Gray Brown, left, and Jim Vesper prepare to raise the American flag in their Provincetown yard on June 8. When they do, it will fly above their Canadian and Pride flags. That is as it should be, according to the U.S. Flag Code. The code also says you should keep the staff upright, let the flag fly freely, with the “union” (the stars) up, except when it’s serving as a distress signal. It is not considered respectful to alter the flag or wear it. In 1989, in the case of Texas v. Johnson, the Supreme Court ruled that a flag burned in protest constitutes symbolic speech, which is protected by the Constitution. If you have a flag that is dirty or frayed and is no longer serviceable, don’t just throw it away. In Provincetown, Andy Fingado, the manager at ACE Conwell Home Center and a former commander of the VFW Post in town, collects flags that can no longer be flown. The current VFW commander, Craig Butilier, gives the flags a proper ceremony, says Fingado. Flag Day is June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the first Stars and Stripes design for a flag — at the time called the “Continental Colors” — which happened in 1777. Woodrow Wilson established Flag Day by proclamation in 1916. (Photo Nancy Bloom) —Teresa Parker
