wrote in message
oups.com...

HeyBub wrote:


Use the big one in the sky. Detail someone to take down the flag
at night or in the rain. I know that a floodlight on a flag makes
it polite to fly it all night, and I don't mean to sound preachy, but
there are so many pathetic, faded, sodden flags out there.

DON'T ATTEMPT TO LOWER FLAG DURING RAIN.

Protocol has changed in this regard. Too many people died.

Respect for the flag is not a suicide pact.

HB:

Well, gee, dude, I'm not saying you should do it during a lightning
storm.

Neither am I. Large, wet flags can wrap around your body and, due to
hydrostatic pressure, squeeze with more pressure than a python, killing you.
In addition, the dyes used on the flag (principally the blues) contain
water-soluble compounds of Cyanide that are extremely toxic and can cause
almost instant death. Further, when the flag comes down, something must be
going up. There are many cases of people being hanged on flag-pole ropes
while not be attentive to the hazards involved.

You can also be stabbed to death by improper use of an umbrella.

Too, there may be permitting issues involved. Lighted flags have additional
orders of magnitude problems. Also flagpoles that are part of a sprinkler
system. Or those covered in Formica.

No, just too risky for your average DIYer. Best to call in a pro. After the
rain.