Also, is is legal for me to hang my flag upside down like that in my community?
Old flags are burned. Ceremoniously and with reverence.
If you have a local American Legion, at least once a year they should hold a Flag Retirement Ceremony and will gladly accept yours.
Fawn, an upside down flag denotes distress. As a conservative, you should not be distressed. You should know, that among those around you, you are the leader and will do your best despite the environment.
Some have said using the distress signal of an upside-down flag is akin to yelling fire in a crowded theater. There is a story - haven't snoped it yet - that a school's safety patrol, tasked with the raising and lowering of the US Flag at school, made a mistake and sent it up blue field down. Someone saw it and called the police who responded. The kids got quite a grilling. That actually would be a good signal for a school in trouble so better not to dilute it. There are plenty of other ways to express your feelings.
Take your worn flags to the local VFW (call first to make sure). They will dispose of them properly.
Hanging your flag upside down is a sign of distress. I guess you could do it as a sign of protest but you might have strangers knocking on your door asking what is wrong.