Why would people use the flag to wipe their faces? Desecration indeed.

I was involved in a similar incident some years ago.

One year the VFW state convention was in Macon when my wife was Auxiliary President. We decided to go down for a couple days. Since this was shortly after a few flag-burning incidents, everyone was up in arms about resolutions to make flag-burning a crime.

On the night of the big meeting/dinner/dance, while the candidates for election were walking around, shaking hands, and all the other stuff, one of them had put out a huge bowl of chocolate candies, wrapped in foil, each with a flag printed on it.

As the night went on, these wrappers by the hundreds were all over the place... ash trays, floor, trash cans. All over the hall.

I had a few in my pocket, and made a rather angry comment to our Post Commander about how hypocritical I felt that was. It was one of those few things I do get on my soap box about. He was later seen picking up some himself, and, as word got around, they started disappearing.

-I believe there is a law that says the flag is not supposed to be on anything designed to be disposed of, like paper cups, plates, or napkins.

As I look back on the years, maybe I over-reacted a bit in that instance. The next day that particular candidate said he really didn't think about it, that he thought it was in keeping with the campaign.

As far a "deifying" the flag, the banner has been used as a countries' symbol for unity ever since they started using them to tell people apart.

Perhaps a more realistic thing I think of now is the intent...

Having spent my time as Sgt. of the Guard, Cpl. of the guard, and sentry, I will say that when the three of you are putting up or taking down a Garrison flag, there is a time or two that a corner will brush the ground. Now that was not considered desecration.

But when some (insert not-nice name here) smiles at a camera, and burns a flag, they are in effect saying; "See, I would like to be setting you on fire, but cannot reach you." They are destroying the only "real" symbol of America they can get their hands on. Now put that with the vision of the flag as a symbol showing on the day that "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written and why.

I don't have anything against using the american flag napkins, they are simply there for symbolization which if you read the beginning of the story stated how this country was founded off hunters and that the first meals that old chief papanana and some colonial person had shared was likely venison or other wild game. The american flag isn't being desecrated but as a symbol to show that venison is the all american meal.