To Whom it May Concern

At the end of my road there's a house with a ratty, tattered, torn, and faded American flag flying. It flies all day and all night, with no light shining on it. Underneath it flies a pirate flag, and underneath that flies a Confederate battle flag. For many months I've been upset with the Confederate battle flag, but the fact that the American flag flew above it garaunteed the owner's right to freedom of expression. As the American flag got more and more worn out, though, I got more and more upset. Finally, I put together the following letter, which I'll be mailing tomorrow.

Dear Sir,

I am writing in regard to the flag you currently have hanging in front of your residence.

As you may or may not be aware, there are codes at both the national and state level regarding the proper treatment and care of the flag. According to the national codes, “It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.” The code also states “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

It is my opinion that the flag you’re currently displaying was “no longer a fitting emblem for display” many weeks ago, yet you continue to fly it. According to Massachusetts state law “Whoever publicly … defaces or treats contemptuously the flag of the United States or of Massachusetts, whether such flag is public or private property … shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.”

Many people feel that America’s youth is apathetic; they feel that we are unaware of the sacrifices made by our forefathers as they sacrificed their lives in order to secure the freedoms that the flag represents. Having two grandfathers who served our country and having been at school in Pennsylvania only miles away from where Flight 93 went down on September 11th, I am not a typical young person. I feel strongly that we need to respect our country and the symbols associated with it.

Months ago I stopped at the end of my road, mouth agape at the site of the confederate battle flag flying, a flag that myself and many others see as representing repression and hatred. At one of the most important times in history for our nation to stand united, I was outraged that you would fly a symbol of national conflict and disunion. The fact that you were flying the American flag, a symbol of free speech, guarantees you the right to hang whatever flags you wish. However, I ask that you treat it with the respect and dignity that it deserves.

Please take your old flag down. You can have it burned in a proper ceremony by giving it to the local VFW, which you can contact by phone at (ooo) ooo-oooo or in person at XXX State Road.