Driving down main street last night I noticed several flags flying after dark. At the library, at Starbucks, at the Ramona Cafe and at 850 main St. What caught my attention was the inattention paid to illuminating these flying banners.
Along with teaching knot tying, Boy Scouts introduced me to the protocol in addressing and displaying our National Banner. A quick google search brings up multiple links to that protocol. It is the Flag Code of the United States of America, detailed in the United States Code. Title 4, Chapter 1.
This code defines the conduct and rules for the display of our National Banner at night. "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness."
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What does "Properly illuminated" mean? I was taught that the entire banner receives light. At Starbucks, there is a light at the base of the pole, with an impediment that blocks any of that light from reaching the banner. At the library, the light from the base illuminates the bottom tip of the flag. (It does no good to have lights if they aren't positioned properly.) Ramona Cafe seems to be the most illuminated, while 850 Main St. fails completely with zero lighting of it many flags on display.
I would humbly ask these entities to respect the Code which governs the handling of our National Banner. It's a matter of Respect, and it's the Patriotic thing to do.
