My Neighbor and The Flag
By hoghoney
@hoghoney (3747)
United States
July 17, 2007 9:58pm CST
I just want to say that some people should not be allowed to hang our flag. My neighbor has just hung a flag on the outside of his trailer, it is just a small one that you can buy anywhere and comes with the kit to hang it with. Well this is the thing that mad me and my boyfriend mad. The day he hung it outside to start with he had it upside down and I just pulled into my driveway and seen it. I got out of the car and yelled at him to turn it up the right way and I'd be dang if he didnt look at me like I was crazy, he started to walk away and said he would turn it in a minute and I told him he would do it now or I will take it down. So the dumba** while laughing goes and turns it right. But now me and my boyfriend are telling him that he better make sure that it is not outside when it gets dark because he dont have a light on it and he better not leave it out if it is raining or we will take it donw. Well let me tell you all that my neighbor now is without a flag because last night he left it out and it has been raining all night and my boyfriend went out at 2:30 in the morning and took his flag down. I have told my neighbor that if he wanted it back and if he was going to hang it back out that he better hang it the right way and with pride because there are to many people that have died for the flag so he needed to have respect for them and do it right. So what did he do he called the town cop on us and when we told the cop about why we took it, well the cop told him that he would of done the same thing if he were his neighbor too. So now, he said that he is not putting it back out because he dont want us to steal it again. Sorry about his luck, if he would of did it right the first time I would not of took it. Just wanted to vent this out.
4 people like this
11 responses
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
19 Jul 07
I have mixed feelings about this. If you stole something from my property someone would get a broken hand. Regardless of the situation. So stealing is wrong. You can say you didn't steal it because you told him. Well then I wouldn't be committing a crime either because I would have told you I would break your hand for taking something from my property. Fair is fair. There are no double standards.
Next. If it was some piece of crap polyester flag made in China, Taiwan or some other 3rd world country then it is just that. A cheap toy. YOU CAN NOT consider a flag made in another country and AMERICAN flag.
Now if it were a real flag then I would support you 100% other than stealing it. You could have taken the flag down, folded it properly and left it on his porch or something.
Two wrongs don't make a right but I would still have broken a hand for someone taking my property.
1 person likes this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
I do believe that the one he has was made in america, I do agree with you about where the flag is made, I myself would not buy one that was not made in the USA. But we did take the flag down and folded it up and put it in his truck that has been sitting in his driveway for 2 months, it just took him 4 days to see that it was gone that is how much he cared about it, I would of seen it missing that morning when I went outside if it was mine. I understand about the stealing part but it really never left his proterty. and I did get my point across to him. thank you for your reply.
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
19 Jul 07
LMAO you left it in his truck that was in the driveway for 2 months.
1 person likes this
@petermason2000 (238)
• United States
18 Jul 07
Seems to me you stole his flag. Not right. Ignorant people can fly the flag too. There are ALOT of people who do not know proper flag etiquette. That does not mean they don't love their country. The flag is nowhere near as important as the country, the freedom, and the republic it represents. Perhaps I am wrong, but I do nto think it is illegal to display the flag incorrectly, but I am pretty sure taking the flag without permission is.
1 person likes this
@icelady (11)
• Belgium
18 Jul 07
I have to agree with ya peter , you can get your panties in a bunch over lots off stuff , but this just takes the cake , lol
If the man wants to hang his flag upside down , let him !
I thought the U.S. was a country that always exersized freedom of speech , right ?
1 person likes this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
freedom of speech is one thing, and the flag is another. And dont get me wrong but if you two here hung your flag upside down unless there is a calling for it, I bet I would be in your front yard with a ladder also. Thanks for the replay and have a great day. Hale to the flag that hangs right.
1 person likes this
@petermason2000 (238)
• United States
18 Jul 07
Icelady, you are right. The answer to "speech" you do not like is more speech. If my neighbor erected a Confederate flag or flew their US flag upside down, I would merely go buy a BIGGER US flag and proudly display it in my front lawn.
1 person likes this
@lovesfreedom (1245)
• United States
19 Jul 07
This is a sore point with me especially since my husband is in Iraq fighting for that grand flag! There are guidelines and if you can't follow them then you should not be flying the flag. Be proud everytime you hoist it!
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
19 Jul 07
No disrespect, but.. I have no idea why everyone is agreeing with you on this one. It is his flag, he bought it, he owned it, and I believe nobody else has a right to touch it! If he wants to hang it upside down, sideways, whatever way that is his right. Yes, people have fought for this country and also the FREEDOM for him to do what he wants with his flag! Stealing is not okay, EVER and I think that cop is completely in the wrong for allowing you to take it. Since when is it anyone's right to take other people's things?!
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
Ok I will say one more time, we took it down but we did not steal it. And yes he has the right to do what ever he wants with it but do it right. I dont make a habbit of taking peoples stuff. But let me tell you that this person I am talking about makes himself at home with other peoples things. he will take the one neighbors lawnmower and use it when he is not at home and his gas. He has taken my gas can and used it in his car when I am not at home. and all I asked of him now is that if he is going to hang a flag do it right. Thanks for you reply.
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
Hi, I know that I should of added that about him but I did get my point across to him, and yes he is not the best neighbor, heck sometimes he will even pull his weeds along his trailer that faces my side that is my front yard and he will just throw the weeds in my yard and not even pick them up and then I have to go and clean up his mess. Hugs!
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
19 Jul 07
Well, you originally said "if he wants it back..." implying you had it in your possession, which to me would mean you stole it. It's not like you explained that he has taken things from his neighbors in the past so how is anyone supposed to know that? Either way, I still don't agree that what you did was right, although I don't agree that he should take other peoples' things either. He sounds like he isn't a very good neighbor, but why stoop to his level?
1 person likes this
@HighReed1 (1126)
• United States
21 Jul 07
I don't know why some people would hang a flag and not have any idea about how to hang it. Maybe flags should come with instructions...
I know I have seen many flags that haven't been taken down in the rain. Most of these are HUGE ones at businesses. I don't think I have seen many that weren't lit.
1 person likes this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
21 Jul 07
Hi High, LOL, yes I have seen that also, and there use to be a time when the business would care and take them down in the rain, I for one have never let a flag get wet. Well I am off to the hospital my new grandbaby is trying to come into this world. Love ya!
1 person likes this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
8 Aug 07
Let me start by saying that yes we do other things and we dont make it a point to go around yelling and stealing from others, if you would of really read through the posts on here you would of seen spots where I said that we didnt take the flag from them we just took it down and sat it inside their truck that was in their driveway so we did not steal it. I understand that you are not from this country so our flag here might not mean as much to you as it does to us. So I am now going to start another discussion about this so call neighbor of mine that is going to be added about this discussion, so please join in wont ya. Thanks for your reply and have a great day.
@soulist (2985)
• United States
18 Jul 07
I agree that it should have been right side up since an upside-down flag is pretty much direspectful to the country. But I don't see a problem with it being outside at night, we keep ours outside at night without a light on it or in the rain. It's not disrespectful or anything.
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
There use to be a time when you could not do that. and that is somewhat way america is the way it is now. because someone throw a b!t)h about it so they changed the law, just like we cant show a display of the 10 Commandments because foreigners say they dont believe.
1 person likes this
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
18 Jul 07
Oh Hoghoney, where do you live? I have the opportunity to live anywhere and I don't want to live near you if this is how you deal with things. Never know if I might be on the receiving end of this. You communicate here and yet yell at a neighbor. Confusing to me. I appreciate our friendship however this over the top defense of a flag that does indeed need our respect. I think that this could have been handled a bit better and especially with a neighbor unless he has been a problem neighbor before. Glad you vented here, wish it would have happened before this event. The cop being of like mind is concerning to me too. They normally want better relationships between folks. I hope things go smoother for you from now on.
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
19 Jul 07
I thought maybe that there was prior history. Still don't think escalating attitudes and theft is the right actions. Just think that if he thrives on drame you may be fanning the fire. Again the cop still concerns me and I would think twice before entering into a warzone. Thanks for responding to me. Glad you liked Paranoia, some great thoughts she has.
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
Oh Willow I would not take anything from you. I did tell him that I would take it so it is not that he knew it was coming, he tested my voice about it so I did it. And he is a problem neighbor, the only reason that he got the flag is because the people that live across the street form us hung theirs out this past weekend and the one that I took his flag is one of them people that trys to keep up with the Jones per say. If I mow my yard today so will he, if the other neighbor on the other side of him mows his yard tomarrow he will mow his again, if in two days the other person mows their he will be right back out there mowing his again. If I put a flower in my yard he will do the same, and then walk around like his sh!t dont stink. that is why we did wwhat we do. Hugs!
1 person likes this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
19 Jul 07
Willow honey, I am not going into no warzone with my neighbor, we get along but sometime he will do some stupid stuff other then that we will barrow things from each other we talk to eachother everyday. but somedays he will do something that just makes the rest of us mad. It is not like I am going to go out and kill him over this so please dont worry. Hugs!
@WhatsHerName (2716)
• United States
20 Jul 07
Good for you and good for the cop. I'm even more bothered when I see flags out that I think people put out after 911 and they are still there all torn and tattered.
I saw an interview with a woman on television where they were talking to her because she lived in Oklahoma and she hunted down terrorists from her home computer. They were interviewing her outside her home and behind her flying was a torn up flag. I lost a lot of respect for her and could hardly concentrate on what she was saying because all I could think about was the torn up flag. I wondered how the camera man didn't catch it and why they would pick that spot for the interview, don't they look at what's behind them. I would feel so embarrassed if I were her and later watched the clip.
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
21 Jul 07
I know how you feel I am the same way. In one of the other post I mentioned that we have a elderly man here that if your flag is toren or tattered he will bring you a new one for free and take the old one so that it can be disposed of the right way. we had one guy in town here that had an old one and he throw it in the trash, OMG some of his neighbors let him hear a few choice words also. Hugs!
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
19 Jul 07
What an as$-- there are so many people fighting for our freedom- the least people can do is hang the flag the right way- I'm glad you guys took it down- serves him right- what kind of as$ hangs the flag wrong and then does not fix it when told about it- I'm glad the cop was on your side also!
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
18 Jul 07
I agree, hoghoney, that people who are considering displaying the flag should acquaint themselves with the proper etiquette. Maybe you could look it up on the web and run him of a copy so that he will know how to do it properly in the future.
1 person likes this
