Flags flown at Capitol
are for sale

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Star-Bulletin staff

On this day that honors Old Glory, here's something to flag for the future as a gift or even for yourself. If you buy a U.S. flag through your local congressman or senator, for a small fee of about $4, they'll have it flown on your behalf over the U.S. Capitol. You even get a certificate with the flag that says so.

The flag is mailed to the recipient with a certificate that states what day it was flown and for what occasion.

Prices range from $9 for a 3-by-5-foot flag, to $20 for one measuring 5 by 8 feet. (It could cost up to three times as much in retail outlets.) That doesn't include the cost of mailing, which is about $5 for your choice of a nylon or cotton flag.

"It's something people feel good about, especially people in government service," says Mike Slackman of Congressman Neil Abercrombie's office in Washington, D.C. "They do it to express their pride."

People ask for flags to be flown on their birthdays, anniversaries, retirement or in memory of a loved one.

Slackman said that although the Web site instructs buyers to mail the check to Washington, he suggests sending them to the Honolulu office because all mail going to D.C. is screened for anthrax, which could cause processing delays of up to six weeks.

In order to fulfill all requests, more than one flag is flown over the U.S. Capitol at a time, and they aren't flown all day. But they are hoisted up the pole and flown for a segment of time making it official.

Here are Web sites and phone numbers for more information:

>>	Neil Abercrombie at www.house.gov/abercrombie, 541-2570.
>>	Patsy Mink at www.house.gov/mink, 541-1986.
>>	Daniel Akaka at akaka.senate.gov, 522-8970.
>>	Daniel Inouye at inouye.senate.gov, 541-2542.

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