LENOIR, N.C. – The decision by Associate Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to fly the American flag upside down over his house on Jan. 17, 2021 (as reported by The New York Times) is not a surprise. It achieved its intended effect – it sent a distinctly partisan message not only to all of the nation, but to the election deniers all the way to the top – he’s with them. He has abandoned his oath to protect our Constitutional Republic (democracy if you wish, but that’s not historically accurate, nor is it the current state of affairs).

Alito’s act is chillingly intimidating. Hopefully, the fallout is just beginning, though based on the ignorance of the national media regarding the significance of the issue, I am not encouraged. Recently, CNN reported, “An upside-down American flag – a symbol used by some supporters of former President Donald Trump who challenged the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory – hung outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after the election, The New York Times reported Thursday.”

That’s just wrong. Alito and his ilk have hijacked the true meaning of the upside-down flag and CNN missed it. They are disrespecting the flag – and by extension the Constitution. The U.S. Flag Code says, “(a) 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.” To fly it as Alito did (I’m not buying the BS about his wife for a moment) is a metaphorical, hysterical act encouraging treason in response to an election that Trump lost fair and square.

Alito is not alone though. Almost all MAGA adherents – as well as folks from other political parties and persuasion – show disrespect for the flag according to the U.S. Code (§ 8. Respect for the flag). Here are just a few of the regulations that are constantly violated (emphasis added):

• No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing.
• 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.
• The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
• The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.
• The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
• The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkin or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.

So long as such displays occur – and they do regularly – the concept of American Exceptionalism is simply mere propaganda. To those disrespecting it, it is merely a prop. Alito is reportedly among the most intelligent jurists on the Court. Clearly, his arrogance has no bounds. Neither does his influence!

I learned respect for the flag from my family. At least one member of our family has fought in virtually every American war since the Revolution. For the past 20-plus years, a very close family member has given all in our Near East wars, without fanfare. Now, while it is true that politicians have misused the military for their own purposes, that does not diminish the honor due the men and women who have served under the flag. Our Uncle George died in Korea on June 12, 1950 in a delaying action against rapidly advancing North Korean Communists. My grandmother – his mom – taught me that where George died, his blood served as a symbol of the flag and the hundreds of thousands that were liberated under it in South Korea. He was also a World War II hero, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, where he earned a Bronze Star. There, in Europe, millions were liberated from tyranny under the flag of the United States and her allies.

You may find it understandable, then, that I am disgusted when I see a flag for the dictatorial megalomaniac Donald Trump on the same pole as the Stars and Stripes (as I would be for Joe Biden, but I’ve yet to see one). Using the flag on merchandise as value messaging is pathetic. It has been predictable for some time now. The Republican Party has surrendered unconditionally to Trump.

The insurrectionists carried and wore that flag every way imaginable on January 6, 2021 – except the right way. That’s because they were using it for the wrong reasons. I expect a repeat – at a minimum – next year. The only thing worse than sore losers are sore winners.

© Michael M. Barrick, 2024. U.S. Flag/Trump Photo by Dalton Caraway on Unsplash; MAGA cap Photo by Natilyn Photography on Unsplash; News rack Photo by little plant on Unsplash