Posts from — December 2009

What are the flag days in 2012? What days to fly the flag in 2012?  The laws relating to the flag of the United States are found in detail in the United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1 – The Flag.

According to the Code, and to give you a jump start for 2012, the flag should be displayed on all days, flag days include:

- New Year’s Day, January 1
- Inauguration Day, January 20
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, third Monday in January
- Lincoln’s Birthday, February 12
- Presidents Day, third Monday in February
- Washington’s Birthday – February 22
- Easter Sunday (variable)
- Mother’s Day, second Sunday in May
- Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May
- Memorial Day (half-staff until noon), the last Monday in May
- Flag Day, June 14
- Father’s Day, third Sunday in June
- Independence Day, July 4
- Labor Day, first Monday in September
- Constitution Day, September 17
- Columbus Day, second Monday in October
- Navy Day, October 27
- Veterans Day, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day, December 25
- and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President
- the birthdays of States (date of admission)
- and on State holidays.

Also, the flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed.

Click here for more information on flag rules and regulations, including days to fly the flag or flag days, in regards to outdoor flags.

Flying United States flag - Photo by *clairity*

Hearts feel and eyes see.  Like it or not, that’s the way we humans work.  Satisfying these two key elements – feeling and sight – are what all dedicated professionals pursue when designing monument art, and if they are not, then they should be looking for another line of work.

So if hearts feel and eyes see, then how is a designer of a timeless monument or memorial supposed to satisfy everyone?  After all, women most definitely are from planet Venus while men are most definitely from planet Mars, or some other planet in a far off galaxy…  And added to that gender duality is the mix that inevitably winds up on any committee assigned to review and commission a monument project.  Knowing that no two humans are the same, how then can we hope to appeal to everyone’s “heart and eyes”?

Well, perhaps that’s the wrong question.  Just because everyone feels and sees differently does not mean that a design must satisfy all those hearts and eyes in exactly the same manner.  As I see it, it is this unique verity in all of us that brings the human experience together on some sort of ethereal plane while at the same time respecting everyone’s individuality.

So with that as my foundation of belief – that is, a shared human experience via individual perspectives – I will attempt to make my case.  And my case is simply that monument art, the very best in monument art, can be different things to different people.  And that the very best always addresses both what the eye sees and what the heart feels.

Monument Art at San Leandro honors the fallen.

What the Eye Sees.

We have all heard these comments from people as they view various pieces of art; “what is that supposed to be”, “I don’t get it”, “it looks like a tree, sort of”, and my favorite “that costs how much!!??”.  Monument art is different, or at least the best in monument art should be.  The challenge is to be creative while at the same time providing enough grounding reference points so that most viewers ‘get it’.  The viewer must first ‘get it’ through the prism of their sight.  The more advanced and intriguing of designs will draw the viewer in, will engage them visually while challenging them to think about what they are seeing.  If a design does this, it is on the way to becoming a timeless piece of monument art.

What the Heart Feels.

The heart, ah yes, the heart.  That most fickle of all human organs.  Needed to sustain life one beat at a time.  Complex yet functional in purpose.  When we talk about the heart symbolically we talk about the soul, our essence.  Dependable as an organ yet when we talk about the symbol it is elusive in the feelings it can evoke in all of us.  Wise men say, trust in your heart before you trust in your mind.  And yet others say, do what feels good and pay no attention to the logic of the mind.

And all of this from an organ no larger than a softball, yet it sustains the very essence of life, day after day.  So whatever prominence you give to your heart, the bottom line is that the heart produces and evokes ‘feelings’ in all of us.  Monument art, the good stuff that is, will always draw from us feelings of various kinds and degrees of intensity.

It is the heart that will cause tears to well up in the toughest of soldiers when he is viewing a monument that honors true heroes.  It is also the heart that causes us to give pause while viewing good monument art, and that pausing can produce powerful feelings of compassion, of understanding, of respect, of renewed commitment.

So in the end, this is how I see monument art.  The really good stuff will cause our eyes to see and our hearts to feel.  The really bad stuff evokes no more than a passing glance and certainly no heartfelt feelings.

That’s my case for monument art.  May we see much more of the good stuff in years to come and less and less of the bad stuff.  Your eyes and heart will be the judge…

Onward & Upward…

One of America’s Charters, the “Bill of Rights,” celebrated its 218th birthday on Tuesday, December 15, 2009.  With Virginia’s affirmative vote on December 15, 1791, they became the last state to ratify the first 10 amendments to our new Constitution.  They are simply referred to as the Bill of Rights, but they are anything but simple.

Bill of Rights picture. Click on the image for a larger version.

The rights and principals adopted that day where some of the most important gifts granted to us by our fellow citizens.  They were a revolutionary statement of protection offered to the common man and extension of England’s Magna Carta.

One sheet of parchment declared to the world that our citizens had the rights of freedom of Religion, and of Speech and Press; we could assemble freely and petition government for grievances.

Furthermore, it preserved our rights to bear arms, that our homes could not be taken over by the military, it protected us from improper search or seizures without a valid warrant.

It continued by addressing that certain crimes had to be put by a Grand Jury, and that an individual could not be tried for the same offense twice, nor be a witness against himself.

It clearly stated we could not be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process or property taken by government without giving just compensation.  Speedy trails, impartial juries, being tried in the area of which you are accused, and that you may face your accusers were guaranteed.  The use of common law, trail by jury, and that bail will be available and fines will not be excessively imposed nor will cruel or unusual punishment be inflected.

Finally, that the powers of the Federal government are limited and that all other powers lie with the States and to the People themselves.

First Congress listens to Madison present Bill of Rights.

James Madison, "Father of the Constitution," first author of the Bill of Rights.

We all need to read, understand, and celebrate these important doctrines.  We learn them in school, but many do not remember them long after, and they are often taken for granted.  Have you seen Jay Leno’s segment called Jay-walking, it is embarrassing.

Many of our forefathers died protecting these rights and you do not have to look to far in your own neighborhoods today to see someone who has served in our military, our legislatures or local governments, our first responders and our courts of law.  These are the people on the front line of democracy.

During the last World War one of America’s great painters Norman Rockwell brought to life four master works known as the “four freedoms.”  These paintings echoed some of the key principals forged in the Bill of Rights.

"Four Freedoms" series painted by Norman Rockwell in 1943.

Take time and read this very short document that is so important to all of us, as citizens of this great land.

Show your spirit and belief in America, fly the Flag!