First of all, I am a veteran, I served in the First Gulf War and I love my country dearly. My wife is from Colombia, she loves our country and our new family but misses her home as well as most of us would. One day at the flea marked she casually noticed a Colombian flag and had a little sad look and so as a loving husband who tries to empathise with my wife whenever I can, I offered to buy it and fly it occasionaly at our house alongside our American flag that I most days fly proudly. I see it as a piece of colored cloth that makes my wife happy and doesn't cost anything. My neighbors know her for who she is and care about her and not what kind of flag is outside our house whether it says spring or summer or whatever type of flag it is. I follow etiquite at all times and fly the flags according to that. My problem is that my father has said I am unamerican, that what I am doing should be illegal and she and I are a discrase to our family and the neighborhood. Any opinions??
2007-09-18 10:24:04 · 21 answers · asked by george 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Immigration
your father needs to learn a bit more american history perhaps to find out that its probably most likely yours and his ancesters were once probably born in another nation!
it is certainly not showing disrespect to fly another nations flag on US soil as long as you dont purposely try and over shadow the US flag with the other nations flag.
Seperate flagpoles of the same height with the US flag on its own right (facing outward from the house stand next to the US flagpole -the other nations flag to your left-) the two flags the same size or as near as possible the same size as they can be and you are not breaking flag protocol.
why do some Americans feel this way? that only th US flag should be allowed and no others on US soil? America of all countries should not be like this condsidering a huge amount of its population is made up from people who either are immigrants or have ancestors that were.
not all immigrants are bad -ones who come to the USA to get a fatter wallet and to take as much as possible from the government- and ultimatly the american people should not be allowed to stay.
this attitude against other countries is not good for anybody. the world is supposed to work together.
i would certainly be rather offended by somebody such as your father as im English. i absolutley love the USA and hope one day to live there too. i love the whole atmosphere in ther US the way the roads are built the cars the people- their accents and way of life. i absolutley adore the US flag and i already own more than 60. i dont want to come to the USA for money or for what it can offer me i just want to live there because i like it there.
i would say HE is the disgrace in the family in my opinion. how do other family members feel about this?
you keep flying your flags proud and forget his remarks. its a load of balony!
2007-09-21 09:20:42 · answer #1 · answered by Star Spangled Brit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I say it's o.k. so long as it flys below the American flag to show respect to this country. In honor to her country she should be allowed to fly her flag, but there has to be a reason why she left her country. Being married to an american I presume she is now an american citizen & is assimulating to the american way if so she will one day decide to be loyal to one or the other. You can not have 2 countries & be loyal 2 both.
2007-09-18 11:04:37 · answer #2 · answered by GREGORIOUSITY 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not illegal.
It can be seen, however, as a sign of divided allegiance, which is probably what your father is upset about. Same thing with flying Mexican flags at pro-illegal immigration rallies. Some illegals on my street fly Mexican flags out their apartment windows... with no counterbalancing American flag; I have a lot more of a problem with that than I do with what you do.
2007-09-18 10:51:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's certainly not illegal.
I don't think it's un-American to have a love both for your new home country and your old home country.
If your neighbors don't mind, I don't see how you could be a disgrace to the neighborhood.
If we were at war with Colombia, I could see how this might upset people, but otherwise, I would see what you do as a way of saying you are mature enough to embrace two countries, without being disrespectful to the traditions of either.
2007-09-18 10:31:20 · answer #4 · answered by Thomas M 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
1st of all you more than earned the right to do as you will in Our great country. It's your home and your yard. Personally I only fly Our American Flag that's made in America.
Thank you very much for your service~
2007-09-18 10:40:21 · answer #5 · answered by Classic96 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
American flag has to be on top taken down at nite or if left out all nite it has to have a light on. Read the rules.
I personally don't like seeing any country flag flow at a residents except on appropriate holidays. I think it is tacky.
2007-09-18 10:50:11 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As long as you understand and follow the procedures for flying the flags there is no problem. Always be polite and respectful to your father, but ignore his complaints about the flags.
2007-09-18 10:43:53 · answer #7 · answered by Yak Rider 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Why would you fly a Colombian flag? I can understand you wanting to make your wife happy, but what is the point of flying a Colombian flag? Maybe this will help:
"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. WE HAVE ROOM FOR BUT ONE FLAG, THE AMERICAN FLAG, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
2007-09-18 10:39:24 · answer #8 · answered by ? 5 · 3⤊ 3⤋
Your father is wrong. showings one's pride for their country even if they aren't in their home country is a good thing. Just because you fly the Columbian flag for your wife, doesn't mean that you don't have pride for you own dearly and beloved USA.
2007-09-18 14:45:50 · answer #9 · answered by califas 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope. Nothing wrong with it at all. Your father is incorrect.
Flying the Columbian flag harms no one, and you're doing it according to proper flag protocol, so what's the problem?
I served in Desert Shield/Storm as well.
Semper Fi Brother.
2007-09-18 10:36:02 · answer #10 · answered by chuck_junior 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋