26 May—A friend of Dr. Judge Michael Peloquin’s reminded The Monitor that the taxes Litchfield’s wannabe benefactor owes the town and borough of Litchfield on the two properties he actually owns in one way or another are currently in arrears to the tune of over $60,000. Tax liens must be filed no later than two years after the first due date, according to Connecticut General Statutes, and none have been recorded on the current arrearages at this time. And it must be noted that liens on Dr. Judge Peloquin’s real estate have been filed in the past and releases of all but the IRS liens have been recorded in Litchfield land records as well. Amazing how he does it.

In observance of Memorial Day, then, yesterday’s Bed Bath & Beyond email included this solicitation:

Fifteen percent off an American flag. Is that a deal to love or is that a deal to love? It’s an offer no patriot could refuse, anyway. Besides everything else, you can never have enough American flags hanging around the house. (Is that a pun?) Especially at 15 percent off. So a couple of clicks took us to this:

$24.45 alleged special sale price in the upper right-hand corner, no regular price noted. And direct shipping from the importer is extra. At least you’ve got to love “our traditional red, white and blue USA flag,” “wall decor,” “double-sided design,” and “Note: flagpole not included.”

“Country of Origin: China,” on the other hand (pointed out by the editorial finger), while not in the least surprising, is rather off-putting. And not because Chinese-made flags will be costing more (but not that much more), thanks to you know what.

As it happens, furthermore, Amazon sells three-by-five polyester flags for a few cents less than 20 bucks. And you don’t pay for shipping with Prime. No country of origin noted by Amazon, but it’s a safe assumption that the American flags it sells or lists are made in China.

The least costly American-made three-by-five polyester American flag would appear to cost about 36 smackers plus shipping. And American flags are among the few things Connecticut doesn’t stick a sales tax on. But if you buy a little China-made flag on a stick, count on paying sales tax on the stick . . .