Santa Clara's Flag Code Disrespect

[drilltech1]

Back in the olden days of drum corps, penalty judges used to earn their salary and occasionally handed out disqualifiers for such things as having another flag in front of the US or Canadian flags ("trail"), having a flag higher than the national standard flag, letting the national flag hit the ground, etc., etc.; all this followed protocols which were the force of law by the US Congress, the military, and the United Nations who set such protocols in manuals known as Flag Code.

Today in a world so wrought with world conflict and political correctness, those policies concerning national flags for the US and Canada have gone to the side for drum corps and are seen as inhibiting show designers' sense of art.

However, the question remains concerning Santa Clara's use of the French national tricolors as a flash flag which is tossed and spun during Les Mis. Consider the chagrin of the administration of the only competitive drum corps in France, from Brittany I think, who are here this week to view DCI East and DCI championships with the hope of bringing their young corps one day to Open Class championships or DCA's All-age.

Should there be penalties assessed?

One veteran T&P judge when queried Saturday retorted that it wasn't a violation against the American flag. Troopers and Bluecoats were using mock flags. But when challenged about the UN flag code which the US official law respects, the judge claimed ignorance and lack of awareness.

Now when Cadets did Les Mis, Bobby Hoffmann made sure to add a stripe of orange and then gold fringe so that it was obvious that the flag was not an official French flag. Ought not SCV have the same respect??? What if it were, let's say, the Dutch corps or Twaiwanese spinning an actual American flag? Would not sensitivities demand better T&P judging rather than the judge practicing hand signals to the judging box with his grandchild on the track? Professional standards for an international championship? I think our standards are slipping so to be coy and cute. Respect the standards of every nation, no SCV???

Edited August 6, 2013 by drilltech1

[normy diploome]

Back in the olden days of drum corps, penalty judges used to earn their salary and occasionally handed out disqualifiers for such things as having another flag in front of the US or Canadian flags ("trail"), having a flag higher than the national standard flag, letting the national flag hit the ground, etc., etc.; all this followed protocols which were the force of law by the US Congress, the military, and the United Nations who set such protocols in manuals known as Flag Code.

Today in a world so wrought with world conflict and political correctness, those policies concerning national flags for the US and Canada have gone to the side for drum corps and are seen as inhibiting show designers' sense of art.

However, the question remains concerning Santa Clara's use of the French national tricolors as a flash flag which is tossed and spun during Les Mis. Consider the chagrin of the administration of the only competitive drum corps in France, from Brittany I think, who are here this week to view DCI East and DCI championships with the hope of bringing their young corps one day to Open Class championships or DCA's All-age.

Should there be penalties assessed. One veteran T&P judge when queried Saturday retorted that it wasn't a violation against the American flag. Troopers and Bluecoats were using mock flags. But when challenged about the UN flag code which the US official law respects, the judge claimed ignorance and lack of awareness.

Now when Cadets did Les Mis, Bobby Hoffmann made sure to add a stripe of orange and then gold fringe so that it was obvious that the flag was not an official French flag. Ought not SCV have the same respect??? What if it were, let's say, the Dutch corps or Twaiwanese spinning an actual American flag? Would not sensitivities demand better T&P judging rather than the judge practicing hand signals to the judging box with his grandchild on the track? Professional standards for an international championship? I think our standards are slipping so to be coy and cute. Respect the standards of every nation, no SCV???

This! ! (Tony DiCarlo's babysitting duties to the side.)

Edited August 6, 2013 by normy diploome

[SFZFAN]

Seriously? I doubt they mean any disrespect and I doubt very many people, if anyone would be the least bit offended. And I like waffles.

[EllmerFUDD]

Seriously...NO REALLY SERIOULY? There is all this GREAT stuff going on and your take away from 2013 drum corps is “SCV is disrespecting the F&*^ing French Flag”.

Note to drilltech1............... Try a Waffle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Northern Thunder]

According to wikipedia's flag desecration topic site:

"A July 2010 law makes it a crime to desecrate the French national flag in a public place, but also to distribute images of a flag desecration, even when done in a private setting. On 22 December 2010, an Algerian national was the first person to be convicted under the new status, and ordered to pay a €750 after breaking the pole of a flag hung in the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture a day prior."

Interpret that any way you like.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Northern Thunder

[ashevillemurphy]

one way SCV might be not using an actual French flag is that if the stripes are all not of equal width ...

similarly, if a group uses a US flag with only 48 stars the same rules do not apply.

Edited August 6, 2013 by ashevillemurphy

[jonnyboy]

If the OP is correct, something should be done. Possibly DCI or the peeps at Vanguard can correct this before finals or explain what is going on. We all know that US citizens would be UP IN ARMS if a video popped up on YouTube with a youth group spinning and tossing American flags around. Period.

I'm wondering how we got this far in the season without someone bringing this up?

[hughesmr]

"Hmm, what non-issue can I ##### about today?"

[Northern Thunder]

I'm wondering how we got this far in the season without someone bringing this up?

Too many other FUN things to talk about??

[EllmerFUDD]

And the results are in! The wining post of the dumbest thing on DCP goes too………………..

“Santa Clara's Flag Code Disrespect”