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Bagnato: Accusation about resident was wrong

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In her letter (“Resident upset with inverted U.S. flag,”), Sun City West resident Mary Arnot comes across as if the world has ended because a neighbor decided they want to express their disgust with the current state of political affairs in this country by flying their flag upside down.

Without even speaking to the owner, Ms. Arnot somehow knew the resident’s intent was to “….embroil and flagrantly demonstrate support for what happened at our nation’s capital Jan. 6.” This is quite a damning accusation and no question flat out wrong.

The United States Flag Code states clearly, “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.”

With the key words being “…except as…” it’s obvious to me the resident’s intent is to express his or her distress with the current state of affairs in our country — the very same reason I fly my flag upside down and have been doing so for weeks now.

There is no law against it, just as there is no law against burning a flag, something we see happening all too often with radical groups, such as Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

I wonder if Ms. Arnot reacts with the same outrage when she sees that happening, or when people wear the image of a flag on their mask, or as an article of clothing — all noted as being disrespectful per the Flag Code.

Frank Bagnato
Sun City West