Protest Flags

 

I have been puzzled by this flag since I arrived in Kauai. I first saw a giant flag displayed in this manner and another green flag flying from the back of a giant pickup. I wish I had taken that photo. Yesterday we were driving in an area of the island where I saw several of these flags flown in this way and a few flown in what I believed to be the appropriate orientation. Dueling statements of some kind. Strangely, I have not seen the U.S. flag flown on private property.

I finally asked a coffee shop guy about the flag and while he did not offer a lot of information he did confirm that it was flown this way as a sign of distress. Google can be your friend and this is what I learned. The flag indicates some believe that Hawaii was illegally claimed and the islands were occupied by the United States. When flown in another location (I think it is the Big Island) the flag flown upside down disputes the presence of a large telescope on top of what is considered a sacred mountain. 

So, the flag flown in this fashion is a sign of distress related to the claim of local sovereignty.