americanism/ flag codc.htm) suggests eight rult:s for displaying the flag properly: • When on display or carried in a procession with o t her flags, thc flag s hould he positioned to its own right. Also, it should he placed to the right o f • 111e flag should he.: at the.: center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states , loc;tlitics o r societies arc grouped Americans have displayed the United States for display. flag ever ywhere since the events of Sept. 11, • When the flag is displayed cithcr vertically or mani fcsting their love of and pride in the horizontally against a wall, the.: stars should he nation . placed at the top of the flag's right and the Since the flag represents all Americans, it ohscrvcr's left. is important to remember several rules and • When thc flag is unfurled for display across guidelines of flag etiquette. a street, it should be hung vertically. with the According to national g uidelines, the first star:, to the north o r cast. rule of flag etiquette is res pect. Some • Whc.:n the.: flag is flown with flags of other general guidelines for flag e tiquette are: nations, they are to be displayed from • The flag should not be dipped to any separate staffs of the s:tme height , and cach person o r thing, and can be flown upside should he.: of equal size. International law down o nly as a distress sign al. forbids the display of the flag of one nation to • The flag should never be used as apparel , he flown above that of anothcr nation during bedding o r drapery. Bunting of red, white times of peace. and blue may be used for covering a • During a time of national mourning, thc speaker 's desk, draping the front of a flag may hc flown at half-mast by order or platform, or for decoration in general. proc lamation of the Preside nt of the United • The flag should never he fas tened, States. When flown at half-staff, the flag displayed, used o r stored in a way that should hc hoistcd to the peak for an instant would allow it to be easily torn , soi led or and then lowercd to the half-staff p osition. It damaged. T h e flag should never have any should then he raised to the.: peak before it is mark, insignia, letter, work or other design lowered at the end of the day. placed upon it. • On Memorial Day, the flag should be • The flag should never he used as a displayed at half-staff until noon. then raiscd receptacle for receiving, holding. carrying to the top of the staff and flown until sunset. o r delivering anything. Local customs regarding the lowering of • The flag should never be used for company, city or other flags to half-staff arc advertising purposes. lt s hould not be directed by the executive officers of those embroidered, printed or otherwise service areas. impressed on artic les such as cushions. • When the flag is used to cover a casket , it handkerc hiefs. paper napkins, b oxes or should he..· placed with star:, at the head and anything designed for tempo rar y w,e. over the lcft shoulder. 'Ille flag should not he Advertising signs s hould not be fastened to lowered into the grave or be allowed to touch a flag 's staff or halyard . the ground. • No part of the flag s ho uld he used as an The flag represents all Americans and it is important to The flag is generally displayed on national element of a costume or ath letic uniform . remember proper etiquette. holidays. including: New Year's Day. However, a flag patch may he worn on the Inauguration Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s uniform of military personnel, fire fighters Birthday, Lincoln 's Birthday, WashingLOn·s and members of patriotic or o ther national a speaker or staging arc.:a. while other flags are Birthday, Easter Sunday, Mother's Day, Armed organizations (su c h as the uniforms of veterans· placed to the left. Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Father's Day. service organizations.) • Whcn the flag is displayed from a staff projecting I n<kpcndc.:ncc.: Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, In addition to guidelines for proper care of horizontally from a window sill. balcony, or Columbus Day, Vctcrans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the flag, there are rules fo r displaying the flag. building, the stars of the flag should he placcd at Christmas Day, Election Day and also state and One Web site the peak of the staff unless thc flag is at half-staff. local holidays and/ or birthdays. JOURNAL STAFF WRITER •~-t! ; PAGE 9 BY MARY HAMMON JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Just outside Baltimore, a young lawyer watched from a small boat as British warships bombarded Fort McHenry through the night. Still in its infancy, America was involved in the war of 181 2, and the o utlook was grim. Washington, D.C. , had already fallen. The new White House had been burned and President James Madison barely managed to evade capture. When Britain turned toward Baltimore, the commander at Fort McHenry commissio ned a flag so big "the British will have no trouble seeing it from a distance." Francis Scott Key, returning from the release of prisoners o f war, watched the flag throughout the attack and was relieved to see that the flag still flew over the fort at dawn. "Then in that hour of deliverance, my heart spoke," he wrote. "Does not such a country, and such defenders of their country deserve a song?" The "Star-Spangled Banne r" was his answer. Throughout American history, songs have inspired and spread patriotism. Soldiers sang them going to war, and families played them when the soldiers returned. Patriotic songs signaJed the unity of a common goal and the comfort of home. Key's "Star Spangled Banner" was later set co music and spread througl1 Patriotic purchases on the rise BY CYNTHIA KIRKHAM SENIOR STAFF WRITER The events of Sept. 11 changed life in the United States drastically, from tl1e way Americans travel and open the mai.l to the way they treat their loved ones and spend money. A drop in consumer spending shortly after the attacks didn't leave much hope for an already slow economy. • Jn the days following the attack the level of activity declined significantly," Alan Greenspan, chairman of Federal Reserve Board, said while speaking before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. "The shock was most <:vident in consumc.:r markc.:ts as many potential purchasers stayed riveted to their tclcvision~ and away from shopping malls." Retail salcs for the month of September were a shock by themselvcs. The Commerce Department said the 2.4 percent drop in sales was the largest in 10 years. Those who watch the economy have reason to hope that thing~ will gel bac k to normal. however. Sales of patriotic mcrehandise ha,·e gone through the roof on the Internet and even at Cedar City bu~inesses. Billie Caillouettc. a cashier at the.: Wal-Mart Supercenter. said she has scen a significant increase in patriotic products at the store. She said the most popular items arc flag and eagle lapel pin~ displayed near the register... which arc inexpc.:nsive. Other the country, defining the soul of a young nation. ln 1931. Congress enacted legislation that made the song America's national antl1em. A new sense of patriotism since the Sept. 11 attacks, has prompted SUU's Wind Ensemble to perform the national antl1cm at a concert on Dec. 5. "America the Beautiful, " first published on July 4, 1895, captured the spirit of a nation formed by people from diverse backgrounds. After visiting Pike 's Peak in Colorado, Katherine Lee Bates wrote the nowfamous h ymn lyrics, beginning with ·oh beautiful for spacious skies, " in one sitting. The song used the beauty and variety of the American landscape as a setting for its message of the country's unique focus on hrotl1erhood. Bates, a prolific poet, attributed the instant popularity of the song to the character of the nation. "TI1at the hymn has gained such a hold as it has upon our people is clearly due to the fact that Americans are at heart idealists. with a fundamental faith in brotherhood," she said. America's sense of brotherhood and promise for a better life attracted immigrants from across the world and added to the diverse face of the nation. TI1c country's "unofficial national anthem" was composed by an immigrant, Irving Berlin. Berlin wrote "God Bless America" at the end of World War 1, hut tl1e song was not performed until Armistice Day (Nov. 11 ) in 1938. First introduced in a radio broadcast, the song was instant sensation. An outstanding songwriter during both world wars, Berlin said that "a patriotic song is an emotion." The song, simpler and easier co sing than previous patriotic numbers, gave Americans an outlet for their intense feelings in stormy times. Since the eventS of Sept. 11 , the song has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., shaken from the terrorist attacks, gathered on the steps of the Capitol building and performed a ragged rendition of "God Bless America." Radio stations hegan playing the song again, and benefit concerts throughout the nation used it as a finale. Patriotic songs give Americans an outlet for their intense f eelings during stormy times. economy, and that the patriotism helps the country stay united items include T-shirts and patriotic fabric. in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Goldberg said tl1at . Judy Schulthies, a customer service representative at the craft people selling these goods might be "exploiting the emotions of counter, said there has also been an increase in the demand for the American people in a time of tragedy," but she doesn't think patriotic fabric. " lf I had to make a guess I would say the increase has been so. Price gouging does not seem to be a problem in Cedar City, I 00 percent of what we were selling before Sept. 11 ," she said. where patriotic merchandise is generally inexpensive. A patriotic Schul th ies said she has heard of several uses for the fabric T-shirt, for example, is onJy $4.88, while a picture of the New such as quilts, pillows, vests, scrapbooks- and flags, since it is York skyline with an American flag in the background is S2 .96. nearly impossible to find a flag anymore. While it is true Bows, w ind socks, that someone could bandannas, window and buy a Britney Spears paper stickers and craft poster or a choice of paper also have an Old patriotic view Glory theme. Patriotic posters for S3.96, items aren't coming off the difference is that the shelves to sit in a $1 from the sale of closet. Instead, people are the patriotic poster flying the stars and goes to the United strip es everywhere. Way's Sept. 11 fund. A story from Cedar City msnbc.com said that businesses are Annin and Company, the .? displaying the flag world's Largest and oldest ~ and donating money flag manufacturer, made ~ to various relief some 200 flags just before ~ efforts to get Sept. 11 . After the · ,,I.. z~ shoppers back rn terrorist attacks, that "' .... their stores. O ne number jumped to some ! retailer donated 10 1,500. The company is ! percent of all sales currently processing I 170,000 hack orders. Tarin Clark, a freshman paralegal major from Cedar City, rings up patriotic < to relief efforts in tl1e days following Stores in Cedar City purchases. Since attacks of Sept. 11 , patriotic consumerism has increased. Sept. l l. have not been immune to MSNBC.com said a the flag shortage. Lucky Brand store in Denver saw jeans sales skyrocket because "We are sold out by the second day we have a new order of the jeans were "made in America." flags. " Caillouette said. Are retailers using the tragic events of Sept. 11 to make Like the businesses in Cedar City, the streets of New York arc filled with patriotic goods. Teri Goldberg, shopping writer for money' Andy Rooney, a news correspondent for CBS, doesn't think so. MSNBC.com, said street vendors are everywhere, selling Americans display the flag on their cars, houses and businesses everything from flags co T-shirts and hats. because "the World Trade Center happened to all of [them]." Most would agree that an increas<: in sales is good for the |