NationStates Jolt Archive

Link (http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/town-bans-foreign-flags-flying-alone/20061116071009990022?ncid=NWS00010000000001)

Town Bans Foreign Flags Flying Alone

By William M. Welch, USA TODAY

(Nov. 11) - The Nevada town of Pahrump is taking a stand not just against illegal immigrants but flags they may bring with them.

The elected town board in the remote Mojave Desert community voted 3-2 on Tuesday to enact an ordinance making it illegal to fly a foreign nation's flag by itself.

Flying another country's flag, whether it is a British Union Jack or the flag of Mexico, is punishable by a $50 fine and 30 hours' community service, unless it is flown below an American flag.

"Old Glory is sovereign," says Paul Willis, a retired carpenter and board member. "You can't fly any other nation's flag higher than the American flag."

The American Civil Liberties Union says the flag restriction violates the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech.

"There's no doubt about it," says Lisa Rasmussen, a board member of the Nevada ACLU. "People have a right, as much as we don't like it, to fly ... any flag they wish."

Pahrump is a rural fast-growing town of 33,000 about 60 miles west of Las Vegas. It is part of sprawling Nye County, home of the closest legal brothels to Las Vegas.

The law passed as part of a package of measures that also declared English the official language of Pahrump and denies town benefits to illegal immigrants.

"We don't have any" benefits, town manager David Richards says. "If we ever have any, they'll be denied to illegal immigrants."

Supporters say the law is a stand on principle and doubts anyone will be arrested for violating it.

"I can't conceive of there being anyone cited for it," said board Chairman Richard Billman, who voted against the ordinance.

The ordinance's sponsor, Michael Miraglia, a retired Illinois state worker, said the flag restriction was a reaction to nationwide demonstrations in May against a crackdown on illegal immigration. He said he didn't like seeing protesters waving Mexican flags and demanding immigrants not go to work that day.

"In Pahrump, we had Mexican restaurants closed that day," he complained. "Only one restaurant stayed open."

Rasmussen said the ACLU would probably take legal action against the town.

"People are nuts out there," she says. "Totally nuts."




11/16/2006 07:03


Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.



If it isn't going to be enforced, as supporters claim, then what the hell was the point of passing it in the first place. I also like how the person who wrote the law wrote it because there were no Mexican restaurants open one day.

Why, those uppity Mexicans, closing all the restaurants! :rolleyes: Tjis is what comes from living in the desert.

Haha...the law is amusing however. My favorite is the 30 hours community service. It saves the $5.15/hour we'd be paying them to do the exact same job lol.

WTF?! Flown below an American flag?! :mad:

Props to Pahrump :D

Let's hope this salutary development spreads. I am damn fed up with the disrespect for my country's sovereignty that is coming from all directions today, and in particular from a certain southern area that will remain nameless except that it's Mexico.

That might violate the first ammendment. Flying another nation's flag seems like a way of expressing an idea. Either love for the foreign nation or just hatred of the USA. One of the things that makes the USA such a great place is that even that hateful, unpatriotic idea is protected.

WTF?! Flown below an American flag?! :mad:

Technically within the United States no flag is to be flown above the American flag. Theres most likely a Wiki entry on it.
Its not like its enforced law though. You can fly the American flag upside down below a Nazi flag if you like. Doesnt mean your house wont get egged though.

It's so comforting to know that people are willing to defend, with whatever legislation they might be able to pull out of their ass, the sovereign right of... er, the flag to.... uh, be higher than... other flags. Yeah. Tax money well-spent there.

Sad thing is we have people like New Mitanni here masturbating over this for no other reason than they're xenophobic bigots.

WTF?! Flown below an American flag?! :mad:
Flying one country's flag below another is highly frowned upon in flag ettiquette.

Outside of times of war, different countries' flags are to be flown at the same elevation. This is not only a notable violation of free speech, but it is also a stupid idea. "Below" indeed!

It's so comforting to know that people are willing to defend, with whatever legislation they might be able to pull out of their ass, the sovereign right of... er, the flag to.... uh, be higher than... other flags. Yeah. Tax money well-spent there.

Sad thing is we have people like New Mitanni here masturbating over this for no other reason than they're xenophobic bigots.

I can hear the fapping sounds even as I type this.

I support pahrump's decision i'd do that if I were mayor although I come from England and think that the american flag should be flown below a union jack since its because of britain that the u.s has been moderatly succesful

Technically within the United States no flag is to be flown above the American flag. Theres most likely a Wiki entry on it.
Its not like its enforced law though. You can fly the American flag upside down below a Nazi flag if you like. Doesnt mean your house wont get egged though.

Flying one country's flag below another is highly frowned upon in flag ettiquette.

Outside of times of war, different countries' flags are to be flown at the same elevation. This is not only a notable violation of free speech, but it is also a stupid idea. "Below" indeed!TJ pointed out why I'm slightly irked by the concept. It's a slap in the face, vexillogically speaking. National flags are usually not only flown at the same level to afford both nations the same amount of respect, they are also usually raised at the same time.

Technically within the United States no flag is to be flown above the American flag. Theres most likely a Wiki entry on it.

(g) When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be
flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of
approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the
flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.

As was said, this isn't a really enforceable law, but it's a common courtesy.

People seem to be easily confused by the US flag code. In 2003 the Governor of my state made an executive order saying that any US flags in the state should be put at half mast whenever a soldier from Michigan dies. Some people didn't understand that this meant any other flags around them should be lowered as well, leading to what looks like a declaration of war by Canada and Michigan against the US.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/CIMG0015.jpg

edit: However, some people were smart enough to figure it out.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/77ed495f.jpg

As was said, this isn't a really enforceable law, but it's a common courtesy.

People seem to be easily confused by the US flag code. In 2003 the Governor of my state made an executive order saying that any US flags in the state should be put at half mast whenever a soldier from Michigan dies. Some people didn't understand that this meant any other flags around them should be lowered as well, leading to what looks like a declaration of war by Canada and Michigan against the US.

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/CIMG0015.jpg

edit: However, some people were smart enough to figure it out.

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/tuebor/77ed495f.jpg


Texans seem to be particularly bad at this concept. I have relatives there and the Texas flag is NEVER lowered.
Apparently some people think Texas is still a Republic :P

I'd be moderately suprised by this if it weren't for not even our president knowing the flag code...

Yeah I posted about this the other day. I was listening to the guy who proposed this law (which was also about making English the official language of the town and refusing benefits to illegal immigrants) being interviewed on the radio. He was such an idiot it was not even funny. The only things he seemed to be able to say was "This is America and in America you speak English!" also "You can't do business in America unless you use English". Some immigrant from Brasil called in to the show to say that he agreed with the law even though he could see both sides of the debate, which just riled the idiot dude up to say "What sides of the debate? Theres only one side... you speak English in America! Grar!"
Maybe he didn't say "Grar!" though.

Maybe he didn't say "Grar!" though.

I would have believed you if you said he did.

He was probably thinking 'Grar!'. :)

If English is truly the language of business and in America, then it seems to me that it's a self-correcting problem. :)

It was more like a "Hr...grumph!!?!."

If English truely is the only language that can be used to conduct business in America, I wonder how the last company I worked for got by since they pretty much used Chinese primarily around the work place and in deals with many other Chinese owned companies.

I've also worked in a few kitchens where most of the staff was instructed on what to do in Spanish.

I guess I wasn't living in America then.

It was more like a "Hr...grumph!!?!."

If English truely is the only language that can be used to conduct business in America, I wonder how the last company I worked for got by since they pretty much used Chinese primarily around the work place and in deals with many other Chinese owned companies.

I've also worked in a few kitches where most of the staff was instructed on what to do in Spanish.

I guess I wasn't living in America then.

Aye, those kitchens were probably run by commies in Brazil!

If English is truly the language of business and in America, then it seems to me that it's a self-correcting problem. :)


Yes, exactly - if you cant get by in America without English then why make a law tor eflect that... itw ill work itself out as people fail in business and fail at life.

Yes, exactly - if you cant get by in America without English then why make a law tor eflect that... itw ill work itself out as people fail in business and fail at life.

Because the people who think that law is a good idea are idiots? Just a guess. ;)

Because the people who think that law is a good idea are idiots? Just a guess. ;)

thats unfair to idiots

Texans seem to be particularly bad at this concept. I have relatives there and the Texas flag is NEVER lowered.
Apparently some people think Texas is still a Republic :P

Actually, all state flags can be flown at the same level as the US flag as long as there are no other state flags being flown around it.

I know you don't think the Texas flag gets any special treatment, but I'll post this link because I'm lazy and Snopes says it better.

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/texasflag.asp

I agree with the thing about illegal immigrants, but I don't like the flag thing. If the Aussie govt. tried that, they'd be royally fucked; many immigrants are extremely proud of their heritage.

I can hear the fapping sounds even as I type this.

Sorry, I'll watch my porn more quietly.

Texans seem to be particularly bad at this concept. I have relatives there and the Texas flag is NEVER lowered.
Apparently some people think Texas is still a Republic :P
It's not?:eek:

Pahrump, lmao.

Oh, and I don't agree with what they did at all.

I'm still going to submit a citizen's bill to the legislature when it next comes into session in Carson demanding that Pahrump change its name due to being in violation of its own laws, given that Pahrump is a Shoshone word.

Of course it makes more sense to find out that the idiot that proposed this isn't a native Nevadan. The stupidest laws always seem to come from people who move to Nevada to retire then decide that the state should change to suit them.

Props to Pahrump :D

Let's hope this salutary development spreads. I am damn fed up with the disrespect for my country's sovereignty that is coming from all directions today, and in particular from a certain southern area that will remain nameless except that it's Mexico.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j315/crashcow/NSG/wall.jpg

How awful to have only one outlet where swarthy people scrape hot crap off a grille for you when you're accustomed to having a choice in purveyors of scraped hot crap. What a slap in the face to the cause of instant gratification and self-entitlement all across America. For shame, uppity peons.

There's burgers needin' flippin' out yonder.

Hrm, a law requiring one to fly an american flag along with a foreign one?

Gee, can you say in violation of the first amendment?

I can hear the fapping sounds even as I type this.
Welcome back from the nether regions!!

BTW, have you figured out a winner in your seat projection poll? I know that I was close. :D

Hick whackjobs spotted,

Fire for effect, over

ACLU FTW

Yeah I posted about this the other day. I was listening to the guy who proposed this law (which was also about making English the official language of the town and refusing benefits to illegal immigrants) being interviewed on the radio. He was such an idiot it was not even funny. The only things he seemed to be able to say was "This is America and in America you speak English!" also "You can't do business in America unless you use English". Some immigrant from Brasil called in to the show to say that he agreed with the law even though he could see both sides of the debate, which just riled the idiot dude up to say "What sides of the debate? Theres only one side... you speak English in America! Grar!"
Maybe he didn't say "Grar!" though.

What an idiot you don't speak English in America. You speak American. :P

Sorry, I'll watch my porn more quietly.

*breathes sigh of relief, savors the silence* :p

Texans seem to be particularly bad at this concept. I have relatives there and the Texas flag is NEVER lowered.
Apparently some people think Texas is still a Republic :P

I went to the University of Texas, which flies both the US flag and the Texas flag on a daily basis. Whenever the US flag was at half mast, so was the Texas flag.

But yes, a lot of Texans wish Texas was still a Republic.

actually that is an internation rule on flags. oh yes there are international rules on flags. the home nation flag must be either above or same level of the visitor flag.