Anybody who listens to me on the radio, reads my blogs or knows me at all will confirm that I am one patriotic man.  Flag etiquette is a big deal to me.  I once stopped and attempted to educate a young man at a local fast food restaurant after I observed him taking down the American flag and throwing it over his shoulder, partially dragging the ground.  No, I did not hurt him.  But he and a manager got an earful, believe me.

What I saw today online made me want to scream.  Theweek.com reports that, in a segment titled ‘Classic Fourth of July Table Setting Ideas’,  HGTV proposed using an American flag-not a table cloth that looks like a flag-but the real deal as a table cloth.  To borrow a phrase from comedian Ron White: you can’t fix stupid.  Well, I’m going to rant about it, just the same.

I cannot believe that anyone would think that this is a good idea.  It speaks volumes about the lack of understanding that some folks have about the flag, what it represents and the reverence that we should have for that symbol.  Is flag etiquette taught in any school or university anymore?  I know we covered it in grade school back in the day.  And I assume that the minds behind this decorating faux pas are adults.  They should know better.  Perhaps it was not just a faux pas, but an outright act of desecration, disguised as an idiotic attempt at decorating.  Either way, it was really inexcusable.

HGTV  has issued an apology on its Facebook page-

"This was a regrettable use of our flag and it never should have happened…we sincerely apologize and have removed the post from our website. We want to assure our fans that HGTV is proud of the American flag and everything it symbolizes for our people."

I do hope they will go the extra mile and make that apology on air as well.  In fact, a segment on flag etiquette wouldn’t be a bad idea, HGTV.

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