Flag at half mast
 

I have a neighbor that keeps a flag on a large vertical pole in their front yard at half mast currently and has done so for many months. I find this very offensive. Is this acceptable in The Villages?

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Personally, if I found this very offensive - I would stop by and ask them WHY? Perhaps they lost a relative in the military or LEO. Who knows? They do. Or perhaps they are making 'a statement'. Who knows? they do.

Rather than opening a potential or non issue here, IMO ask the neighbors. IF you don't agree with their answer, then-perhaps open it up here. Just my opinion.
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If it offends you have you asked him (nicely) about why? Maybe it is to honor a someone who died in the service and he didn't realize the "rules" regarding not doing that. While there is no "LAW" against doing that it is not proper flag protocol.

let it be

last thing we need is 'the flag police'...we already have the annoying 'little white cross police'

Why not ask?

Please approach your neighbor softly and humbly, we just never know what the person is going through if anything. I have stuck my foot in my mouth in the past and left being very humbled and wished I never said a word. For me lessons learned I hope for no repeats

Very offensive, really??? You may be over-reacting just a tad.

Perhaps but a friendly "just wondering about your flag at half mast" can get an answer.

Isn't the proper term "half staff" on land and "half mast" aboard a ship?

any 'squid' that referred to the mast as a staff would have been hung from the yard-arm by the Chief back in the day....

In my navy we would also keel haul him.

I am so grateful to be so ignorant that a flag flying at half staff does not offend me.

Having someone be chastised for wearing a "blue lives matter" mask on an airplane offends me.

Does not offend me at all but makes me wonder.

Besides asking about it is a great way to meet people.

I am more offended over those printed flags place along the street on various holidays. Many of them wind up laying on the ground

Wind does blow them down. If I see one on the ground while walking will always stop and stick them back into the ground.

Maybe his halyard is too short or his staff is too tall.

Hopefully for him it's the latter.

Can a staff be too tall?

Why ask?
 

With all respect, do we need to be in our neighbors business? What harm is this causing?
Why ask?

What's offensive about it? There are too many busybodies whose sole purpose is to look for something that offends them. Go out on a limb and meet this person and get to know him. Listen without judging. You might learn something..

What a concept.

Geez
 

In this beautiful place we live you have time to be concerned about a flag at half mast? My advice....GET A FREAKING HOBBY!

Maybe the mast rope is tangled or broken And the flag will not go all the way up???

And if we ask and this is true perhaps one could help fix the problem.

I have been traveling the East Coast in my RV. Many places are flying their flags at half staff. Especially here in New York State where I am now. It is to honor those first responders who are having to deal with Covid. You people really do live in a bubble!

Ask him
 

Why don’t you ask him? Maybe he’s lost a son or grandson or grand daughter in the military and he is still mourning their loss.

Very true. The Villages are wonderful but it is filled with retired, sometimes bored older people who fill their time tailing their neighbors or driving thru neighborhoods just to find something wrong. Get a job or get a hobby but stop spying on everyone

And I find your post offensive. What a little person you are to question this on a public board. A guess you think that you are the "flag" police. You need to find a life

Anything is better than a limp staff

The president, through a presidential proclamation, a state governor, or the mayor of the District of Columbia can order flags to fly at half-staff. That’s it.

So what exactly bothers you, the flag itself or its being at half mast?

Those people can order those things done on public property. What one does with one's flag on one's private property is up to one's own discretion.

Here in NJ, flags are still at half mast. They have been this way ever since people have died from COVID. Perhaps he is honoring the souls lost to COVID.

The rules for "flag etiquette" are pretty specific and I don't think that they apply to just anyone's passing. But that being said, I would not be offended by your neighbor's actions:
Section 7m of the Flag Code reads:

The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving on active duty, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff, and the same authority is provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia with respect to present or former officials of the District of Columbia and members of the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia. The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.

I'm a Brit and I once got a very offensive phone call and notes through the door for flying my countries flag on on the rear of my home in the villages it was the Union Jack or as it is sometimes called the Flag of the Union (England/Scotland/Ireland - Wales doesn't count it's a principality not a country)I then confused the hell out of the complainant by flying the English Flag - several people stopped and asked if we were Swiss or a member of a rescue organization !!! Learned a lot about flag etiquette during that time and also a huge amount about lack of knowledge.

The inverted flag is an approved international Maritime signal of distress. These days it is used by some to reflect a person’s feelings about the state of our union. It’s called free speech.

That happens to many of us as we age.

Well, just a thought.... If this post causes 3 pages of responses, life must be pretty good here. If this is the major concern of the day all is well... lol

So very true. Luckily there is a little purple pill for that:bigbow:

Maybe he has dimensia?

Don’t feel bad , myself a veteran asked two starters at a golf course
who are both veterans why the flag
at the course was at half staff for months now and no one knew why .