Sarah Palin Violates the U.S. Flag Code

The August 2009 issue of Runner's World includes a Q&A with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin about her lifelong interest in jogging. The interview reveals that she took an unreported fall while running with the Secret Service before the vice presidential debate and describes how Sen. John McCain loves being up a creek:

I used to joke around with John McCain during the campaign about coming jogging with me. And once I asked him what his favorite exercise was, and he said, 'I go wading.' Wading. He lives on a creek in Arizona, so he goes wading. That cracked me up.

The most newsworthy part of the story is probably the last question, where she affirms her support for Title IX, the gender equity law that requires schools to offer as many programs for female athletes as for males:

Is there anything else the world should know about you as a runner?

The only other thing I'd like to add is I've been very fortunate to be a recipient of all the efforts people put into Title IX all those years ago where girls got equal opportunity to participate in sports and extracurricular activities because sports growing up were my world. I'm so thankful for Title IX allowing equal access to these opportunities, and I'm a huge proponent of girls being able to realize what they're made of by participating in sports and whatever I can do there I'm going to be doing.

The story includes eight photos of Palin in running attire, and the last one shows that Palin still has a knack for turning a harmless publicity stunt -- like pardoning a turkey -- into a potential black eye.

Photo of Sarah Palin and a flag in Runner's World

Palin's violating the U.S. Flag Code, which you can read on the American Legion's site, in how that U.S. flag is treated in the photo. Under the heading Respect for the Flag, the code states, "The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise." There's also a rule against using it as drapery.

Though adherance to the Flag Code is optional, some people take it pretty seriously, as the American Flag wall of shame demonstrates, and a lot of them are in what Palin would consider the "pro-America areas of this great nation." You shouldn't drape it over a chair like a cover you bought at Bed Bath and Beyond.

It's a wonder that Palin hasn't shot her publicity team from a helicopter.

Update: A commenter points out a picture of Palin wrapping herself in the flag that was reprinted in Newsweek and taken by Wasilla, Alaska, photographer Judy Patrick, who has included it in her Palin calendar.

Comments

When you see Obama with his hands over his crotch with his mouth shut when the others are pledging allegiance to the flag, how can they belittle Palin? Oh, I forgot, she's a Republican.

Um, I believe that the purpose of "belittling" Mrs. Palin is to point out all the hub bub about a single picture taking during one pledge is just about as news worthy as this.

Its not that she's a Republican...its that she's as big a hypocrit as the rest of them are.

She is a disgrace! As a veteran, I am appalled and disgusted with this hick!

Disgracing the flag? She looks damn good in that picture.

Facts, Yogiman, facts.

None of the candidates' mouths are moving in that photo you cite. Have you noticed that? That's because the Pledge Of Allegiance wasn't being said at that event. You can read about it on the internet

BTW, have you seen the YouTube footage of then-Senator Obama leading the Pledge on the senate floor? It's stirring stuff.

Don't allow the Democrats to dismiss you as dumb because you haven't done your research. Know your facts, then comment.

You dems elected a muslim guy from Kenya into the white house and you claim to care about flag? YOu'll be nashing your teeth when Palin takes over in 2012 no matter what you do. Maybe 2010 if the media will start reporting on Obama's non-existent birth certificate and he gets booted out!

I heard that she had a tanning bed installed her house. Is that why her legs are so much darker than her face? Or is she wearing pantyhose with her running shoes? Also, using the flag in such a casual manner seems disrespectful. Her hair extensions look fairly natural, though.

Again - facts, Jeff.

You've used the internet to get to Cadenhead's site -- why not use it to verify your claims before posting? It will greatly aid in preventing people from dismissing you as ignorant.

To start: If only Democrats voted in the last election, Barack Obama would not be President.

Clearly Cadenhead's not going to vet the rest of your post, so here's a better idea: you do it.

Muslim, Kenya, who "boots out" a chief executive, birth certificate.

All checkable facts available to you on the wonderful internet.

Please stop by again when you're done.

Looks like she's wearing shiny pantyhose, MISSSUNSHINE. That would explain the difference in skin color from face to leg. I agree with DOLEMITE that Palin looks great in these photos. Though it's hard to imagine any other serious presidential candidate taking photos like that. (Except for Tsongas, of course.) It's difficult to square her recent statements about respecting and not sexualising young women (re: Letterman joke) with her posing for these leggy photos in a magazine.

Palin has in the recent past, supported Alaska seceding from the US, so why should she treat the flag with respect?

Nice catch (the flag being abused, not thunder thighs who says she is a jogger)

I've been in Wasilla, it's where my son and daughter-in-law live.

She must go jogging 4 months of the year while in Wasilla. Unless she's wearing a parka usually.

When the water coming out of the tap colder that what it is coming out of the fridge (which is at 40 degrees itself), it's fricking cold up there!

We never did find her house, although I know the area that it has to be for her house to be on water.

I am a Republican, and Palin makes me sick. Not like any of the others we have to offer are any better. Sanford would have been better served if he had just walked out and punched himself in the balls today than issue that statement, so does it really surprise you that SHE is the best the old, dying part of the party has to offer? She TRULY is smarter than they are, and that is the truly frightening thing

I think the difference in color can be attributed to light make up on the face more than anything on her legs.

No one in this country cares about the flag code any more. Any time you see some yay-hoo with a flag flapping from the car window, that person is in violation of the code, which says a flag must never be affixed to any vehicle except a military vehicle or the president's vehicle.

The code also says the flag is never to be used for advertising. How much of the business community do you think adheres to that part of the flag code?

And it's probably a good thing. The flag is worthless without the constitution. Desecrating the constitution is much worse.

Anyone "outraged" by this is clearly not a fan of Sarah and fails to make issue or remember what the anointed one didn't do during the pledge of allegiance on the campaign trail. Which picture is worse, hmmm?

DIJONAISE: Why are you so appealed and disgusted? How come people get sooo bent out-of-shape when they see Sarah Palin? Someone explain, please.

CM: I am appalled that this cretin was almost our vice president. I am appalled that the flag that I went into the service to protect, is nothing more than a prop for her self aggrandizing propaganda. Palin can't even do a simple magazine article without injecting some sort of PHONY patriotic imagery. It just reinforces the idea of how easily her fans are manipulated by something like a flag.

Please! You complain about this? Wait till all "Yes You Did" start burning it?

Yogiman you will look a lot less stupid if you actually do some research and get your facts straight before you post a dumb comment. The picture of Obama standing respectfully with his hands polietly folded in front of him was not during the Pledge of Allegiance but during the singing of the National Anthem, the code of conduct for the National Anthem requires that during it's singing a person stand quietly, it does not require hand over heart. If you will do a snopes. com search on the subject you can find multiple pictures of H. W. Buh, W. Bush and Reagan standing respectfully without hand over heart during the national anthem, you can also on line see the video of the even that the picture was taken at so you can clearly tell it is not during the pledge.

This picture was probably photoshopped by the DNC and BO himself. What 1979repemtwon't the Dems do to make Palin look bad. Her daughters a fair game but we can't do anything about BO's daughters? Hopefully that will change as BO continues his nation destroying policies.

I am sorry I thought I was chatting with people with a level of intelligence then I saw Mike's post and realized other wise.

what a crock of crap this article this is.

No Democrat has to do anything to make Palin look bad, she can manage to do that every day on her own with no help at all.

How y'all better leaves Sarah Barricuder Palinator alone. She is the #1 USA USA USA preserdenting woman in the world. Y'all just be jellus of her and how she has them beautifull childrens and makes them cool speechmakings. I's loving them chants of USA USA USA and TERRORIST and DRILL THE BABY DRILL THE BABY. Y'all don't a be hating on my preserdenting candidates of Sarah Palin and Michell Bachamnn in the 2000 and 12 race to the White POwer House. USA USA USA!!!!

Now that was funny

But see also the flag shows that she is patriotic and pro-America too, otherwise, and then it will proGRESS this great nation if God so blesses her! Because holding TWO blackberries you can see she is also past the cutting edge of technology and popular also there! ::: door slam :::

If Palin spent half as much time actually educating herself as she does posing, running her mouth, and showing off, she might have actually helped to "rebrand" the GOP. Instead, the party looks nearly as lost as she is.

Karen, great comments, the party is actually as lost as she is. Anyone who thinks Palin is going to be the nominee is 2012 is delusional. I don't think she can get re-elected in Alaska and notice she has not said she will run again so I think she questions rather she could get re-elected and obviously losing in her own state would be a total humiliation.

This isn't the first time Palin has arguably dishonored the flag in a photo op; I'm pretty sure that wrapping yourself in the flag is (implicitly) forbidden by the flag code as well, since it mentions that the flag shouldn't be used as part of a costume.

www.nocaptionneeded.com

What a twat.

It's kind of funny how many magazines have printed interviews with Palin and yet she couldn't name any of them as being read by her.

She can't name any because she does not read any and she does not know which ones interviewed her.

DIJONAISE: I truly appreciate your service to our great country. I also have great respect for our flag. However, I understand that Gov. Palin is a very busy women and certainly didn't assist in the the crew that assembled the set for the photograph. She was probably there just long enough to snap the shot. Give it a rest.

Honestly, the ease of uproar from non-issuers fuels the Palin media machine anyway. If you hate her so much, then why do you care?

CM I think that picture is taken in the Governors office, not sure but I think it is based on other pics I have seen of the office. In addition to the flag hanging on the window is a "Service Flag" with one star which means that the person displaying it has typcially one son or daughter serving in the Miliary overseas. I don't think Palin has a son or daughter servicing overseas does she? Your comment about "If you hate her so much, then why do you care, is really odd, obviously he cares because he hates her so much? Taht was reasonably obvious. He cares because he does not want this mess of a woman having any future in national politics!

Her son Track Palin is a private first class who was deployed last fall in Diyala province, Iraq.

I had forgotten that thanks for the reminder. I think that is more evidence that the picture was taken in her office not at some remote staged location, I think at the very least the flag was staged by her staff therefore her responsibility.

I find there is some intelligent life forms answering this. Reference to snopes.com and get the fact is a rarity among most psuedo-repubs, they just don't usually do it. They would rather spit lush slimball taking points. I see a lot of whinning here. Voters voyed for whom they thought was the best. That's the American way. Let's move on. After all we are Americans.

It's hard to imagine that the smoke-filled-room Republicans would anoint Palin as their 2012 nominee. She's the GOP's Bill Clinton - she's got a new tabloid headline every week.

The Old Boys Network looks at her and thinks: "How are we going to control The Message when Palin can't even control her own daughter?" Like Clinton, she's too much drama. My guess is that they'll back a more disciplined candidate like Romney.

How come the liberals are ranting about the flag code after hundreds of U.S. flags were fished out of trash cans by boy scouts at democratic national primary????

Well, MadMax71, the only problem with that urban myth is that... it's an urban myth.

Prior to the Democratic Convention, some McCain operatives bought a big bag o' flags and then told a Fox News reporter that the had been pulled out of the trash. When asked to substantiate the claim, the supporters could not because... it wasn't true.

Bloggers filled in the rest of the story because the facts didn't support it.

Am I the only one here who checks these things?

It is amazing how gullible these Republicans are they never fact check anything at all, they need to learn to use snopes.com so they can look like less of an idiot

Oh, please, give me a break - Its just a nice photo of Sarah - If it were a democrat the flag would be on the floor - in fact if it were Barny Frank, or Polosi they would be wiping the floor with it and know one would say boo.

Ken (above) makes an excellent point. "Barny [sic] Frank" and "Polosi" [sic] would definitely "wipe the floor" with the American flag. They both clearly hate America - as demonstrated by the fact that they've spent their lives serving their country.

What is it you do for a living, Ken?

Typical liberal-left propaganda. Obama, the socialist, facist is fixing to be the ring leader in running our country, pride, and military in the ground and you the liberal queer left media go around and print stories like this one. Why don't you research ACORN, the real CLIMATE CHANGE, or what the government is really trying to do. The Monkey Left want control and I be damn they will have to pry my gun away from my bleeding hands!!! It's time to take a stand America!!! Stand up against the leftest media and these radicals that want to control us.

It's pretty obvious that this is a photo-shopped picture... They took her head and put it on someone else's body.

Boo-F'ing-HOO

Palin COST McCAin the Election and THAT CAN NOT BE DEBATED.

She A) Didn't even know the role of what the Vice President Does

B) Depends SOLELY on Aides to make sure she's not going to make a fool of herself (though Aides cannot help with that)

C) Is an utter IMBACILE.

Sorry if you people cannot accept FACTS.

You can whine and cry all you want, but the TRUTH remains that Palin cost the republicans the 2008 election because of her inabiltiy to comprehend FACTS. (just like her supporters, which ALL of Alaska is now agaisnt her and considers her to be an embarassment to their glorius state)

Sarah Palin was the best thing that ever happened to Democrats except for George W. Bush. We need true intellect, knowledge and insight from our leaders, not some make believe symbolism and ideology such as Palin represents.

Her cow towing to Israel was disgusting but not that different from other US politicos. She was totally transparent about it.

What a hack job.

I'd question any one's intelligence that accepts any of the media's negative hype campaign against Governor Palin. And, this is just another example of the lengths the left will go to in an effort to smear someone they fear. It's obvious just from the title of this piece of 's...' her title is left out. She is a governor not just a run of the mill person. From what I've heard, she's doing pretty damn good despite the mudslinging left's efforts.

We'll see who is who in 2012. If Obama doesn't get impeached before hand.

And as a side-note... where on earth is Joe Biden respected as the vice-president? NOWHERE! He dis's himself by just opening his mouth.

This woman's 15 minutes is over! She is not bright and is not worthy of any publicity!

I'd hit it

Repeat after me PHOTOSHOP!

Remember, only dead fish go with the flow.

Regarding the Obama pledge contraversy, perhaps a video of the event, from a wider angle, with a buffer of time before and after said pledge, is the only way to satisfactorly demonstrate the claims based upon a photo.

It's not a controversy, Enterik. The pledge of allegiance isn't being said in that photo. That's why Sen. Clinton's and Gov. Richardson's mouths aren't moving either.

Obama's opponents are so lame they've resorted to completely fabricating lies about him. An intelligent opponent would attack Obama on his policies, but it seems like the GOP isn't capable of that kind of above-the-board tactic anymore. It's sad that the Republican party has come to this. I mean that sincerely.

They're lying about something that's demonstrably untrue - there's video of the event. Go to YouTube and type in "Obama and the National Anthem" and you can watch the whole thing.

Excuse me while I raise this thread from the dead...

Facts, Diablo, facts...

So we're supposed to be surprised that the Pledge of Allegiance isn't being said in a video found by searching "Obama and the National Anthem"? Do your own research brainiac.

Your MO (look it up) of denigrating your opponents, and then acting holier-than-thou when they attack you is laughable.

What are you talking about? Do you need me to type the Google search FOR you?

The photo is a still frame of the National Anthem being sung, not the Pledge Of Allegiance - the lie that sour-grapes Republicans keep attempting to spread.

Do you not LIKE that fact? Too bad - it doesn't change the truth.

Do you not LIKE looking up facts before you run your mouth? Too bad. Your choices are (1) Do your own research or (2) Don't complain when people like me who actually know the facts make you look foolish.

I'm sorry but did seriously NO ONE catch that D. Jones tried calling the president a socialist fascist?

SERIOUSLY!?

Talk about unintelligent. Way to basically say hes a run-of-the-mill guy considering socialism and fascism are COMPLETE OPPOSITES.

Not to mention the hundreds of other ways that Obama is in no way even remotely close to a fascist. If he were he would not believe in having himself in power since he has no military background.

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