Seal of the USA

"Fred" ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

You're nuts Fred ! Accept the order, take the money and you will never see her with her feet stuck on it. If you don't, someone else will.

Might be one thing if she wanted the Stars and Stripes on it, but the Seal ? I heard once that someone, Washington I think, wanted a turkey on the seal, he apparently felt the turkey had been a far more important bird.

Only you can answer either question, Fred. If it really nags at your concience, don`t do it. Only the customer can know what her real feelings are about it, though, and what her intentions are.

Couldn`t you just not put your name plate on it?

Pat P

Franklin, not Washington.

Elizabeth

Could you put your nameplate in a less conspicuous place? My first thought was more along the lines that, in 100 years, when someone sees such a fine piece of workmanship, he/she is going to want to know the craftman. The Great Seal is an important symbol of the US, but not, as someone else said, necessarily in the same class as the flag. In fact, the rug in the presidential Oval Office has the Great Seal inlaid in it, and people walk over it every day! (I would be more hesitant over the Star of David, but only because it is also a religious symbol.) If I were you, I'd go ahead and accept the order. Who knows...maybe someday it will end up in the White House! lol

Carolyn

Fred wrote:

I am sure that's correct. I couldn't remember and decided since Washington liked farming, it likely was him. Good job he didn't have his way because turkey has a different connotation today lol

I would like to have met Franklin, he must have been a very interesting person. How come politicians today are such boring, and generally ill-educated persons ??

Considering that the Great Seal is ON THE RUG in the Oval Office I don't get why its acceptable for visitors there to walk on it but not for someone to put her feet up on it.

Doesn't nag mine! Send the customer to meeeeeee!

I think putting something like that on a piano bench or footstool is totally practical and in keeping with what our foremothers might have done. It's a traditional use for a piece of art one wants to look at all the time but might not want to frame.

You're nuts. If it were the flag, it would be a problem. Such uses of the flag are clearly prohibited by flag etiquette. The only rule governing the use of the image of the Great Seal (obviously there are more rules about the use of the Great Seal itself ;-) ) is that you can't use it in "any advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publication, play, motion picture, telecast, or other production" for the purpose of conveying a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the US Government. As Carolyn pointed out, people walk on it every day in the rug in the Oval Office. I don't think there's anything disrespectful about using it on an ornamental footstool.

Best wishes, Ericka

Hmmm...lessee...

Granted, it's on the state level, but....

In the governor's mansion of my home state, the state seal is present on the rugs, the needlepoint seats of the fancy dining chairs (which I rested my arse on at a luncheon), and all the pieces of china.

In summary: I walked all over it, I sat on it, and I ate off of it. And come to think of it, the state seal was on the napkins...so I also wiped my mouth on it. I can guarantee the dining chairs have been collectively pooted on more than I care to think about.

So yes, Fred...you're nuts. The seal is meant to be used, viewed, and enjoyed. It's not like she's asking for Old Glory on a footstool.

Poot: I soooo went there... Becky A.

Love it Becky - just what I was too polite to say! (Ahem - what, me?) LOLOLOL!

Pat P

Dear Fred,

I want to stitch a picture of George Bush and put it in a footstool. You got a problem with that?

In fact, I think I'll take the picture of him from this morning's paper and use it to line the cat box. :)

Dear Fred,

Brenda would like to make a dartboard. Could you make the appropriate wooden frame for her, and put it on my bill?

Brenda Lewis wrote:

That reminds me of one of the girls in my bowling league who taped a picture of her now ex on the head pin. She didn't get a strike but did manage an 8 pin drop!

Mavia

Fred - the Great Seal of the United States appears on many floors - incluidng that (IIRC) of the White House - it's stitched into rugs, and embedded in the tiles, so it gets walked on all the time. There is nothing sacred about it.

I think if you check you'll find many official government seals in floor

- all being walked on.

I think you are being too sensitive.

MargW

A symbol is a symbol , and if you are hesitant to step over a religious symbol [ and by the way what you call the Star of David and is actually the Shield of David = Magen David is also a Symbol On our flag , And I think Borundi [ spelling ?] has 3 stars like that . Interesting becuase many countries have the 5 pointed star , which was the Sign of King Shlome = Salomon. [ and you can still see this sign engraved in many building stones of big Historical Buildings or archeological ruins in Israel [even of the walls of the Temple in Jerushalayim =Jerusalem , Above which there is now a another building]. Thus if you hesitate to step on a symbol , don`t step on Any symbol. Of course it isn`t an easy choice , since Anything can be somebody else`s symbol. In Tabha, and many other churches , there are mosaics of crosses the fishes , the bread and other religious symbols and some people stand on them , or walk over them either in ceremonies or as tourists.

I was brought up to respect symbols and not walk over them , nore use them as a sit , something Fred has not considered , that people could Sit with their behind, on that stool ,,,,, I think that this is an interesting Debate , not only because of the Question itself , But also considering the person asking it. And the more so the way he put his question , Because if you read his letter carefully, He doesn`t realy care about the Seal Of USA being defiled or not , all he cares about is that his name won`t be connected to it.

mirjam

Karen All people use newspapers and all the pictures on it to wrap dirt etc, but they don`t do it with the purpose of Showing their hatered, for them Yesterday`s papers is just that, yesterday`s paper. They use it as a Whole piece of paper to be reused, recycled and not wasted just by throwing it away. BUT, There is a great Difference if YOU CHOOSE A certain Special picture from the Newspaper to be defiled, put dirt on etc... than you are not better than a person who burns the flag. You know that Intention to commit a crime is punishable, if prooved. You have just prooved your intention. mirjam

Since you know what it is going to used on, you have to let your own judgement prevail. Personally, I would not do it.

That is a completely different topic.

George

Most people who enter the oval office do not step on the seal but walk around it. (According to reliable sources who have been there. My mother has a nice 8x10 autographed picture of my SIL standing in the oval office smiling and standing next to GWB. My SIL must have truely tasted bile at that moment.)

We had a brass seal of the USA inlaid in the floor of one of the dorms at school. If you were caught stepping on it, you would spend some time with a toothbrush and a can of Brasso polishing it. Since it was brass it, of course, would tarnish naturally and someone had to clean it. That's why the made tyros.

George

PS. Why she was there.

On May 16, 2005, President George Bush announced Lenore Blum as one of the recipients of the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. The press release about the award says that

"Lenore Blum of Carnegie Mellon University helped pioneer the Expanding Your Horizons program at Mills College in 1973. The program?designed to introduce young female students to women in science and related careers?has since gone national through the Math/Science Network. Blum's leadership has also been instrumental in transforming the culture of computing at Carnegie Mellon to embrace diversity as critical for the field and future of our nation and by creating a model mentorship organization, Women@SCS, for women students in computer science."