the UN headquarters, New York: when the UN flag is flown at half-mast at UN HQ or elsewhere, no national flags are displayed at all. Joe McMillan, 9 Febraury 2001 There appears to be an urban legend that the flag is never flown at half-mast at the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Betsy Ross's home, and on the Moon. We have confirmed that this is an untrue legend (except for the Moon!) The White House flies at half mast the same times as the rest of the federal government.

To my knowledge, there is nowhere in the United States where the flag is constantly flown at half-mast. Even on Memorial Day, as I recall from my old boy scout days it is considered correct to raise the flag to full mast at noon (but I'm not 100 percent sure about that). Some Americans with a particular ideological slant cite an impressive list of federal laws, executive orders, and U.S. Army regulations having to do with the U.S.

There are specific times when the New Zealand Flag is flown at half-mast such as the death of the Sovereign. These dates can be found on the Flying the Flag page. There are also times when the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage can direct that the Flag be flown at half-mast on Government buildings to mark the death of an important figure such as Sir Peter Blake. It is optional for schools, local government, organisations and individuals to fly the Flag at half-mast on such occasions.

Yes, they should. Here is what Section 7f of the Flag Code [see below] states:When flags of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United States flag's right.

Again, there is no single protocol covering all flags. Each nation or organization has its own rules. For example, the flag of Sa'udi Arabia is never to be half-staffed. There are a few general rules of thumb for most other countries and groups, however. At the order of an authority or at a time proscribed by law, the flag is lowered to a position further down the staff, usually slowly and with great solemnity.

No. According to the Flag Code, only the President of the United States or your state's Governor can order the US flag lowered to half-staff. We recommend that you fly your town flag at half staff. If everyone were to half-staff the US flag at will, the symbolic value of that honor would be lost. Another option is to display black crepe near the entrance to your building, perhaps with a photograph of the former mayor, firefighter, police officer, etc.

No. According to the Flag Code, only the president of the US or your state governor can order the US flag lowered to half-staff. You can half-staff your company flag, which has the advantage of informing passersby and uninformed employees, clients, etc., that someone important to your company has died.

You may subscribe to our half-mast automated mailing list, and receive notification whenever you should bring your flag to half-mast and for how long it should stay at half-mast.

Yes, simply remove your flag from the top set of the double harnesses and reconnect the flag to the lower set of the double harnesses.

Along with your flag, you will receive a certificate of authenticity stating the date your flag was flown over the Capitol.

Yes. At your request, Senator Murray will have an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol Building for you. If requested early enough, your flag can be flown on a specific date, and you can receive a certificate to mark the occasion (birthday, retirement from military service, etc). The cost you pay depends on the size of the flag, the type of flag (cotton or nylon), and whether or not you want it flown over the Capitol building.

Visit the Architect of the Capitol Capitol Flags website for instructions for obtaining a flag that has been flown over the Capitol.

Constituents may purchase U.S. flags through their Member of Congress. They can also have them flown over the U.S. Capitol Building in honor of certain events or occasions.

What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?" I was going to write a post about how much I hate terrorists, but with all the hate & death & killing in the news lately, I thought maybe I should try to write about something cheerful and upbeat, instead. So in the extended entry, I've placed Like I have to ask, but you have to hand it to him, the man could really read some copy off the 'prompter.

Half-mast: a point some distance but not necessarily halfway down below the top of a mast or staff or the peak of a gaff. The term "half-staff" means the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff; Using Google, you find the term "half-mast" 838,000 times and the term "half-staff" 649,000 times. Searching White House press releases "half-staff" appears 80 times to "half-mast" only 4 times. Our conclusion is that both terms can be used.

My office is happy to assist with orders for U.S. flags. If you wish, you can request that the flag be flown over the U.S. Capitol. You can specify a special occasion or commemoration or simply request the flag be flown. To order a U.S. flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol, please fill out the forms on my Flag Requests page. Unfortunately, only U.S. flags are available through my office.

I am honored to be able to provide you with American flags, including ones that have flown over the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. These make wonderful gifts for special occasions. Visit the Order a Flag section of my website to find out more and download the order form. My office is pleased to offer internships to eligible graduate and college-level students in order to further a student's educational and professional goals.

Congressman Jones' office is available to arrange your purchase of an American flag that has flown over the United States Capitol Building. You may visit the flag information page to fill out the online form. Or, please write to the above address indicating a flag request and include the following: