From Reason:
Just when you thought the political circus in Washington couldn’t get any more grotesque, the politicos throw us a piece of pseudo-patriotic red meat: a constitutional amendment to prohibit the burning of the American flag, which was approved by the House last week and is now headed to the Senate.
The anti-flag-desecration amendment has been around for years”ever since the Supreme Court ruled, in 1989, that burning the flag was a form of constitutionally protected free speech. Previous attempts have failed to garner enough votes in the Senate. This time, with the Senate’s more conservative makeup, the amendment has a better chance. If passed by the Senate, it would still have to be ratified by two-thirds of the states to become law.
Support for the amendment has always been a cheap ticket to political grandstanding. This time, though, it has been made worse by shameless exploitation of the memory of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “Ask the men and women who stood on top of the Trade Center,” Republican Representative Randy Cunningham of California declared during the House debate. “Ask them and they will tell you: Pass this amendment.”
“Obscene” is not too strong a word for this. If the men and women who died in the World Trade Center could talk to us, I suspect they might be a little more concerned about whether their fellow citizens are any better protected from terrorism today than four years ago…
I’ve been looking for the right article for a little bit about a flag burning amendment, and I think Cathy Young really nails it here. I strongly encourage everybody to read the rest of the article as well, because Cathy isn’t even close to up to full speed in the portion I quoted. Do I like seeing flag burning? No. That doesn’t mean people don’t have a right to do it. For me, it falls into that category of “I might not agree with what you say but I’ll fight to the death for your right to say it”.
Agreed… Quote from my own blog from about a week ago…”My initial reaction is that it is tantamount to treason, and of course it should be illegal. I am not American but even I find it quite vile that a countries own citizens or those like me living as residents would commit such an act. But then I got to thinking, I am told that freedom of speech is so important to this country that I can not censor the KKK or Arian Nation for their putrid outpourings and that we must tolerate their vitriol and iconology in the interests of liberty and justice for all. How then can I discriminate against someone who burns the flag? But then my final thought was in fact much more basic:.. Why the hell is congress wasting their time on this? Do they really have nothing better to do? I can give them some suggestions: figure out how to eliminate the deficit, a solution to Afghanistan and Iraq, While they are at it deal with Iran, Syria, North Korea etc. the Abortion issue:: It beggars belief that so much of our elected officials time is spent garnering support for such trivialities as this, the Schiavo debacle and whether we should say god or not in the pledge of allegiance”
redred, then I take it you support my right to shit on the Koran as well.
doesn’t bother me..
good, becuase believe me when I tell you this, nothing puts a smile on face quite like the muslim “holy book” covered in poo….
3. I would burn a flag to protect your right to defecate on whatever “holy book” you choose.
I have more of a problem with burning a flag that a book, but my point is that if I were a senator I would rather be debating something a little more important.
Thanks Zelda… I’ll be posting pictures of the feces-covered koran soon.
Thats OK Mike you can keep them private if its all the same to you.
“Ask the men and women who stood on top of the Trade Center.” This sounds like Cunningham is referring not to those who died on 9/11, but to those who cleaned up the mess afterwards. The firefighters in the famous flag-raising picture were standing on top of the WTC; the people who died inside it were not. True this issue seems to be custom-made for grandstanding, but when Young says that “obscene” is not too strong a word for this, she’s wrong.
lets go burn a UN flag since its politicly protected free speach lets see the UN blue in flames:cool:
snowy, I’m with you there… how funny would that be…gunga dan or wolf blitzer having to report on a mob of successful, hard-working tax-paying, law-abiding citizens torching the UN flag.
Classic.
“Thanks Zelda: I’ll be posting pictures of the feces-covered koran soon.”
And that would show that you do not respect the rights of others. You would desecrate something they see as sacred. Then, you would get upset when they retaliate. People who say such things only add fuel to the fire. But at the same time, you loathe people who burn the US Flag. Well, then how about putting some feces on the stars and stripes?
Avenger…. are you new here or something? That’s the idea…. idiots burn the flag everyday…..we tolerate it. It’s free expression, and I’m all for it.. I served 4 years in the navy in defense of it.
My point here is, what’s good for the goose, is certainly good for the gander… I see these muslim animals burning flags all the time, burning my president if effigy…
From now on, I’ll be having koran burning, pissing and pooping parties…. I picked up 3 korans yesterday…these “sacred” books were strewn on the ground by some local “holy muslims”
One I will torch, One I will piss on, and the other will servce as Kilo’s personal Toilet Paper.