Everyone wants to be associated with the flag. America and Yale, America and Episcopalians, America and J.P.Morgan, America and Maxell, America and the Ritz Tower.
　　人人都想跟國旗扯上關系:美國和耶魯、美國和圣公會教徒、美國和摩根、美國和萬勝、美國和麗晶大廈。

　　There are inevitably people who are more anxious to appear patriotic than to be patriotic. They treat a fine line between patriotism and commerce. The flag is everywhere in close proximity to a business interest. It sells shoes and shoe repair, women's dresses. The American flag invites diners to foreign restaurants, Japanese, Italian, even Afghan.
　　難免也有人擺出愛國姿態而非真正愛國。他們在愛國主義和商業間徘徊。隨處可見對國旗感興趣的商家:賣鞋和修鞋的,女士的裙子。美國國旗吸引顧客到外國餐館用餐??日本餐館、意大利餐館、甚至阿富汗餐館。

　　There is an official flag code but it is routinely ignored. It is not to be used as a awning or a canopy or plastered to the hood of a car. The code says the American flag is not to be used as decorative clothing. Some find it irresistibly fashionable though and we are more amused than they.
　　政府有國旗用法的規定,但常給人們忽視了:國旗不能拿來當餐布,不能做遮篷、檐篷或汽車貼條。美國國旗按規定是不能用來設計服裝的??有些人卻覺得難以抵制此誘惑,我們比他們還更樂在其中。

　　This is how the star spangled banner was meant to be flown on the end of a pole of its own, free to wave majestically in our own free air.
　　美國國旗應當掛在旗桿上,自由自在地在美國領土的上空美麗莊嚴地飄揚。