Letters to the editor in recent weeks have expressed outrage and offense at the way the American flag has been displayed and disposed of at a few stores in town.

This week, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars expressed to us their concern about the situation.

What everyone needs to understand is that there is protocol - a proper procedure - for the display and disposal of the American flag.

The flag is representative of all that this country stands for and for which blood and lives have been, and are being lost. It is not a decoration, although it often is used as such.

However the flag is used, it should be displayed with the respect it is due. When it reaches its life expectancy, it should be disposed of with the honor it has earned.

For anyone who does not know what the protocol is, a call to the VFW or Boy Scout Troop 29 is all it takes to find out.

Anyone who sees a flag improperly displayed or disposed of has the right, if not the obligation, to point out the error to the individual or business at fault.