Question: When in the U.S. is it proper to fly a foreign flag alone? In Kailua where I walk daily, I see an Australian flag in front of a residence. I had always believed that out of respect for the host country, the proper thing is to fly the U.S. flag alongside. What is the protocol?
Answer: There is nothing in the U.S. Flag Code regarding flying the flag of another country by itself.
"Although we would certainly like for everyone to display the flag of the United States on a daily basis, the Flag Code does not prohibit someone from displaying the flag of another nation in lieu of the flag of the United States on their private property," Michael D. Buss, deputy director of the Americanism Division of the American Legion, based in Indiana, said in an email.
He also said the Flag Code "is simply a guideline for proper flag etiquette," adding, "The law does not provide penalties for violation of any of its provisions."
The American Legion website says that the American Legion and representatives of 68 other patriotic, fraternal, civic and military organizations met to draft a code of flag etiquette in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 1923.
The 77th Congress adopted the code as public law on June 22, 1942. For more on the Flag Code, go to the American Legion website: www.legion.org/flag/ code.
Question: I would like to get rid of a pickup truck rack. Can I leave it outside for bulky item pickup?
Answer: The truck rack can be put out for bulky item pickup, but only if it is cut into lengths of 3 feet or less, according to the city Department of Environmental Services.
Allowable items for pickup include furniture, mattresses, bed frames and box springs, rolled up and fastened carpeting, appliances and minor home repair/remodeling materials of no more than a cubic yard.
Prohibited items include construction materials, demolition debris, dirt, rock, concrete, large automobile parts and any refuse that can be thrown into the cart for regular refuse collection.
For more information, go to bit.ly/XjetcL
Going Green
The September Going Green recycling community cleanup will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday at McKinley High School’s Pensacola Street parking lot.
Items accepted: computers, monitors, printers and scanners; one TV per car; cellphones; ink cartridges; scrap metal; appliances; propane tanks; fire extinguishers; heat pumps; all kinds of batteries; used cooking oil; eyeglasses; hearing aids; white socks for Afghanistan; prom dresses, women’s business suits and accessories; pet food, towels, blankets and toys; usable clothing; household items; incandescent light bulbs (swap for CFLs, four per car); HI-5 beverage containers; and canned goods for the Hawaii Foodbank.
For free towing of unwanted cars, call Rene Mansho at 291-6151 or email her at renemansho@hawaii.rr.com.
Mahalo
To the mass transit folks in Hawaii. My son is handicapped, and if it wasn’t for the opportunities TheBus and Handi-Van afford him, his life would be much less enriched than it is now. Unable to drive, without having the option of mass transit, the quality of his life would be hugely diminished. A special mahalo to those who handle Handi-Van phone calls. My son uses Handi-Van often to travel from Chinatown to Kailua, and every time I call to make reservations or check on the status of his pickup, they are friendly, courteous and show an honest concern for his well-being. I don’t know how often you hear it (I’m sure not enough), but we appreciate you! — Kevin Cain
Mahalo
To the kind person who returned my father’s wallet to the men’s jeans department cashier at Macy’s Pearlridge last month. When my father discovered that his wallet was missing, we immediately went to the cashier and were pleasantly surprised that someone had returned it, intact!
— Grateful Daughter
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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
