This Thursday is Flag Day. It’s not an official holiday, but it marks the day back in 1777 when we adopted our first national flag designed a year earlier.<\/p>\n
Flags are interesting. There are 196 countries or entities (some, like the Vatican and Kosovo, not admitted to the United Nations) and they all have flags – some unique and some remarkably similar with a color bar shifted here and there.<\/p>\n
I’ve looked over those flags and find that America’s really does stand out in design and colorfulness. It catches the eye in a breeze.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
It’s interesting how countries pick a flag design, why people had flags to start with, and that you don’t find any all-black flags or all white flags (do you?).<\/p>\n
We’ve had some flag changes but nothing like Afghanistan, which has flown 21 different flags in its history.<\/p>\n
Flags started out as battlefield markers and signs on shields so you could tell friend from foe in hand-to-hand warfare. The Romans supposedly first used cloth flags mounted on the end of spears.<\/p>\n
They say red flags (China) show hardiness and bravery. Blue (plenty) for vigilance and justice. Green (many Muslim nations) for hope and joy and a special religious significance. Yellow is for generosity.<\/p>\n
Many flags have some yellow, but all yellow? I can only find our old Don’t Tread On Me banner.<\/p>\n
The flags of the European countries – except for Great Britain – tend to confuse me because of their rearrangement of some basic color bars. Is that Germany or Belgium? Hungary or Italy? Slovakia or Slovenia?<\/p>\n
The flag of the Republic of the Seychelles (Indian Ocean) really stands out in a crowd. Same with St. Pierre and Miquelon (Atlantic Ocean near Canada).<\/p>\n
Japan and Tunisia strike me as among the least interesting flags. They went for minimalist design. Somalia, too, one white star on a blue field.<\/p>\n
But that place has disintegrated, so stand by for a new banner.<\/p>\n
Togo’s is very eye-catching (noticed that tiny places often have the best postage stamps, too?) but Swaziland’s – I can’t quite figure that one out. Here’s how they describe it:<\/p>\n
“On it is an Emasotsha shield, laid horizontally. The shield is reinforced by a staff from which hangs injobo tassels – bunches of feathers of the widowbird and the lourie.”<\/p>\n
I guess the uniqueness award goes to Mozambique, the only nation to feature an AK-47 assault rife on its flag.<\/p>\n
Then there’s Guam, about which a rating website says:<\/p>\n
“Very bad. Looks as if they had just bought a T-shirt from the nearest souvenir shop and put it on a flagpole.”<\/p>\n
* Got tickets yet for the July 3 final Hawaii Foodbank Patriots Celebration? I sure hope so. Honorees of all previous years will be there. Call 836-3600, ext. 244 or email events@hawaiifoodbank.org.<\/p>\n
Editor’s note: We’re pleased to note that Bob Jones won a Hawaii Publisher’s Association Pa’i Award, taking first place in the Editorial Opinion category – based on his two columns about the Kauai Independent Food Bank misusing almost $1 million of federal funds, and on peddlers in Diamond Head and in Waikiki. Congrats, Bob, and thanks for the good work.<\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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