Introduction
Flags are not just cloth and color. They are legal and jurisdictional markers that signal what authority is operating over the land and the people. Most Americans assume the United States has only one flag. In reality, three different forms of the U.S. flag appear, each tied to a distinct system of authority:
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The Peace Flag – civil authority of the People and the several states united.
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The War Flag – military authority and federal war powers.
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The Gold-Fringed Flag – military tribunal and admiralty jurisdiction, tied to the United States as a federal corporation.
Understanding these distinctions is essential because flags declare the law that governs you when you stand beneath them.
The Peace Flag – Civil Jurisdiction of the People
The Peace Flag is the forgotten emblem of America. It features the familiar blue canton of stars, but its red-and-white stripes are vertical rather than horizontal.
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It represents the United States in peaceful, civil capacity, grounded in the sovereignty of the People.
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It is tied to the united states of America (lowercase “u”), the de jure body politic formed by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
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Under this flag, civil courts operate under common law, and the Constitution’s protections apply in full.
In short, the Peace Flag represents the People’s jurisdiction.
The War Flag – Military Jurisdiction
The War Flag, the version Americans think of as the “normal” U.S. flag, is the blue canton of stars with horizontal red-and-white stripes. It began as a military ensign and remains the symbol of federal military power.
By flying it everywhere—even on schools, government buildings, and courts—the government is openly declaring that the nation is still operating under war powers. This is why “emergency powers” have never been lifted and why constitutional protections are constantly treated as suspended.
The War Flag is not a symbol of peace or normal civil governance. It is the banner of perpetual military jurisdiction, proof that the United States has been kept under continuous emergency since the Civil War and codified again in the 1933 Emergency Banking Act.
The Gold-Fringed Flag – Admiralty/Military Tribunal Jurisdiction
The most deceptive variation is the Gold-Fringed Flag. On its surface, it looks like the War Flag—but its border is trimmed with gold fringe.
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4 U.S.C. § 1 defines the U.S. flag proper as stars and stripes, without fringe.
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Army Regulation 840-10, Chapter 2-3(b): “Fringe is used on the flag for ceremonies and for indoor display only. It is not authorized for outdoor display.”
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The same regulation defines the fringe as a “distinctive feature” of military flags.
This means the Gold-Fringed Flag is not the national flag—it is a military standard. When displayed in a courtroom, it signifies the tribunal is operating under admiralty or martial jurisdiction, not common law.
Further, 28 U.S.C. § 3002(15)(A) defines the “United States” as a “Federal corporation.” Under the gold-fringed flag, you are presumed to be appearing as the ens legis—the ALL-CAPS legal fiction or franchise of that corporation—not as one of the People.
Admiralty as Colorable Law
Admiralty jurisdiction was meant to apply to the seas—maritime contracts, shipping, salvage, and naval warfare. Yet under the Gold-Fringed Flag, courts extend admiralty onto the land, creating colorable law: law that looks like law, sounds like law, and is enforced like law, but lacks lawful foundation in the organic Constitution.
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Colorable law is a façade of legitimacy, enforced through procedure and presumption rather than true jurisdiction.
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Under this system, you are not recognized as a living man or woman, but as a corporate vessel or estate.
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The court treats the case as if it were an admiralty matter, even though no ship, cargo, or maritime contract is involved.
This is why proceedings under a gold-fringed flag feel more like administrative enforcement than justice: they are not constitutional courts of record—they are tribunals enforcing corporate statutes.
Why the Distinction Matters
The distinctions between these flags reflect the erosion of the People’s sovereignty:
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Peace Flag = Civil jurisdiction of the People; constitutional protections in full; unalienable rights.
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War Flag = Military jurisdiction under war powers; rights diminished to privileges; emergency authority.
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Gold-Fringed Flag = Admiralty tribunal jurisdiction; presumption you are an estate or franchise of the federal corporation; colorable law replacing constitutional law.
In other words:
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Under the Peace Flag, you are sovereign.
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Under the War Flag, you are treated as a subject.
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Under the Gold-Fringed Flag, you are treated as property of the corporate United States.
Conclusion
Flags are not mere symbols. They are jurisdictional signals declaring the system of law in force.
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The Peace Flag (vertical stripes) = sovereignty of the People and civil government.
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The War Flag (horizontal stripes) = perpetual military authority and war powers.
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The Gold-Fringed Flag = admiralty/military tribunal jurisdiction under the United States as a federal corporation, enforcing colorable law.
When you enter a courtroom or a public building, the flag above the bench or the door silently declares the law you stand under. Recognizing the Peace Flag, the War Flag, and the Gold-Fringed Flag is the first step to reclaiming the sovereignty that has been hidden in plain sight.
