A Country In Distress — Rules on Flying Your American Flag(s) Upside Down


We are now a country in Distress – some are flying their American Flag(s) upside down – this is not an affront our insult to our national colors but a  symbol of protest of the new Communist Beijing Biden/Commie Harris regime that came to power fraudulently and corruptly via a stolen election and is an illegal Administration hell bent to destroy our Constitutional Republic and turn the USA into a Socialist/Communist nation.
Picture of an upside down flag in Florida is here.
I will continue to fly my Trump Flag as well.
Notice it does not have Pence on it who has turned out to be just another RINO!
According to CollinsFlags.com:

What does an Upside Down American Flag Mean?

Have you ever seen an upside down American flag? We certainly hope not, but it is possible that you have. If you have spotted this at some point in your life, did you understand the symbolism?  In general, members of the United States Military would be most likely to recognize this signal. Nonetheless, allow us to explain with a little help from the United States Flag Code.
8. Respect for Flag

  • The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

Quick interpretation: “Dire distress and extreme danger to life or property” should not be taken lightly here. These instances do not include moments of personal dissatisfaction or times of protest. While it is legal to express yourself in whatever way you so chose, it is illegal to fly an American flag upside down unless you are in a life or death situation. People have faced legal charges for flying an American flag upside down. Stores have also been forced to remove upside down American flags on clothing.

©Royal A. Brown, III. All rights reserved.

56 replies
  1. Picks
    Picks says:

    I always enjoy your site
    Unfortunately the 2 links to the upside down flag
    and your pres.trump flag take one straight to googlemail

  2. Mark Minter
    Mark Minter says:

    You’re pathetic to follow Trump and believe his lies…he’s a sucker and a loser who instructed his followers to attack and harm the Capital and Congress. Plus, he jumped in his limo and went back to the WH. He lost the election by a landslide, get over it.

    • Royal A Brown III
      Royal A Brown III says:

      Typical leftist reply – no facts, just namecalling. You obviously did not read POTUS Trumps speech to the hundreds of thousands of supporters present in DC which in no way incited anyone to riot. Those entering the capital were setup to do so while Capital Police stood down rather than doing their jobs.
      Now as for the “losing by a landslide” you are again totally wrong – he actually WON in a legal landslide and only lost because of rampant election fraud especially in AZ, GA, PA, MI and WI-the evidence is there.
      No way in hell that Beijing Joe Biden received 79 M legal votes – his mentor and person now pulling his puppet strings, Barak Obama only won by 69 M votes.
      Like the rest of you leftist socialists you are short on facts and reason and long on emotion having drunk the cool aid lies of the Media over and over !

      • jan bell
        jan bell says:

        YEP…so true. If there was no fraud, then why won’t the courts let us present our evidence????
        It’s like me saying I have proof that will prove “a guy” didn’t kill a person, but am unable to present my evidence. That would be ridiculous…just like our spineless SC and other activist courts.

        • Royal A Brown III
          Royal A Brown III says:

          Thank you Michael – appreciate the feedback. This is an issue that’s not going away. POTUS Trump is the real, duly, legally elected POTUS 46 – Biden is the puppet of the Obama 3 Administration and is a total fraud !
          See Mike LIndel’s new video Absolute 9-0. The proof if massive election fraud is there and this time the cowardly SCOTUS (Thomas & Alito excepted) is going to have to listen or will lose all remaining little credibility they have left.

        • Royal Brown
          Royal Brown says:

          Thanks Donna – yes America First is spot on – much of rest of world has been taking advantage of us for too long. Ones in the know are well aware that America is the last great hope of the world so long as we keep God, our Constitution, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness at the front and not cave to the Socialist Obama 3 tyranny !

    • Royal A Brown III
      Royal A Brown III says:

      Typical leftist – can’t discuss an issue without personal attack.
      DC capital building incident was a complete setup by you leftists and you know it. Where was the regular tight security of capital building. Hundreds of thousands of Trump supporters demonstrated their 1st A rights peacefully.
      I won’t get over the lawlessness of you leftist, socialist Democrats who stole the election especially in AZ, GA, PA, MI & WI – you are the ones who lost by a landslide – you only won by criminal election fraud.
      If POTUS Trump is a sucker and a Liar then Beijing Joe Biden is a deceiver and a criminal.

    • Glynnda
      Glynnda says:

      Hey dummy…..leftists CANNOT win unless they cheat and lie. That therefore makes you both. President Donald Trump won be a landslide, impeachments have both been illegal, as was the election. Joe Biden is not the president, he is a thief, cheat and a liar. I was at the capital on 1/6…what is being put out is a lot of drama by ANTIFA crisis actors….you of course are too dumb to realize that….you are the sucker and the loser.

    • Ray
      Ray says:

      1. No, Trump did not instruct his followers to harm or attack. This was made clear when his defense attorney showed the unedited versions of the videos the prosecution used.
      2. He did not lose by a landslide by any interpretation of that term. Further, because Democrats have blocked every attempt to verify the election, no factual statement can be made about who won the election.

      • Royal Brown III
        Royal Brown III says:

        You must be referring to Beijing Joe Biden ….surely you don’t mean POTUS Trump, the real POTUS ! He has more intelligence & common sense in his left little finger than the entire Biden regime !

        • Vicki
          Vicki says:

          I’m glad you were here to comment on many of these. They always have to call names. This tells me that have have no confidence because they don’t know the facts. People who do know facts are always confident when having discussions and have no need to resort to petty insults or name calling. It’s always a giveaway that they’re clueless about the topic.

          • Royal A Brown III
            Royal A Brown III says:

            Yes – the leftist Democrats don’t know or don’t care about facts related to an issue(s) so they always resort to name calling and unfounded character attacks. They and their surrogates in the media have proven this over and over.
            Unfortunately, low information voters who vote for leftist Democrats just keep drinking the cool aide but maybe some will get the message now that gas prices are headed to $4 gal+; costs of food has skyrocketed; building supply costs are up 500%; inflation is running 9%; unemployment back up to 6% and the value of the dollar continues to decline. And why – because of the stupid socialist policies of the Obama 3 Administration with their puppets Beijing Joe and Commie Kamala.
            Watch the stock market – it is being artificially propped up by the Fed which is printing more and more $ and keeping interest rates low when the market should dictate they increase. All part of socialist strategy to destroy the middle class.

    • Nancy Hammond
      Nancy Hammond says:

      In reply to M Minter
      Why is it the socialist only mention January 6th? Is it because they are too blind to see the truth? i.e. the burning, looting, violence against the American culture, in the form of “peaceful protest”, which has been happening for the past year. Typical hypocrites. If that is all they have to go on…small comparison.

      • Royal Brown III
        Royal Brown III says:

        Nancy – Jan. 6th just a smoke screen – we all know the hundreds of thousands of folks there were peacefully supporting POTUS Trump who actually won the election by a landslide and didn’t speak until after the crash of the capital building.
        And who were those who entered the Capital Bld and “disrupted” Congress ? They were paid antifia & BLM types who were purposely let in.
        Why was there very little security on hand? Where were the Capital Police? This was all a setup designed to discredit and scare those Congressperson’s preparing to speak out against the EC votes from AZ, GA, PA, MI and WI stolen by Beijing Joe and his corrupt socialist democrat machine using foreign made Dominion Machines and source codes from Communist China.
        This was not a fair nor legal election which is why I, a combat verteran, continue and will continue to fly my personal US flag upside down. This is a symbol of the changing of our country from a Constitutional Republic to a socialism. It is not an affront to our national colors like those who kneel, look down and pump fists into the air during the playing of the National Anthem and presenting of our colors allegedly in protest of their “oppression”. Any person especially any veteran who does not get this has drunk the “WOKE coolaid” of the left and should reconsider !

      • Royal Brown III
        Royal Brown III says:

        Although I don’t like ad hominem personal attacks which is a tactic of the left, It is obvious from his false narrative that this applies to Mark Minter’s comments above – correct?
        If you’re addressing anyone else in this comment string then have the guts to say who you think is a mental moron and back up you’re accusation with why.

    • Ryan Ellis
      Ryan Ellis says:

      your a special kind of stupid and you cant fix that the only sucker and loser is you troll go crawl back in your hole and drink your koolaid

    • KENNETH M
      KENNETH M says:

      YOUR SO SAD LEFTY !
      PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME WANT SIT ON THE COUCH TOO INSTEAD OF BEING A SOILDER DEFENDING YOU RE-TURDS .
      AS THE ADWARDEE OF THE MARYLAND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS FOR VARLOR. YOU JUST SPLIT IN MY FACE. WHEN THE CRAP HITS THE FAN; ITS YOUR FACE I HOPE GETS ITS FIRST. SFC. KNM AND JUST MAYBE WE WONT TURN OUR BACKS ON YOU LEFTY’S

    • Noel
      Noel says:

      Most people would disagree with you Mark. One way to prove it is to audit the election. This is legal under the constitution. I’m not talking about recounting the same ballots that may or may not be fake. A true forensic audit. Sadly, the governor’s is some of these swing states where these audits would be conducted are suing to stop this audit. In many cases, they even made it a crime to look into it. To me or anyone with common sense, this is indicative of someone lying or trying to cover something up. As far as I’m concerned, this election is illegitimate until a complete forensic audit is conducted. Too much evidence, eyewitness testimony, affidavits, video evidence, computer evidence to back up my beliefs of what really happened in the 2020 election.

      • Royal Brown
        Royal Brown says:

        Spot on Noel – not only are Govs resisting forensic audits because they know there was voter fraud but even RINO Secys of State are doing so because they don’t want to admit they did not do their job correctly especially in AZ, GA, PA, MI & WI all of which Trump won and should have received 370 EC votes had elections not been stolen in those states.
        Even in states that Trump won like FL there was substantial voter fraud and a forensic audit should be conducted. Instead of the 3 1/2 % he won by POTUS Trump actually won FL by 10-12% had fraud not been prevalent.

    • Percy K Tinsleweed
      Percy K Tinsleweed says:

      Mr. Minter: Get ready…Please go to the nearest drug store and buy some KYJelly. Why? After the 2022 mid-term elections true American freedom will emerge once again by “legal” voters shoving patriotism through cold, hard steel voting machines right up your a** and “I’m afraid the strain will be more than you can bear!” There’s always a price for ignorance.

    • jim
      jim says:

      mini, are you so naive as to not see the China Joe demented president we have, the connections to thew CCP with bribes to him and his family, the military brass that it traitorous to America, the socialist acceptance from our congress and with some elected members actual Marxists, the brain washing of our college youth and the infections money China flushes the truth out of our universities, the open borders, the military fiasco Afghanistan is, the arming of the world leader of terrorism by Biden, the transfer of wealth through reckless and intentionally crippling spending, Covid designed as a bio weapon released on the world and now used as a control to funnel $ to big pharma (the biggest DNC supporter), runaway inflation, Biden’s destruction of our energy independence, and the list goes on… you don’t see that? Then you are the problem and the enemy. Don’t blame the Trump, the best American president in modern history. HE was sabotaged at every turn by the swap.

      • Royal A Brown
        Royal A Brown says:

        Spot on Jim ! Well Said especially ……
        Don’t blame the Trump, the best American president in modern history. HE was sabotaged at every turn by the swamp.

    • He didn't lose, it was stolen from him by laser, lying cheaters he'll bent on destroying this country. It's disgusting what Biden has done in just a few months.
      He didn't lose, it was stolen from him by laser, lying cheaters he'll bent on destroying this country. It's disgusting what Biden has done in just a few months. says:

      Denise

  3. Tina Heikkinen
    Tina Heikkinen says:

    With this new administration, signing 40 EO and what they are doing to this country, are we not in distress? Do we wait until we are staving and have no job/money to pay taxes to keep our land? I have been wonder myself, when is the right time to display our flag in distress?

    • Royal A Brown III
      Royal A Brown III says:

      Yes we are in distress and will remain so under this socialist regime of Beijing Joe Biden and Commie Kamala Harris.

    • Ray
      Ray says:

      Unfortunately, the literal meaning of the flag upside down, as referenced by the author, implies the person displaying the flag is in immediate danger -like a 911 call. For this reason it is illegal to display the flag in this manner as a political protest. I completely agree our nation is in immediate danger -but if I dial 911 about it I can expect to be charged with a crime. Flag upside down is a bad idea only because it is illegal. Otherwise, it would be a great statement if millions displayed it in this manner. Ignorant liberals would join in, thinking it was anti-flag.

      • Royal A Brown III
        Royal A Brown III says:

        Totally disagree – flying flag upside down is not about individuals in distress it is about a nation in distress.
        There are no national, state or local laws, ordinances, codes that this violates – do your research ! Just because someone interprets it as illegal doesn’t make it so.
        Tens of thousands or more veterans including combat veterans like me are flying flag upside down and know it is not an affront to our national colors – quite the contrary, it is a symbol of objection to an illegally elected socialist government which we fought to insure never happened.
        As for what the left thinks, who gives a rat’s patoot – it doesn’t matter what we do they won’t like it and will be “offended”.

        • Dennis Fiorino
          Dennis Fiorino says:

          Thank you for the clarification from a vet, I’ve been flying my American flag upside down for exactly the reasons you states above, my neighbor who is a veteran came over and said thst this is a slap in the face to every veteran, I explained the reasoning for it but, he feels it’s a slap in the face to every veteran. Am I wrong to fly the flag upside down?

          • Royal Brown III
            Royal Brown III says:

            No – it is a slap in face of all vets Not to flag our colors upside down because we are in national distress with a takeover of Fed govt by soicialists.
            Ask your neighbor if he knows about the action by the Biden/Obama 3 SOD to stand down the entire military for 60 days in order to week out “extremists” which means to weed out conservative thinkers who support the real POTUS DJ Trump. He obviously is not very well informed.
            Biden is being controlled by Obama who wants nothing more strongly than to weaken our military along the same lines of European militaries which can’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag. All of his and Beijing Joe’s policies are designed to do this including forcing military into WOKENESS with critical race theory training.
            Also ask your neighbor if he knows about the fact that the SOD/DOD considers the #1 threat to our national defernse to be Climate Change, not the ever stronger growing Chinese Communists; the Russians or the world-wide Jihad declared by Islamists.

        • Mike
          Mike says:

          I flew mine upside down for about 3 hours here in AZ and had some nutjob neighbor come over and “fix” it for me. He said he was concerned that we were really in distress, but then why flip my flag instead of knocking on my door. He tried to say he went home and grabbed guns but he never knocked. Told him he should have called 911, bet he was a pinko.

          • Royal A Brown III
            Royal A Brown III says:

            Mike – I hope you don’t let you’re leftist neighbor prevent you from flying your flag upside down because our country is truly in dire distress.
            The audit of the election results taking place in AZ and elsewhere is just one indicator.
            I’d tell your neighbor to dial 1-800-Mind Your Own Business
            You’re not breaking any laws nor ordinances nor violating any flag protocol by flying it upside down and if you live in a HOA area, I doubt they have anything in their bylaws about this.
            We must keep fighting back from this grip of Socialism any way we can and this is just one small way of doing so.
            Thanks – Royal

      • Tulips Moran
        Tulips Moran says:

        Only leftist fools like you who think it’s okay to burn the American flag and now say it’s illegal to fly upside down..

  4. Keith
    Keith says:

    “it is illegal to fly an American flag upside down unless you are in a life or death situation.”
    Ok to throw it on the ground, piss on it and set it on fire though.

  5. Teresa
    Teresa says:

    It’s too bad you don’t do your research before spewing ignorant statements like yours. 1st Trump did not loose the election. (Anyone who believes that, I got some swamp land to sell you) 2nd he was aquitted of any wrong doing on the Democratic planned riot on the capital (FACT, look it up) 3rd Trump is the smartest and most dedicated president ever! (Only ignorant people can’t see that because they are brainwashed). Learn your facts!

    • Ray
      Ray says:

      You had me up until “Trump is smartest and most dedicated president ever”. I agree he is smart. I agree he is dedicated. Maybe this was tongue and check Trump hyperbole? Directionally correct, but not exactly right? I think he is smart and dedicated like I’ve never seen before. 🙂

    • Royal A Brown III
      Royal A Brown III says:

      Correct – the left’s only standards are double standards, hypocrisy and lies !!!!

  6. Master Gunnery Sergeant Lawrence E. McCartney, U. S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired)
    Master Gunnery Sergeant Lawrence E. McCartney, U. S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired) says:

    If colon kaepernick can kneel for the National Anthem and william charles ayers, an admitted murderer, terrorist, communist, and anarchist, can walk on it barefooted then post a picture of him doing so to the cover of a book, please tell me why I can’t fly it upside down? There is NO LAW which makes any of the actions I just mentioned illegal. Flag etiquette is covered in the U. S. Flag Code, but that code has no criminal or civil sanctions. The U. S. court system has ruled that flag protests are Free Speech protected under the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, the governing document of this great nation of ours and the reason why I served over thirty (30) years and in multiple combat/hazardous duty assignments–Viet Nam (2xs), the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Haiti, and Bosnia. Assignments in which I lost far too many friends killed or injured. I fly my flag upside down in tribute to the United States of America and the sacrifices millions of Americans made over the years since pampered PUNKS want to destroy what they built.

  7. SoTXFreedomLover
    SoTXFreedomLover says:

    There is a billboard in E SATX of the flag upside down on I410 south. I came to this page by doing a Google search to find out what it meant. I’m definitely conflicted about it now.

    • Royal Brown III
      Royal Brown III says:

      No need to be conflicted – every combat veteran I know is flying their flag upside down and will continue to do so until our country is restored back to a Constitutional Republic rather than a Democrat Socialist country.
      Served 25 years in Army Infantry much of it during Cold War opposing Communism. Never thought our own country would one day be on the brink of becoming what I fought against.

  8. Marshal
    Marshal says:

    Although I respect your personal interpretation of the flag code it should be noted that an upside-down flag has been a symbolic practice for, literally, centuries. Many citizens in the North flew the flag upside-down immediately following the assassination of President Lincoln, when we lost 8000 soldiers in the Battle of Belleau Wood in WWI and many times in the periods between then and now. The difference is that in the last 25 or so years digital photos and the internet has made these actions visible, worldwide, nearly immediately. The assertion that it is actually illegal to fly an American flag upside down if you are not in extreme danger is false and has never been tried, ever. People have rightfully complained about it and law enforcement may have “arrested” a person or three but there has never been a conviction. I, personally, maintain that flying the flag upside-down today is justified, our nation is unarguably in jeopardy of being taken over by Socialism/Communism. And in any interpretation this IS “dire distress and extreme danger to life AND property”.

    • Royal A Brown
      Royal A Brown says:

      Marshal – agree 100%. Not sure who you are replying to but only 1 person in this entire comment string disagrees with flying our national colors upside down and he is just totally wrong.
      Due to the policies of Obama and the current Obama 3 Administration and a Marxist dominated Congress, this country is on the brink of “fundamental transformation” to Socialism. The next step is Communism. This situation is indeed placing our country in dire jeaopardy.
      I urge all to fly their flags upside down in symbolic protest and continue to do so until either the stolen 2020 election is overturned and the only legitimate POTUS Donald Trump is restored to office or our election system is overhalled to prevent rampant voter fraud in which case we will take back the Congress in 2022 and the Presidency in 2024 and prevent the terrible Marxist bills now flowing from the House to the Senate.

  9. Mike Mason
    Mike Mason says:

    Just put up my upside down US flag…I find it hard to believe that any veteran or patriot can stand by and watch what is happening to our country without making some sign of protest. Between the stolen election, the bio weapon attack on the world by the CCP, the published agenda of the WEF and now the shot mandates for our military, it is clear that our country is in great danger.
    We all need to step up to the line! We can no longer remain silent and passive!

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