Protocol fail: Secretary of State Blinken hangs Alaska flag upside down

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In final remarks to the media, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stood before two perfectly coiffed flags — the U.S. flag and the Alaska flag, in the ballroom of the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage.

Only there was a tiny problem: The Alaska flag was hung upside down, as seen in the photo above by the media pool photographer for the New York Times.

Generally, when the U.S. flag is flown upside down it’s an indication of “to convey a sign of distress or great danger.” When the Alaska flag is flown upside down, it generally signifies a diplomatic flub.

33 COMMENTS

  1. They should have hung the US flag upside to reveal the distress that they are causing our nation. My kids could do a better job. My grandkids probably could.

  2. Alaska is Distressed! He is displaying his sentiments to our State’s being. Between our state’s peoples low literacy levels, addictions, self harm, and crime, and now the federal government is taking the state’s jobs away. its more surprising we are not All dead by today. Hahahaha.

    • The government workers who are not elected are also killing off the small oil and gas companies and the oil and gas workers are out in the cold as the AOGCC just wants to price Alaskans and other small oil and gas companies out of the oil and gas business, sad to see the Governor, DNR DOG and Alaska legislature sleep during this sad state of distress of the oil and gas industry and the rest as Jen says !

    • I’m not sure that Mr. Blinken, nor Mr. Sullivan (the National Security Adviser, not the US Senator, who seems clueless about AK problems nonetheless) have any awareness of the myriad problems that affect each of us as Alaska residents. I strongly suspect that they had no awareness that the flag was displayed upside down. I also suspect that they were not the individuals who put the flag on display.
      I also suspect that they do not inspect the myriad details of protocol which they encounter at every meeting they attend. I also suspect that they have more important things to do.
      Now, let’s get on with solving those problems instead of rearranging the deck chairs.

      • They were too busy getting their collective asses handed to them by the CCP to be concerned with flags.

        • This Alaska thing was mostly “Blah, blah, blah” posturing. When the rubber hits the road we’ll find out what’s playing.
          The Chinese are a proud people and the current leadership is arrogant and afraid, and that is a dangerous combination. We would do well to tread cautiously.

    • Sadly most of those things that you state are our own fault for tolerating mediocrity in both our elected ‘leadership’ and ‘public servants’. I hold a real job and have watched many terminations over the years for performance exceeding what we tolerate in Juneau and in state services. I don’t allow mediocrity in my children, we shouldn’t allow it in those who work for us.

      • You’re probably right. In government and in education we are now selecting people from the lower regions of the barrel. I don’t mean to denigrate teachers, they are caught in a bind where those who control them are chosen by the same people who choose our elected officials, but if we don’t starting electing smart people who are problems solvers instead of empty suits who spout platitudes, we are gonna be in a world of hurt.
        If we aren’t already. Would you want the people who control the medical profession to be elected by popular vote?

  3. Where is “Winken” and “Nod”? Blinken and the entire U.S. negotiating team tried treating the Chinese like republicans. The comedy fantasy being displayed by the new administration with “foreign” policy is astounding. A lose-lose for America. Is this agreed to before the meeting to make Blinken look strong and aggressive or is it the real deal? Hard to discern now days.

  4. Hopefully they are not trying to tell us something, on the other hand I’m not too comfortable with that level of ineptitude.

  5. I have been flying my Stars and Stripes upside down since the stolen election. The United States of America is in distress and mortal danger. The CCP with the help of Socialist Democrats and some Deep State RINOs, have placed their man in the White House and Chairman Biden is doing their bidding.

    • Sometimes it’s best to remain silent and thought a fool than to open up and……………………..

  6. They were after all in Anchorage. Very proper if you ask me. Glad the commies didn’t like their visit. Maybe they will leave us out when they take the rest of the country.

  7. I’m sure the staff at the Captain Cook set that meeting room up. It isn’t the first time they have had high-level meetings that required flag etiquette; however, it clearly is the first time for whoever set this one up. They should always have someone that QC’s everything. I am sure the government swept the room for “bugs”, maybe even explosives, etc. and someone “forgot” to check the flags. Very bad QC job.
    .
    Our guys literally got pantsed, by the Chinese, at a meeting in our State and our Country. They looked like punks. Embarrassing all the way around. The Chinese are wringing their hands [insert Dracula laugh here] knowing they have us by the cajones as long as President Harris is in charge.

  8. We are in distress or great danger from the federal government, I wish the governor was aware of the fact.

  9. I’d bet that the Chinese picked up the dummie-ness before some person in the State Department delegation. Our esteemed Secretary of State must have been blinken when the flag was set up.

  10. The US flag should be upside down. Our country is being controlled by a group of oligarchs propping up a dementia patient as our president in order to substantially change, and ultimately destroy, our republic.

  11. “……..Generally, when the U.S. flag is flown upside down it’s an indication of “to convey a sign of distress or great danger.” When the Alaska flag is flown upside down, it generally signifies a diplomatic flub.”
    Maybe that’s a sign to the rest of the world that Alaska, as a U.S. state, is in distress or great danger?

  12. As long as Lisa Murkowski remains a US Senator, the Alaska flag is already upside down. Get rid of her and right our flag!

  13. How disrespectful to Alaska by the federal Liberal democratic.
    Do not expect any favors from the Dementia Joe administration.
    Alaska support voted in favor of former President Trump and Dementia Joe

  14. The Chinese diplomats also planted a new “woke” definiton of problems for the U.S. called
    “Buizuo” the Chinese word for the “woke” white liberal that drives the current Democrat party which they have NO respect for-maybe one of the first times a foreign country has told us what they really think of the U.S-takeaway is that those negotiations were a shamble-less than two months and the Biden Admin is a complete failure

  15. I doubt that neither Blinken nor Sullivan know what the Alaskan flag is supposed to look like. I am surprised that they knew where Alaska was. Most lower 49 residents think that Alaska is located in the Pacific somewhere down by Hawaii.

  16. Soooooo…. a bit of a misnomer here. Unless the Secretary of State actually prepped the conference room and set things up, he probably did not personally set the flags up. That was more than likely, a hotel employee. I do not like the current administration at all but this is a very misleading headline. O

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