Posted on 01/22/2006 10:11:12 AM PST by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA — Doug Bugeaud says the United States is his second favorite country.
Naturally, his first favorite is his home country — Canada.
But it appears some people take offense to the Canadian Forces major flying his nation’s red and white Maple Leaf flag in front of his Sierra Vista home.
His vehicle has been the target of a number of eggings, and he has received a couple of letters about flying the Canadian flag, as well as being the subject of an On Your Mind comment in the Herald/Review.
During the Christmas holidays, his in-laws from Canada visited, but they cut their two weeks in Sierra Vista short by a week.
“They want my children to go back to Canada because they are afraid for them,” Bugeaud said, adding his wife also is a little scared.
He is just one of many foreign officers who are at the post as liaisons, exchange or students.
Besides Canada, other countries with an assignment presence include Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain and South Korea. Some of them fly their nation’s colors at their homes in Sierra Vista.
Foreign students come from a variety of nations, and in February a small group of Iraqi officers is expected to attend the Intelligence Center.
Bugeaud doesn’t know if the eggings and other acts of minor vandalism are aimed at him as an individual or at Canada.
In late September, he received a type-written letter addressed to “occupants” at his St. Andrews Drive home.
The 18-word message stated: “Your continual flying of the Canadian flag is insulting. Why not go back to Canada where you belong.”
The first round of eggings began then and stopped in October, he said. The egg-throwing incidents started up again in mid-December and continued until early January.
After the second round of eggings and splashing of his car with coffee cream, he received another anonymous letter, this time addressed to “residents” at his home.
Inside the envelope was a copy of the On Your Mind published in the Herald/Review’s Dec. 16 issue.
The article complained about the person on St. Andrews Drive — Bugeaud — flying the Canadian flag at the house, as well as on his car and for having a license plate with a maple leaf on it.
In part, the comment stated: “This is the U.S.A. and they need to fly the American flag on top of the Canadian flag. And if they can’t do this then maybe the need to go back to Canada.”
Bugeaud said it would be wrong to fly the American flag over the Canadian banner or vice versus, for that traditionally indicates the flag of a country flying beneath another country’s flag was defeated in war by the one on top of it.
Although Americans and Canadians have engaged in combat — during the Revolutionary War and during the War of 1812, both times when the Americans attempted to make Canada part of the United States — it has been nearly 200 years since the last fighting occurred.
“And neither country defeated the other,” the major said, adding both nations should be proud they share the world’s longest undefended border.
There has been some war of words between the two countries, especially when it comes to the Iraq, the major said.
Canada did not join in providing combat forces against Iraq in 2003, as it did in the first Gulf War.
But Canadians are serving in exchange positions with U.S. military units, Bugeaud said.
When that organization deploys to Iraq, the Canadians go along.
Americans also serve as exchange and liaison officers with Canadian Forces.
Throughout most of the peacekeeping efforts, Canada and the United States have been by each others side, he said.
When the terrorists struck the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, a Canadian lieutenant general at the North American Air Defense command in Colorado was on duty and worked with the Pentagon and the White House in making decisions, which included grounding all flights in the United States and those heading for the country, Bugeaud said. Many grounded flights landed in Canada.
When it comes to Afghanistan, Canadian special forces were there when that conflict began, the major said. And 2,000 Canadians will soon be replacing Americans in Kandahar as part of the North American Treaty Organization force.
So, he said, if someone has a problem because Canada was not part of the attacking force in 2003 that went into Iraq, Canada’s other support for the United States should be considered, especially in the war against terrorism.
Canadians and Americans have shared duty around the world, Bugeaud said.
Many of his assignments have been with Americans, including another stint as a liaison officer.
When Americans are serving in joint assignments with Canadians, many of them fly the U.S. flag at their homes in Canada “and we don’t make anything of it.”
The egging incidents have been reported to the Sierra Vista Police Department, but no one has been apprehended, Bugeaud said.
The eggings are bad enough. One left a “small egg-shaped dent” on the car and four others caused some damage to the vehicle’s paint.
But, Bugeaud said, the vindictive nature of the letters is more disturbing.
“It’s criminal harassment,” he added.
Other people who were curious about the Canadian flag outside his home have come to the door and asked why it was flying, the major said.
Once he explained he was the Canadian liaison, the people understood and told him to continue flying the banner.
Because he has a small Canadian flag on the antenna on his car, people have asked him about it and they get the same answer, again with no problems, Bugeaud said.
The action of those who oppose him flying his country’s flag has left a sour taste in his mouth, but it isn’t bitter enough to stop serving in the United States.
“I love Americans. America is my second favorite country,” the major said.
However, he admitted he will have some second thoughts about recommending Canadians to visit Sierra Vista.
As for lowering the Canadian flag forever from in front of his home, Bugeaud says he won’t, for it would admit defeat.
“I’m not going to be intimidated,” he said.
Senate Interpretation of Flag Display Guidelines
It states: "The Code is designed "for the use of such civilian groups or organizations as may not be required to conform with regulations promulgated by one or more executive departments" of the federal government.3 Thus, the Flag Code does not prescribe any penalties for non-compliance nor does it include enforcement provisions; rather the Code functions simply as a guide to be voluntarily followed by civilians and civilian groups."
My take on this is that it is a guideline, no more, to be followed by US Citizens, if they so desire, and must be followed by governmental organizations such as federal buildings etc.
This Canadian citizen described in the article is under no legal obligation to follow the guidelines, and neither are any Americans who do not wish to do so.
Interestingly, do you see a contradiction in the way this code was written?
No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof...
Just for the record, I have complete and utter respect for the symbolism of the US Flag. I served under it, and my father was buried in Arlington under it. I wish I could force others to feel as I do, but I understand their constitutional right to stamp their feet on it, as much as it enrages and hurts me to see.
You don't understand the rules correctly.
Only embassy and consulate grounds are considered and treated as foreign soil (that includes buildings that house recognized embassies and consulates). He is living as a guest in base housing or in a normal house nearby, all on American soil. His flying of the Canadian flag, as if it were sovereign, is insulting and contrary to all diplomatic tradition. He is openly violating international norms and protocols and being deliberately provocative or he is incredibly ignorant and grossly unqualified for his post.
Contrary to his argument he would only be entitled to fly the Canadian flag while in the US as he does if Canada had beaten us in a war. We won a war in Iraq and Afghanistan and are thus entitled, but we have gone out of our way to never display just the US flag as a sign of respect. As a guest in our country he has no right to fly his flag alone (implying sovereignty) unless he is doing so in an officially recognized diplomatic compound. His home on a US base or in a US neighborhood emphatically does NOT qualify.
This was explained to me by the then legal adviser to the Irish Embassy at the UN as to why he flew both the US and Irish national flags outside his rental home next to my parent's house in Scarsdale, NY, when I was growing up. He later went on to be the Irish Ambassador to several countries, finishing up as Ambassador to the US and then the USSR. In this last post he acted as a friend of the US as Ronald Reagan's "honest broker" to set up the START meetings with Gorbachev. I'd say that career qualifies him as an authority on the subject, so I'll defer to him.
The Canuck is wrong and should either strike his colors or fly the US flag as prominently OR ABOVE the Canadian flag in order to show proper respect for his hosts. Having looked at the picture of this lard ass I don't think he has the proper respect for his own country, let alone ours, so I don't think he'll exhibit the class to do any such thing. Unfortunately he is all too typical of the whiny and spiteful "ugly Canadian" that is being presented to the best friends that Canada has ever had or ever will have.
Unless the election tomorrow makes for a very rapid and very public turn around in the public position of Canadians towards America and Americans I think that the Canadians are in for a very rough couple of decades as they find out just how well they can get along depending on their own capabilities. I think they'll find that they've been living off of a rich relative for a long time and it will be a rude awakening for them when they get cut off. It will be a bitch for us, but it will spell death for them.
I would never expect to live in a Canadian (or any nation except the USA) neighborhood and fly an American flag. I don't know why he expect that he could get away with flying a Canadian flag in an American neighborhood. I don't condone the harassment but I do think what he is doing is inappropriate.
Canada has done significant damage to itself. I am sure tourism is down (I need to Google about to see how bad).
But if he is here on assignment and not because he has voluntarily relocated then this is just bad form by the local Yahoos.
That is some serious stuff you laid out there, little sister. I think running out is a little inappropriate. Can you authenticate yourself somehow?
I guess we have to fall back to rules of etiquette rather than protocol.
I think we have to agree that if someone has decided to fly their native country's flag "over" ours, we can certainly ask why and deride anyone who is here voluntarily who doesn't fly our flag highest.
But egging and harrasment are out of order all the time.
I still say this is more about Canada's loud (and stupid) mistreatment of the USA than flag flying protocol.
I elected not to respond to the "young lady" claiming to be the daughter of the Canadian military officer this thread is about.
If she is who she say's she is then anything I posted would risk being offensive and, again, if she is being straight, I would NOT want to do that.
If "she" is not who "she" says "she" is, then it's moot.
This was a "cut bait" kind of moment for me.
She's been Zotted, so the AM has ruled (all hail the AM!)
I think my response was as appropriate as possible. I think the AM's response was better (all hail the AM!).
Those were serious accusations and I think it right they not be part of FR.
For me it is the protocol. Since this person is supposed to be a formal representative of his country he must honor the required protocols or be sent home. It's not optional in diplomatic situations, which this is. It's like not reacting to the Iranians invading our embassey and taking our diplomats hostage. You can't let that kind of thing go or all of diplomacy falls apart. Kind of like the situation in the Middle East has fallen apart since Jimmy "the teeth" Carter did nothing back then and gave us the Jihadi Middle East we have now.
In diplomacy the protocol IS the substance.
And he wasn't flying the Canadian Flag above ours just flying the Canadian Flag on the home he bought in town for his family while he's here for duty.
In the absence of more research, I will accept the premise that flying a flag "beneath" another (as in on the same line) states the latter lost a war to the former.
But I am sure the host country's flag should always be the highest one flown.
Pretty clueless I see.
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