NOT flying it goes a long way towards helping rebuild America's international reputation, while simultaneously taking the wind out of the sails of anyone who would criticize the aid efforts of your country. It's one little gesture but if you folks don't obsess over it, then you're thumbing your noses at all the others who ARE flying their flags ;)

Sweetie, nothing will repair our international reputation. Foreign countries will continue to call us names, think ugly things and do mean things to and because of the good ole US of A simply because they can (and Im sure they are jealous as hell, of some things anyway).

It doesnt matter who we help, who we aid, what countries we carry on our shoulders while the rest of the world turns its back. Honestly, theres a good many people who'd like to see us draw in and see what the rest of you could do without our aid (when we are doing things like the Haiti relief, etc), myself included.

Respecting the request is simply a polite gesture that our leaders decided to stick to because they want to be PC and dont want to "offend" anyone. Another point to the wussification of America.

I can see both sides...I think.

We have our military service people there...asking them to NOT serve under our flag doesn't seem right.

Having said that, though...I imagine New Orleans after Katrina...say for example the Mexican army or the French army showed up to assist in the aid distribution/clean up effort....I, for one, would take TERRIBLE offense to see a Mexican or French flag flying ANYWHERE over American soil.

It's a tough call.

This is exactly right. The only difference is, everyone else is flying theirs but we've been asked not to.

I dont really give a darn either way, but arguing on principle is a way to pass my morning. That and no one else played Devils advocate yet. :wink:

Our folks didn't operate under a Canadian flag while aiding after Katrina, though they certainly did have them on their equipment and uniforms.

Canadians don't count....I mean, they're nearly the 51st State in our Union. (I kid, I kid.....just winding you up. :lmao:)

Seriously, George Bush once said during a State of the Union speech that the United States has no finer friend than England....I disagree....the United States has no finer friend than Canada...and that is a FACT.

Choosing to fly or not fly the flag isn't going to make a bit of difference in "helping rebuild America's international reputation". Saying it "goes a long way" is, at best, hyperbole.

I guess we can't just let this go as a common sense thing.
We got get all pissy

I don't think that there are any two nations in the world that are more alike than The United States and Canada, and yet we are not the same. The way that those Vancouver swift water rescue guys got down to NOLA before even most local support people could react was nothing short of amazing.

Americans must wade through the beauracracy (sp?) before being allowed to help anyone here in our very own home country. We are better at getting in the way of ourselves than most countries I would think.