1041. "The flag's a liability," said the spokesman for the local board of fire commissioners. It ordered firefighters to remove Old Glory from the rear of three fire trucks in Poughkeepsie, NY. Firefighters had recently secured the 3' by 5' cloth flags to the trucks—without asking for board approval. When angry townspeople asked how their beloved flag constituted a liability, spokesman Ben Arnold said, "The flag distracts motorists. Drivers see it and immediately start thinking about how much it means to them. Their diminished attention to driving can lead to multi‐vehicle, rear‐end accidents. Firefighters would have to rescue injured drivers and passengers behind them, while in front of them buildings burned and fire victims leaped to their deaths." Loving the logic, the mayor of the Big Apple ordered the removal of both U.S. flags from the Brooklyn Bridge. He said, "Now our First Lady is safe from distracted chopper pilots." 9.7