This Could Be the New US Flag if Puerto Rico Becomes a State

June 14, 2013— -- intro: As holidays go, Flag Day doesn't get much respect. It doesn't get the fireworks of July 4 or the solemn fanfare of Memorial Day. Heck, chances are you don't even get Flag Day off.

In that sense, Flag Day is kind of like Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, and the litany of other small territories and possessions that the good ol' US hasn't graced with full statehood.

But what if one of them did finally squeak through? Well, for one thing, America would suddenly need to reconfigure the stars and stripes.

The possibilities for a 51-star flag aren't exactly endless, but they sure are weird. Just in time for Flag Day, here's a look at 10 proposals that would probably make Betsy Ross give up needlepoint.

quicklist:1title:The (Yawn) Standardtext:It's nothing exciting, but this traditional arrangement is probably the likeliest to be used IRL.media:19405617

quicklist:2title:The Triple-Diamondtext:America: We're either the most dangerous ski slope ever, or a country with too many states and not enough graphic designers.media:19405634

quicklist:3title:The Oopstext:Let's face it, this is how the government takes care of a lot of things.media:19405559

quicklist:4title:The Circletext:Besides the symmetry, it has the bonus of being usable when America finally takes control of Earth.media:19405843

quicklist:5title:The Whaaaaat?text:Is it a flag, or a Fourth of July picnic napkin?media:19405657

quicklist:6title:The Trippy Star of Starstext:"I pledge allegiance to the flag...and to the ninja for which it stands."media:19405647

quicklist:7title:The Sand Dollartext:We can't be the only ones who see that, right? It's like Betsy Ross meets Salt Life.media:19405580

quicklist:8title:The Smartasstext:Oh, you say China is beating us at math? We're pretty good at multiplication, though.media:19405598

quicklist:9title:The…?text:This is either a clever star configuration, or Batman being tortured in a dungeon with the walls closing in.media:19405667

quicklist:10title:The Greatest Flag Ever Known to Man Evertext:No, seriously, this is awesome. Could you imagine how much tea partiers would hate Obama if he presided over an America where Puerto Rico is a state and this is Old Glory? You can't? We should find out. And all get tattoos of it, too. You first!media:19405539