[kach22i]

I don't want to hi-jack anybody's thread with cool car pictures, so I'm starting a new thread.

I said:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=270119&perpage=20&pagenumber=2

The sad part for Germany is that Nationalism or National Pride is hard to seperate out from fascism of the past.

I've been told that Germans are not allowed to display a German flag inside of their own country, but may do so outside of their own country for sporting events.

Can you even imagine this happing to the American flag?

Perhaps this sounds a bit Sci-Fi, so I'll bow out by saying - nice car pictures.

There seems to be some skepticism by those less traveled about the above comment, and I'll admit I've never been to BMI/Germany myself.

I do know it is a country of strict rules, laws, regulations and precision, with a good dose of personal responsibility thrown in for good measure.


http://www.german-flag-history.com/german-flag-relation.html

German Flag Relation
This article deals with the relation Germans have to their flag.

This is quite interesting, especially for Americans who are used to see their flag everywhere.
In Germany it's a really different thing. If you travel through the country, you won't see any (or not many) German flags. You probably wonder why. Maybe you won't believe but this goes back to World War 2, even if this war has been fought 60 years ago. The Germans still don't show any pride of their country.

If you fly a flag as a German, other people would look at you and probably think you're a Nazi or some kind of a rightist. That's simply because they're not used to see national flags, but at demonstrations of rightist.

You can't really explain it, it's just a different feeling that Germans have about their country.

They also think that the Americans are strange because of their national pride. They don't understand why we always fly our flags. Some Germans, when they travel to the US, even feel offended when they see our flag so often.

Another interesting thing is that if a German has a flag or so on his car and drives through another European country, other Europeans point at them and still get mad.

How long will this last? Another 60 years?

If you have comments to this article or maybe more information, feel free to contact us.

Note-1: I may need to clarify that I originally intended to make a casual cultural observation and not a political debate or legal argument.

For reference:

http://www.fotw.net/flags/de_law.html#1964

#

Basic Rules for the Usage of Flags

1. Meaning of the federal flag

The federal flag represents, like every other national flag, the actual state as a political unit. Therefore the national flag has to be held in high honour.

2. Who is entitled to use flags or banners?

Apart from the obligation to flag on regular general flag days, every national citizen is free to use the flags of the nation, of federal states or of cities, as long as they are no service flags. Furthermore banners in church-colors with or without emblem or combined with colors of associations may be flown. Every private citizen may use outside, or as a desk flag, flags or banners of friendly nations.

3. Time to use flags

Flags must be hoisted at daybreak and taken down at sunset. In special circumstances flags may be used after sunset as long as they are illuminated.

4. When should flags be used?

a) regular, general flag days (for officials, obligation to use flags)
# 1st January: New Year's Day
# 1st May: Labour Day
# 3rd October: German National Holiday [German unification remembrance day]
# November: National Mourning Day (2nd Sunday before 1st Advent Sunday)

b) on special occasions:

1. on state visits of heads of government and heads of state
2. on visits of foreign industrial and mercantile delegations
3. on mourning days of the Nation and of the federal states, as well as local mourning occasions
4. at fairs and exhibitions
5. on religious holidays
6. at local festivals and jubilees
7. at sporting exhibitions, especially those with an international character

5. Order in rank of the federal flag

In national flag displays, the federal service flag, the federal postal flag and the federal flag have the privileged position, when displayed beside other flags (eg. of federal states, cities or associations).

In international flag displays, the national flags are ranked right to left according to the French alphabet. Next the federal service flag, then the federal postal flag or the federal flag; after these, flags of federal states, cities, associations, etcetera. Ranking is always from right to left (as viewed from outside the building). The same rules apply for indoor flag displays.

6. Mourning flag usage

Flags shall be firstly hoisted to the top of the flag pole, then slowly brought down to a "half-mast" position. The bottom side of the flag shall then be at half the height of the mast. Hanging flags, banners and tall format hoisting flags shall not half-masted. A mourning band shall be put on the pole-top of hanging flags, and one mourning band on both the left and right ends of banners' cross-beams, each as long as about one third of the flag's length. On tall format hoisting flags the mourning band shall be fastened to the top of the mast and its length shall not exceed the short side of the flag.

7. Draping with the federal flag

The federal flag or federal service flag must never be used to adorn the podium or desk of a speaker. In this case the federal flag must be displayed either behind the podium or to its right.

8. Usage of national colors.

The national colours shall not be used together with association or company emblems on a flag. Association or company flags shall be used in these cases.

9. Damaged and used up flags

Flags shall always be checked on their condition, which can be improved by periodical cleaning and resting. When they are no longer presentable they must not be used anymore and be replaced by new ones.

Contribution by Dieter Reintjes, translation by Jarig Bakker with corrections by Santiago Dotor, 6 February 2002

Note-2: In a country/culture of strict rules one would not expect to see flags flying on non-flag days, would they?

Debate away, I did enjoy the following German use of a flag the best.

http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/03/1728717.php

Police in Germany are hunting pranksters who have been sticking
miniature flag portraits of US President George W. Bush into piles of
dog poo in public parks. Josef Oettl, parks administrator for Bayreuth,
said: "This has been going on for about a year now, and there must be
2,000 to 3,000 piles of excrement that have been claimed during that
time."

The series of incidents was originally thought to be some sort of
protest against the US-led invasion ofIraq. And then when it continued
it was thought to be a protest against President George W. Bush's
campaign for re-election. But it is still going on and the police say
they are completely baffled as to who is to blame. "We have sent out
extra patrols to try to catch whoever is doing this in the act," said
police spokesman Reiner Kuechler. "But frankly, we don't know what we
would do if we caught them red handed." Legal experts say there is no
law against using feces as a flag stand and the federal legal experts
say there is no law against using feces as a flag stand and the federal
constitution is vague on the issue

FYI: Flag laws in the United States
http://www.fotw.net/Flags/us-law.html