Portland Association Publication 1

Portland Flag Association “Free, and Worth Every Penny!” Issue 8 January 2006

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: The World’s Largest Kite is a Mega Flag By Mike Hale The World’s Largest Kite 1 that requires a 'string' with a breaking New International Flag 2 Some of this article appeared as “ in strength of 20 tons a dump truck Some Flag Related Websites 2 the News” in the last issue of the Tabloid. to serve as anchor. Imagine a kite January 2006 Flutterings 3 Mike has been kind enough to flesh out the that more than a thousand people Did You Know? 3 story this month. —The editor. can walk inside of while it is held on A for Maryland 3 the ground. Imagine the Mega Flag: the world’s Next Meeting Announcement 4 largest kite, flying over the crowd at Book Review 4 an event. Flags in the News 5 And then imagine the public gasps The Flag Quiz 6 of amazement as the kite slowly lofts into the air. From 300 yards away Reactions to the kite are profound.

"It's a bit corny," said one observer. "But I got a little choked up. It's not just well engineered. It's a really beautiful kite. And being close to something that majestic -- and sym- bolic, you can't help but actually get a Mega Flag beginning to rise bit teary eyed." The "Mega Flag" is a fully func- tional, self-flying kite measuring 130 feet wide and 80 feet deep. That's an astounding 10,400 square feet!! The kite is an inflatable "soft" design with no sticks or spars. It was designed We do not consecrate the flag by pun- and constructed by Guinness Record ishing its desecration, for in doing so Holder Peter Lynn of New Zealand. we dilute the freedom that this cher- Over 1000 people could fit inside Imagine a kite the size of an Olym- ished represents. — Justice (Continued on page 2) pic Swimming Pool. Imagine a kite William J. Brennan, for the Majority US Supreme Court Decision, 3 July If you wish to compliment the editor, or to contribute in the future, contact John Hood at 1989 503-238-7666 or [email protected]. If you wish to complain, call your mother. 2 Portland Flag Association Publication World’s Largest Kite New International Flag The Flag Research Center sent us the neva Convention signatory, can util- (Continued from page 1) following bulletin concerning an al- ize the Red Crystal internationally ternative to the Red Cross and Red and still continue within Israel to em- Crescent: ploy its own Red Shield of David symbol.

The three symbols and the flags bearing them are subject to detailed restrictions regarding display in More than Betsy Ross had to do! to avoid abuses by combatants dur- Kites and flags have many things in ing wartime. For example, no exact shade red is established, nor is the common. Materials, sewing, wind and inspiration. Combined into one On 7 December 2005, at an interna- size of the symbol on a flag specified, lest challenges arise about whether or product, it is magical. So what do tional conference, a new symbol was you call the science of the study of endorsed for use by the Red Cross not a given symbol was proper. The Kites? Well if is the Greek and Red Crescent societies of the Flag Research Center will publish a for flag, one would think that kites world. It will appear as a flag (as detailed analysis of the whole issue of Geneva Convention symbols in a would have a Chinese or Japanese shown above) and as a on arm prefix. Not so. At the present it is bands, buildings, vehicles, ships, etc. future Flag Bulletin. The Geneva Convention of 1949 referred to as Kiteology. Huh? Kite- ology? Flagology? I don’t think so. which gives international legal stand- The kindergarten teacher was show- Everyone knows that scientific terms ing to the existing symbols—the Red ing her class an encyclopedia page most always come from the nation or Cross and the Red Crescent—will be picturing several national flags. She cultures from which that branch of modified accordingly. pointed to the American flag and study first originated. Therefore, I The new symbol, known as the Red asked, “What flag is this?” A little am coining and propose using the Crystal, is not intended to replace Japanese term for kite Ikanobori, since girl called out, “That’s the flag of any existing symbol but rather to of- our country.” much more has been written in Japan fer an alternative that will have inter- and the Chinese history is mostly national recognition. For example, it “Very good” the teacher said. “And mythological. The science would will allow an option for a country what is the name of our country?” then be Ikanoboriology. Just like that does not wish to choose be- “Tis of thee,” the girl said confi- , it will illicit many quizzi- tween the cross and the crescent. dently. cal looks. It’s a flag, it’s a kite, it’s a Israel, which has never been a Ge- Mega Flag Kite, right here in Lincoln City, Oregon. Go to Some Flag Related Websites www.gombergkites.com and click on North American Vexillological Association http://www.nava.org World’s Largest Kite to see more photos and text. (United Kingdom) http://www.flaginstitute.org Flags of the World http://www.fotw.net

Elmer’s Flag & http://www.elmersflag.com

Darwin, Northern Territory (Australia) http://www.nationalflags.com.au

Flag Society of Australia http://www.flagsaustralia.com.au

Portland Flag Association Publication 3 January 2006 Flutterings You Need to Know A Finial for Maryland We had a rather sparse turnout for or for display at civic func- Obviously Marshall Goldberg doesn’t the mid-winter meeting. Could the tions. Most to the challenge; have enough to do since he retired or the rain have kept Oregonians at home? however, they are generally poor ex- following would not have happened! — However, it did give the rest of us a amples of flags. Rather, they are lo- The editor larger share of the cookies, candy gos with the name and founding date and dipped Oreos that Vivian pro- prominently displayed, in some cases A doggerel to the tune of “Michael vided! And there never seems to be in colors not previously known to Finnigan” with apologies to Ted a lack of topical conversations, no man. Having said that, most are still Kaye, the creator of “Good Flag, Bad matter how many people are there. better than Pocatello’s flag. Flag” All’s Well That Ends Well Ted Kaye talked of a book he had Did You Know? just read about the Confederate - (or Good Finial, Bad Finial) tle Flag (see the review elsewhere in The President’s flag dates from 1916 The Old flag without its finial, this newsletter). He also passed when President Wilson decided that No cross botonny atop its lineal. around a book by Evans Kerrigan, there should be just one flag, rather A mere oversight? No, a cardinal American Medals and Decorations, which than a separate one for each branch sinial seems to be a definitive work on of the service. It was dark blue That nobody can denynial. military trappings. Since he was charged with the Presidential coat-of- there for the Lewis and Clark cere- arms, the facing the fly (and the (Begin againial) monies, Ted was able to provide an- arrows), and one star in each corner. ecdotes that did not make it into the In 1945, just before his death, Presi- newspaper. dent Franklin Roosevelt decided it was inappropriate to have just four His booklet, Good Flag, Bad Flag, is stars (they had no definite meaning, about ready to go to press and will merely balance) and began a project be provided to all NAVA members for a new design. On October 25, and for sale to everyone else. There 1945, President Truman adopted the Bad—Cannon Ballinial have been some changes compared new flag with 48 stars circling the to how it appears on the NAVA coat-of-arms and the eagle facing the website. hoist (and the olive branch). The flag John Hood used Ted’s booklet as a has been modified twice since to add training aid for a presentation he stars for new states. make before The Women’s Club of Portland on the day after our meet- In Betweenial—Black-eyed Susinial ing. The women were so responsive (The Maryland State Flower) that at the end, eight flags were dis- played and were readily identified as being “good” or “bad”!

John also showed some Neighbor- hood banners to the group. Portland has about 92 legally identified neighborhoods and several years ago they were charged with creating flags Good—Cross Botonninial 4 Portland Flag Association Publication April Meeting Book Review The next meeting of the Portland By Ted Kaye rights activists in the 1950s, and Flag Association will be at 7 p.m., Book Review: The Confederate through the frictions of the past 50 Thursday, April 13, 2006, at Mike Battle Flag: America's Most Em- years. Hale’s house, 4904 SW Martha St., battled Emblem telephone (503) 245-5283. See the Coski shows how the flag “became Author: John M. Coski (2005) map below. an aggressively racist symbol only after World War II and the Civil John Coski’s significant achieve- We look forward to seeing those of Rights movement”, and explores ment: he has managed to bring a you that have been otherwise com- with great sensitivity how the flag has historian’s neutral perspective to an mitted, and hear some new war sto- two conflicting but potentially over- otherwise highly-charged contro- ries, see some different flags, and lapping meanings for its users: one, versy. He begins with the flag’s ini- hear some provocative discussion. as a symbol of the Confederacy—a tial design and its use in battle. He historical icon, and second, as a sym- Any and all flags, books or articles then lays the groundwork for the bol for a major (alleged) principle are welcome for “show and tell.” flag’s initial post-war significance as a underlying the Confederacy, the ra- memorial marker and a historical cism that justified slavery. Whether If you can’t get to the meeting, per- honor among Confederate heritage advanced simply as “a symbol of our haps you can give the editor some- groups. With superbly-documented heritage” by proud Southerners, or as thing to share with our readers. As detail, Coski traces the flag’s use by an assertion of a “redneck” political/ you can see, we have many interests. the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, by cultural position, the confusion over Southerners in the US Armed forces these meanings fans the flames of during the Second World War, by the “flag wars” that still rage in our “Dixiecrats” in the 1948 presidential American public discourse. campaign, by southern college stu- dents starting in the late 1940s, by The author serves as historian and those caught up in the “flag craze” of library director at the Museum of the 1951, by pro-segregationist/anti-civil Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. His evenhanded approach demon- strates a triumph of professionalism over regionalism, and results in a solid and informative treatment of an important contemporary issue in flag usage.

Portland Flag Association Publication 5 Flags in the News Ron Strachan, our friend and foreign corre- director's door. cific, the national bicentennial event spondent, sent this article to alert us of the for Oregon and Washington, Port- We wish them the best of luck. disregard a central entity can have for the land Flag Association member Ted pride and history of a smaller group: Who owns what in museums is a hot Kaye provided a collection of flags borrowed from NAVA member NORTHERN TERRITORY NEWS issue around the world. The great Dennis Moore and produced by EDITORIAL, October 24, 2005 European museums are under con- stant pressure to give back the treas- TME Co. They represented tribes Give our flag back ure of other nations taken during colonial times. The Australian War Memorial is unlikely to hand back the flag that But Zak is not asking for the Elgin flew over Government House when Marbles to be sent back to Greece the Japanese first bombed Darwin in from the British Museum. February 1942. He is asking for an Australian flag This is a shame. The flag means damaged in an attack on Darwin by a much to Territorians and should be foreign power to be brought home. More of the opening ceremony housed in the Legislative Assembly. from the Otoe-Missouria (the first Surely that's not too much to ask. tribe to meet Lewis and Clark) to This is what 12-year-old Zak Men- the Clatsop-Nehalem (hosts to the zies asked when he wrote to the mu- Ted Kaye suffered the rain, just as Lewis Corps of Discovery for the winter seum in Canberra. and Clark did 200 years ago, to file this of 1805-06). The Oregon National report of the bicentennial celebration at Fort Guard had mounted the flags on The boy took time out from play to Stevens State Park: gather a 3500-signature petition in poles, and tribal representatives (all support of his plea. Lewis & Clark and veterans) paraded them in. Long after the band music and the gover- This was hugely encouraging. Tribal Flags nors’ speeches are forgotten, the 2,000 attendees will remember the At a time when all responsible peo- Veteran’s Day 2005 saw 50 flags ple fret about the fecklessness of to- third of an inch of rain and the col- flying in the wind and rain at Fort orful panoply of tribal flags. day's youth, here was a young man Stevens at the mouth of the Colum- willing to give up his spare time for bia, representing the wide range of the community's good. tribes encountered by the explorers Zak's efforts were widely praised by Lewis & Clark. For the opening Territorians. ceremonies of Destination: The Pa-

But that hasn't stopped the hard- faced guardians of the Australian War Memorial from, in effect, telling the Territory Government that he is Charles Tailfeather represented the wasting his time. Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs

Not to be put off, Zak will go to

Canberra with Lord Mayor Peter Adamson and knock on the museum Opening ceremonies 6 Portland Flag Association Publication What Was that Flag? Answers to last quiz What’s that Flag? You Anglophiles shouldn’t have any problem with these flags that have much in common.

Ried, FR, Netherlands Grobbendonk, Antwerp, Belgium

Ried’s residents are nicknamed The ravens are from the Schetz fam- “Riedster katten”, Ried’s cats. ily, lords of the area from 1545 to 1726.

Hérimoucourt, Doubs, France Marrum-Westernijkerk, FR, Netherlands You didn’t expect me to leave the name on the flag, did you? A twin village where the Marrumers Inhabitants are called “chauves- have the nickname of “cats” (fierce souris” (bats). The is a women) and the Nijkerksters that of red on a . Some “rooks”, an indication of a nearby think the dragon is the ancestor of garbage dump. the bat.

Sint Annaparochie, FR, Netherlands

This comes from the nursery rhyme, “A pot and a pan is the arms of St. Anne.”