JP Column

Suggested header: Sweet shirt, dude

This past week has been an eventful one for Jones County residents.
First, I’ve received word from folks who would know that Gov. Beverly Purdue was not at Lenoir Community College in Trenton. There were rumors she made it to the county seat on Monday when she was in Kinston, but they were just that: rumors.

Second, take the time to acknowledge this year’s Relay for Life committee in your county. The event brought in about $55,000 for cancer research and support – about 20 percent less than last year, but considering nonprofits around eastern N.C. are seeing dropoffs much greater than that (I think it’s the economy/Tom Brady’s fault), that’s an excellent job.

I was humbled, to say the least, by the amount of effort organizers put into this fundraiser.

Third, the Subway in Maysville is definitely – and I don’t mean this lightly – the best Subway I’ve ever been to. I went there for the first time Monday before the commissioners’ meeting and was blown away by its service, tastiness and overall value.

Granted, the $5 footlong special is a deal that’s pretty uniform for all the franchise – but when the sub you get gets to you quickly and neatly, you’re willing to pay several dollars more, which makes the $5 footlong deal extra special in Maysville.

I also liked the décor at this Subway – the stupid subway map that, for some reason, just has to decorate every Subway restaurant wasn’t as distinct as it is in other places. Instead, there were lots of plants and “artsy” tables composing a very modern-feeling atmosphere.

The cleanliness was outstanding, too – this Subway felt like a hospital that distributed prescriptions for Italian subs.

Finally, it’s Memorial Day weekend. Do something to honor the men and women who have died to preserve the American way, no matter how distorted we survivors have made that in recent years.

But please – PLEASE – don’t wear an American flag t-shirt lightly. Old Navy seems to be the clothing company most notorious for profiting off the most sacred of American icons … stay away from that store, or any other that looks to cash-in on something that was intended to be a lot more solemn when it began (Memorial Day).

Speaking of this, according to the federal government, you’re supposed to dispose of an American flag that isn’t serviceable in a “dignified” way, preferably by burning. The government, though, doesn’t offer a whole lot of insight as to what to do with a flag t-shirt that gets ketchup, mustard and blood (for those of us who like to take holiday weekends a bit far) spilled on it.

Unless you’re a gypsy, you’re not going to be seen out in public wearing this shirt again … should it be burned just as an actual flag should?

Folks, I can’t answer this one, nor can I come across anything online from a reputable source (I mean, the government’s reputable, right?) that can … probably because no one ever envisioned people wearing flags on their shirts as if they were Disney characters or Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.

But if it were me, which it never will be, I would dispose of any t-shirt, patch or skull cap with an American flag on it the same way I would a flag itself: with dignity.

Don’t allow seeing the flag in places it probably doesn’t belong make you forget what it stands for.