How to Burn the American Flag
With Donald Trump’s ascension to the US presidency imminent, and as his regime readies to take power, many people here on the west coast from California to Cascadia, as well people everywhere from all walks of life are asking themselves some very important questions.
Questions like: “How can I burn the American flag? What American flags are best suited to burn? How long does it take for an American flag to burn to completion? How can I properly carry my burning American flag in the streets safely?”
There are many articles about how to “respectfully retire” the American flag via burning, as many of you have likely discovered, that for our purposes are completely useless; if you want to burn the American flag in defiance of the United States, Donald Trump, and his incoming regime, your Google searches for “How to Burn the American Flag” have likely come up with very few practical articles, and those that you can find, were likely written by anarchists with black bandannas over their faces, who probably weren’t considering taking steps to ensure fire safety when handling fire.
Luckily for you, I am here to help you answer these questions, and although I am no anarchist, I do, however, have the guts to show my face.
Everything worth doing in life is worth doing properly, and that includes burning the American flag.
Symbols have power. Symbols can be objects, like flags, or they could be something else entirely, such as a symbolic act. The American flag is the most widely recognized symbol in North American culture; it is a powerful symbol, with powerful meanings behind it.
To burn something is an act of great symbolism, with its own potent meanings. So, before you begin, you must make certain that you are confident in your reasons in going forward — therefore, the first step is to answer, for yourself, this question: What does burning the American flag mean to you?
Not every symbol means the same thing to one person as it might to another. When you burn the American flag, you should be properly prepared, and you should be mindful of the legacy you are inheriting by doing so, for it is a storied legacy; a powerful symbolic act combined with an equally powerful symbol can reverberate amongst the people quickly, like wildfire. It can also — very literally — burn! And that is the purpose of this article: To instruct you in how to burn the American flag in the safest way possible.
After you make certain that this is the right decision for you, you must then conquer your fear of fire, if you should have any. Perhaps you’re afraid of fire because of heat — where there’s heat, there’s often fire. We have seen too many souls, many of which are young, from Missouri to Florida to New York and everywhere in between fall because of heat, both fiery and otherwise. We cannot permit that to happen again, anywhere, in this country, or in any other country of the future, thus why this article is, I believe, necessary.
As burning the American flag is a very personal decision for everyone, you must have all of the facts, and understand, fully, the various ideas I am trying to convey. Much like anything in life, you should look into things for yourself. Don’t take my word for it alone, but go through them yourself, line by line, word by word, with a fine toothed comb. Burning the American flag requires more than just a matches and a piece of cloth, because, I believe, to do so is to also undertake great responsibility.
It is to be hoped that you take the tips I prescribe here, that you gain a greater understanding of the symbolism of which I write, and if you are a reader with an eye for detail, I am certain that you will be able to burn the American flag safely, and in such a way that will provide you the satisfaction you are looking for in the future.
Whether you are unfortunate enough to live in a “red state” where your flag burning will be simply a protest or catharsis, or whether you live, as I do, in a part of the country that is accepting the idea that it may in fact be ready to go in a different direction, and whether you are doing it as a some sort of symbolic declaration or as the banishing of all of the negative ideas and energies that the American flag has built up and come to represent in your area; no matter your reason for reaching for your box of matches, you should take the steps necessary to ensure that your American flag burning experience is a safe one.
Good luck, I hope you are successful.
How to Burn the American Flag:
Research and Preparation!
First, you should know a few things about US flag manufacturing that you probably didn’t know, that you should take into consideration when planning to burn an American flag.
Most US flag companies actually prepare their products with the potential that they might be desecrated or defaced and attempt to thwart such efforts even before the flag leaves the manufacturing plant where it was created.
To thwart an attempted burning, these companies pre-treat their flags with fire retardant chemicals. This makes burning them much harder for those who don’t know this ahead of time, especially protesters, who find that their attempts to light the “stars and stripes” on fire result in the flag remaining disappointingly in tact.
So you’re going to want to buy a high quality lighter fluid to douse the flag in before you burn it. High quality means that it will be a fluid that will, first and foremost, ignite with immediacy and in a burn pattern that can be reasonably predicted, so make sure you check reviews first. High quality doesn’t have to mean high cost, and like all products, online coupons are available even for lighter fluid, as are manufacturer's discounts.
Flag Poles and Fire Safety
Remember to purchase a pole to hoist your burning American flag upon that is long enough to prevent you or your fellow demonstrators from coming into unexpected and unpleasant contact with flame. This is an important consideration not only for safety, but for display, especially those who are marching against Mr. Trump and his regime while burning American flags.
Additionally, avoid plastic of all kinds when tying or fastening your flag onto the pole itself. Zip-ties and most forms of adhesive tape are primarily or made from plastic, which means they will burn easily. Ensuring that your burning American flag stays properly attached to its pole while it is ablaze is important; after all, no one wants to have a piece of cloth engulfed in flame fall on them because it unexpectedly detached! Therefore, remember to use metal fasteners or clips to attach your flag to the pole, even an unwound paper clip or two will ensure that your flag will not just attach, but stay attached to its pole throughout the burn, until the flag no longer remains.
Also, remember to consider the material the pole is made from; you want to use a pole made from a material that doesn’t melt, like plastic. Another important thing to consider is heat conductivity. The last thing that you want when you are burning the American flag is being forced to drop it to the ground in the middle of your demonstration (thus endangering yourself and others around an open flame) because your pole became too hot to hold.
Fire-Free Alternatives to Deface the American Flag Indoors
Many of you might be at work or in school when the inauguration takes place, and those of you who aren’t planning on walking out or going on strike in protest should not even for one moment consider lighting an American flag on fire while you are indoors. NEVER, EVER BURN AN AMERICAN FLAG INDOORS! Always burn American flags outdoors.
For indoor demonstrations, a good alternative is desecrating the flag via cutting it with scissors, or perhaps even with a large blade-based paper cutter. Make sure that you have assistance if you choose either, and make every effort possible to protect your eyes and skin while handling sharp objects with proper clothing and protective glasses.
If you are feeling attuned to your artistic side, you could use an ink or paint-based method of defacing the American flag!
Along with fire resistant pre-treatments, a few flag manufacturers even take steps to use materials and chemicals when they make their flags that are resistant to most common inks to make it more difficult to deface them. If you are going to be indoors on the US inauguration day, and wish to deface the American flag with ink, choose a permanent marker, such as the Sharpie line of products. Avoid washable markers and dry erase markers, they will not produce the effect you’re likely going for. Avoid, also, simple pens of any sort, as the anti-desecration measures taken by the flag manufacturers at the point of manufacturing will likely lessen or even prevent you from defacing the American flag, and that’s never good.
You can also try painting on the American flag, as well, which is a creative way to make a terrible day, such as Donald Trump’s ascension to the US presidency, a fun and even relaxing experience!
If you are going with an outdoor, and flame based, demonstration, please make every effort to obtain a flag that will not release toxic chemicals into the environment or your local ecosystem. American flags are notorious for being made with cheap materials that are hazardous to human health, some even by over-exposure to the skin, not merely via flame. With all of the chemicals that are used by flag manufacturers to smugly prevent demonstrators from burning their product, you can never be too careful in making sure that your demonstration doesn’t have to harm your local bio-region. Although I understand it can’t always be helped — and when you’ve got to burn the American flag then you’ve simply got to burn the American flag, and that’s just that! — but do make an attempt to make sure that the American flag you burn will not do any undue harm to our environment.
Obtaining an American Flag to Burn (Plus a Few Thoughts on Ethics and Theft)
As for how to obtain an American flag to burn, or multiple American flags to burn, I entrust you to use your best moral judgement. I don’t recommend theft as a way to obtain an American flag, although I understand that many of you do not wish to spend money on the American flag, since you are going to burn it. I also understand and share the frustration of those of you who do not wish to spend money on an American flag at all.
However, if you are going to steal an American flag so that you can light it on fire, please be mindful of the rights of people who aren’t necessarily involved in your demonstration by not stealing it from a private residence.
Likewise, many mom-and-pop small shops and businesses are going to be facing dire times ahead, and they will likely need your support in the future to stay afloat amidst the favouritism of the mega-corporations of the world, like Wal-Mart, that treat their workers like expendable pawns, mistreat them, pay them poverty wages, with greed as their only motivator, with no soul of any kind to speak of, apart from the workers that work there because they have no other option.
Mom-and-Pop small businesses aren’t Wal-Mart. They are the only thing standing between the Wal-Marts of the corporate world and their complete monopolization of the retail economy. So, if you intend to steal an American flag so that you may burn it, do not steal from a small business, or mom-and-pop shop; not just for these purposes, but ever. If you are going to steal a burnable American flag, not that I would ever recommend such a thing, but I would smile if you chose to steal it from a Wal-Mart or some such similarly sinister mega-corporate monstrosity instead of a small business.
Remember, you should have class, dignity, and high ethical and moral standards for yourself in all that you do, all throughout your life, including when you burn the flag of the United States of America.
Lighting the American Flag on Fire
Your first time burning the American flag should be a liberating experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. The anticipation can be very exciting! If you’re waiting for the precise moment that Donald Trump takes power in the United States to burn the American flag, this can make for a long wait for early risers: Donald Trump becomes the Americans’ president at noon on the 20th of January, 2017; even though the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony itself may run late and he may be sworn in after noon, he technically and effectively becomes president at 12:00PM, exactly, even if the ceremony is running behind.
A fun way to pass the time while waiting for the Trump regime to seize power before burning the American flag is looking up laws, like those in the place I was born (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania), where there are, on the books, laws that prohibit flag desecration, which can carry a stint in a holding cell and a fine, if not greater penalties; and despite the USSC’s ruling that flag burning is to be considered the exercising of free political speech, that does not mean that local police and officials won’t try to penalize you for burning their American flag.
Looking up the laws ahead of time will empower you with information so that you can properly tell any police officer that tries to stop you to “fuck right off”.
Remember, it is your right to burn the American flag, regardless of your nationality. So, if any of my readers are undocumented, in most instances you can burn the American flag without fear of arrest or deportation, because you are not actually committing a crime. Though, if you are an undocumented reader, remember to take common sense precautions before you burn the American flag, so as to avoid any undue contact with law enforcement, and especially consider indoor demonstrations as a safe alternative to avoid arrest and deportation. (Recuerde, es su derecho a quemar la bandera americana, sin importar su nacionalidad. Por lo tanto, si alguno de mis lectores está indocumentado, en la mayoría de los casos puede quemar la bandera estadounidense sin temor a ser arrestado o deportado, porque en realidad no está cometiendo un crimen. Sin embargo, si usted es un lector indocumentado, recuerde tomar precauciones de sentido común antes de quemar la bandera americana, para evitar cualquier contacto indebido con la aplicación de la ley, y especialmente considerar las demostraciones en interiores como una alternativa segura para evitar la detención y deportación.)
The timing consideration I mentioned earlier is is especially important for those who are waiting respectfully for Barack Obama’s term to fully finish and Trump to take power before burning the American flags.
For solemn demonstrations, noon on the 20th of January is an appropriate time to burn your American flag, especially if you do not have the bone-chilling, pre-apocalyptic horror of the inaugural ceremonies being displayed or heard nearby via television, internet, or radio, as you don’t have to coordinate and adjust your scheduled burning of the American flag with the late-to-on-time guessing game of an inaugural ceremony.
Those who do have the ceremony being broadcast nearby may wish, for greater dramatic effect, Donald Trump to be speaking the oath of office when you light the American flag on fire, or perhaps just after he finishes.
You should bring enough flags and materials, including poles with fasteners and lighter fluid, so that everyone who wants to burn an American flag can burn an American flag.
Tip: Bring even more materials to burn American flags throughout Trump’s inaugural speech with your friends and family, again and again!
You should, of course, have as many children as possible see the act of people burning the American flag; they are, after all, the future, and they should be empowered with the knowledge of witnessing, first-hand, the awesome power of people in — no pun intended — its own, blazing glory! (Okay, pun intended!) However, for safety reasons, please do not allow a person under the age of eighteen to operate anything, pole or otherwise, that will be holding or clasping something that’s on fire, if you can help it.
Make certain that you have your safety gear handy and in place, including any fire-resistant clothing and safety goggles, before you begin.
Now that all that’s out of the way, as Harry Connick, Jr. said in Independence Day, “let’s kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!”
Burn the American Flag!
Prepare yourself, as I recommended, and remember why you’re doing this; why you’re burning the American flag — in defiance of Donald Trump and the system that put him there; in a declaration of independence for your region, like California and Cascadia; in a cathartic release of the negativity that that flag represents; in a personal or collective act of solidarity with all of those who are going to resist Trump and work tirelessly to encourage non-compliance with any of his dictates at the local government level, and who will, whenever the opportunity exists, to actively work to undermine and obstruct the implementation of his agenda in any way that they can; there are so many reasons to burn the American flag, and everyone has one of their own. Whatever your reason is, reflect on it.
Having already properly fastened the American flag to its pole with metal fasteners, and prepared as instructed with all of the proper materials and considerations, and having doused your American flag with lighter fluid, using a lighter or match, and while standing or sitting at a safe distance, put open flame to the American flag.
And, of course, have fun.
#ResistTrump
