Back in the dark ages when I was a Girl Scout, we learned that the American flag should never be allowed to touch the ground. But when I picked up the national edition of today's Sunday New York Times from my porch, unwrapped it, and opened the Sunday Styles section, I saw this Ralph Lauren ad in which the flag's entire width drags across the grass.
Section 36 of US Code provides, inter alia, that the flag should "never" be allowed to touch the ground or used for advertising purposes at all, but even if for the sake of discussion we assume that it is OK to use the flag in patriotic advertisements, it is NEVER NEVER NEVER OK to let the flag drag on the ground.
I'm much angrier about this than I would have expected to be. Perhaps it's just because of all the jingoistic undertones to the 9/11 commemorations. Instead of flamboyant patriotism, how about a little quiet respect?