At a beach in south Florida ten days ago, I was halfway through my daily walk, listening to an excellent book, and occasionally scanning the Gulf of Mexico for any passing dolphins. Public parking at this particular beach is located at both ends, so that’s where the beach camps, picnics, and sandcastle makers tend to gather.

My down-and-back walks there are highlighted by the crowds at each end. On this day, a group of ten people had formed a circle around a large Trump flag flying on a pole at least ten feet high. The shrine was positioned right at the end of the sidewalk leading to the south end of the beach in the middle of a few hundred people who had planned on spending their Saturday free from politics.

A thousand miles to the north in Indianapolis, State Rep. Kyle Miller (D-Ft. Wayne) was preparing to file HB 1259. The bill inserts two words, “a flag,” to Indiana’s statute governing campaign communications. Adding flags to this specific section of the Indiana Code would require that those pesky disclaimers be added to them. The “sponsored by” lingo on yard signs and billboards, and the “I approve this message” sound clips on video and radio ads are already required in Indiana, as they are in most places.

Let’s pretend for a minute that a Democrat-led campaign regulatory initiative can become law in the era of supermajority control by Republicans. What would the impact of a law like this actually be? No, I don’t think it will bring the ridiculous and hostile flags down, but it will require the money making machine of the Trump campaign to at least pretend that the rule of law still applies to it.

Flags have a fascinating history. I’ve researched and written about them before, because it is another unique feature in this political moment in America. They are more demonstrative than bumper stickers and yard signs. They are harder to ignore. They also take more of an effort to fly.

For example, I watch people struggle to put umbrellas up on the beach almost every time I’m there. That ten-foot flagpole I saw ten days ago did take a little effort. I imagine the flags flying behind a Harley Davidson do occasionally get tangled or dragged whenever the bikers approach a speed trap or a stop light.

But these symbols do have a history. As explained in Brittanica, “Flags originally were used mainly in warfare, and to some extent they have remained insignia of leadership, serving for the identification of friend or foe and as rallying points.” And that is still what flags mean to me.

I grew up watching Looney Tunes, making Daffy Duck one of my childhood heroes. I often think of an episode when the greedy duck is feuding with Marvin the Martian for the conquering of a newly discovered planet in the galaxy. “I claim this planet in the name of the Earth!”, Daffy would declare, planting a flag with a picture of the planet on it. Of course, Marvin had his competing Mars flag too, though it looks a little too much like the flag of Japan for my comfort level these days.

Rep. Miller’s bill is important, and not just symbolically. There is a cost involved with the sale and distribution of these obvious campaign materials. What cost? Well, I begrudgingly did a little shopping to get a feel for it. What I found was that there are a variety of Trump flags available on Amazon for less than $10. Interestingly though, if one goes directly to the Trump campaign website, their “Make America Great Again” flag sells for $43. I imagine the extreme markup there is designed to cover additional campaign endeavors, including civil judgements and ongoing legal fees.

Finally, the unfortunate controversy about the flag protocol recognizing the passing of President Jimmy Carter is as disturbing as any part of the flag fetish America is currently witnessing. The protocol, as detailed by the Veterans Administration, is that all flags fly at half-staff for thirty days following the passing of a president. Any whining about that impacting next week’s inauguration is a declaration of Trump loyalty that has run embarrassingly amok. Just stop.

Back to the beach. Some people prefer a quiet, uncluttered, even vacant beach, but I don’t. I like a beach with kids playing, frisbees and kites in the air, and music from each gathering competing with one another. I’m a people watcher by nature, and my three favorite places to do that are the Vegas strip, the Indianapolis 500 and the beach.

Flags just ruin the vibe. Leave them home, or better yet, quit wasting money on them altogether.