Post Office Flag Etiquette Again And Again

September 27, 2013-My retired postal buddy informed me on September 7, 2013 of an upcoming date the postal service are required to half-staff the American flag at all postal facilities. He claims to be an avid postal sources reader on the Internet and knew I was an avid post office flag etiquette watcher.

He email me an article from the "USPS News LINK," the postal service daily management and employees newsletter of postal information. He claims all management personnel in all postal facilities are required to read the daily doctrine from Washington, D.C. Headquarters. This was entitled "Remembering 9/11" posted 9/6/13 at 2:05 p.m. EDT:
          Wednesday is Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance,
          when Americans pause to remember the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. All
          postal facilities must fly the American flag at half-staff on Wednesday.

          When flown at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then
          lower it to the half-staff position. The flag should be raised to the peak
          again before it's lowered for the day.

The fun begin on September 11, 2013-10:01 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

The American flag is half-staff or most likely somehow caught between the roof ledge!

September 11, 2013-10:19 a.m.-Chinatown Station Post Office-867 Stockton Street:

Oops-someone forgot to half-staff the American flag! My retired postal buddy inform me that this station is under the command of the Station Manager of the North Beach Carrier Annex. The Chinatown station do have a supervisor or the senior clerk that should had read the "News LINK" posted 6 days ago.

September 12, 2013-8:40 a.m.-Chinatown Station Post Office-867 Stockton Street:

The American flag is still full-staff, I thought maybe someone had the dates mixed up!

September 12, 2013-10:17 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

This is strange-the flag is still half-staff or most likely three-fourth-staff. Maybe the reason they could not raise the flag to full-staff because the flag is still struck on the roof ledge?

September 13, 2013-9:54 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

The flag is still three-fourth-staff and struck on the roof ledge.

September 14, 2013-707 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

Eureka! The American flag is finally back to full-staff. I think most likely done yesterday evening, therefore it took 2 days before someone or something at the Postal Service to correct "normal reoccurrence of bad flag etiquette."

I spent the weekend putting together this posting and on Monday-September 16, 2013-3:30 p.m.-My retired postal buddy called to inform me that President Obama an hour earlier on TV issued a presidential proclamation in honor of the victims of the Washington navy yard shooting, therefore all Federal facilities lower the American flag to half-staff until sunset September 20, 2013. My buddy claims most likely the Postal Service would post the information tomorrow in its "News LINK."

On September 17, 2013-1:45 p.m.-My buddy email me the following entitled "Flag at half-staff" posted 9/17/13 at 11:03 a.m. EDT:
          As a mark of respect for the victims of the Sept. 16 shootings at the Washington, DC,
          Navy Yard, President Obama has ordered that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff at 
          all federal facilities throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions
          until sunset, Sept. 20, 2013.

          When flown at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower it to
          the half-staff position. The flag should be raised to the peak again before it's lowered
          for the day.

My buddy claims most Station Managers should read the information and had the American flag lowered to half-staff by the evening. He wanted me to check out the post offices, but I told him I am a morning person...would check it tomorrow!

September 18, 2013-8:52 a.m.-Chinatown Station Post Office-867 Stockton Street:

The flag was at half-staff!

September 18, 2013-9:55 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

The flag was at half-staff, plus this time it was really located at half-staff!

The fun part not going happen until sunset, September 20, 2013, when the American flag be raised back to full-staff and then lowered for the day. These two post offices never lowered at the end of the business day and raise the flag at the beginning of a business day---too much work! Therefore on September 21, 2013,  all American flags should be in the full-staff position. My retired postal buddy claims all two post offices should be at full-staff. I told him of my special insight into foreseen the future  or more correctly..."normal reoccurrence of bad flag etiquette.," the flags would be at half-staff.

September 21, 2013-8:10 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

What-the flag is at half-staff!

September 21, 2013-8:34 a.m.-Chinatown Station Post Office-867 Stockton Street:

Oops-the flag is also at half-staff!

September 22, 2013-8:05 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

The flag is still at half-staff.

September 22, 2013-8:28 a.m.-Chinatown Station Post Office-867 Stockton Street:

The flag is back on full-staff. Today is Sunday, therefore someone raised the flag back to full-staff yesterday evening...still one day late!

September 23, 2013-9:38 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

The flag is still half-staff and UPS just merged with the Postal Service!

September 24, 2013-1012 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

September 25, 2013-7:41 a.m.-North Beach Carrier Annex-2200 Powell Street:

Well the American flag is finally raised to its full-staff, either by yesterday evening or this morning. It took 3 days before someone or something realized that the flag should be raised back. Many people complaint about the postal service slow service or "snail mail." I would rather call this episode as "snail flag etiquette."

Chinatown Oddities

October 22, 2013-Something never changes on my daily walks...something would happen! 

Lately the Stockton Street corridor along Chinatown been having traffic congestion due to my favorite pet peeve of the City's lax of traffic enforcement on vendor's trucks double-parking; adding the last two weeks of underground pipes replacement on the 700 block of Jackson Street and the start of the demolition of the old Hogan & Vest Building on the corner of Washington & Stockton for the future Central Subway station.

The Central Subway station project hired SFPD officers to control traffic around the area of the demolition. The Jackson Street pipe project done by private contractor utilized workers in orange vest and orange cones to direct traffic in that intersection---causing one big confusing mess---low bid cut corners!

The SFPD officers are on extra paid/off-duty assignments and their main duty is the construction area, but eliminating two lanes into one would causes traffic backup down the road. Therefore what traffic problems prior to their intersection is not their concern. The situation gets worst when drivers are having a hard times navigating the left turn onto Jackson Street and drivers along Stockton Street having to zig-zag among double-parked vendor's trucks.

The new society norm is "Self-Preservation" or in common term---"I and only I comes first!" The merchants along Stockton Street have boxes lined on the sidewalk & street, produces stands protruding beyond the legal limit, and company trucks parked all day. The vendor's have trucks double-parking, parking in crosswalk, driving those motorized forklift on the sidewalks or on the streets, making U-turn in the middle of the block and the famous "We are exempt" making illegal left-turn off of Broadway onto Stockton Street. Today what a vendor's truck driver did top all previous stupidities.

8:35 A.M.-The Central Subway demolition project posted road signs along Stockton Street to warn motorists of the upcoming dangers several blocks prior to Washington Street. The 1100 block of Stockton Street near the Jackson Street corner:

The 1100 block of Stockton Street near the Pacific Street corner:

Finally the middle of the 1200 block of Stockton Street:

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I was amaze by what happened...instead of moving the warning sign to the front or the back of the truck. The vendor moved the sign...

                                         RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK!