Flag Burning

[Krautle87]

Looks like they're gonna pass a law against flag burning. It's about time, I don't see disrespecting the flag as free speech, it doesn't help anyone's cause and it's offensive to anyone who has fought for their country. Some actvist judge will just end up overturning it anyways.

[Purobrat]

Damn right! There going to pry my flag out of my cold dead fingers!

[Iced T]

I'm all for free speech, but a flag is a "living" representation of the country. If you know flag etiquitte, you'd know that the flag is to be treated like a person. I'm only 20, but I always get misty at the national anthem . Maybe it's because that's my signal to start killing in football... It bothers me when my friends forget to put their hands at their hearts or take off their hats. That's just how I was raised. Here in Marin County, near San Francisco, It seems that only a few here care so much about the flag as I do. I also respect other countries flags as ours. So wouldn't burn another countries flag no matter how PO'd. Anyhoo.

[SFG75]

Don't get all jolly yet, the bill still has to pass the senate. The House has passed this kind of bill five times before, only to die in the senate.

[jaewing]

While I depise the thought of Flag burning and those who do it, I cannot get past the Constitutionally guaranteed right of Free Speech.

Having read numerous case decisions on Free Speech and the interpretation of that right to extend to physical expressions of speech such as waving signs, painting pictures, writing foul words on your clothing or having cute "smileys" on a message board . . . I have to conclude (and the courts agree) that Flag burning is an expressive form of speech that is protected by the Constitution.

Without the right to express ourselves, including our distaste for our government or our country, we are no better than the oppressive and evil regimes that our soldiers have and are fighting to remove from power.

What is the punishment for Flag burning anyway? Should it be a capital offense . . . lets line them up in the nearest stadium and shoot them all in the head. Should it be life in prison . . . quite the political prisoner being persecuted for his beliefes that don't presently agree with the majority. Should it be short jail sentences or fines?

DON'T GET ME WRONG . . . BURING OUR FLAG IS HIDEOUS, OUTRAGEOUS AND WRONG in my personal beliefs. But unfortunately my belief in the Constitution, and the fact that it helped creat the greatest form of human existence in all of human history, that prevents me from signing on to the side that wants to criminalize this act - no matter how bad I believe it to be.

Why not criminalize the burning of a picture of the President, or the creation of a satyrical cartoon making fun or him? What about burning a picture of the Flag? Why not criminalize the burning of the Bible, Koran, Torah or a copy of Satanic Verses? That would be offensive to people in a very deep and emotional way, just as burning the Flag is to many (myself included). Many would be suprised that ,e,bers of the KKK are legally protected in theis cross burning activities, as a form of Constitutionally protected expressive speech, as long as it is not done to incite violence or as a threat. Odd that this activity should be protected and not Flag burning.

This attempt to criminalize this form of expressive speech is another step closer to oppressing political speech and anyone who does not like our government. The buring of the Flag or any other symbol does not physically hurt anyone. The more restricted our lives become through the intrusion of government the more our country dies.

AGAIN . . . I HATE FLAG BURNING. . . . just had to make that clear so as not to offend anyone. But this proposed law is wrong.

Good thing it will probably not make it through the Senate.

[Bkcloud114]

jaewing...... I understand that you are taking the "lawyer approach" to this issue and I understand the need to enforce our Constitutional Right of Free Speech. The American Flag is a symbol of that right as well as many other rights that people have by living in this Great Country. The Declaration of Independance, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights and The American Flag all stand for the same thing...... FREEDOM. People should not be able to burn one of the symbols which would give them that right....


A note to anyone looking to burn an American Flag...... go live in a country where they burn our flag.

2nd note to flag burners........ If you excercise your Constitutional Right of Free Speech by burning our Flag.... then I will excercise my Patriotic duty as an American Citizen and kick the shit out of you.....


Kinda funny that this subject comes up...... my next tattoo is gonna be the American Flag, underneathg it will read "Try burning this one asshole"..... goes with my helmet sticker

[Diesel Grinch]

I see a lot of people getting all upset about protecting The Right to Free Speech. I just wish they would be willing to do the same for The Right to Bare Arms. I hate the idea of burning a flag and could never understand it being done by an American.

Now if we should treat The right to free speech like we treat The Right to Bare Arms. In New Jersey you need to get a permit which takes at least 3 months for a gun. So if you wish to exercise your so call right to burn a flag you need to get a permit and wait the required three months for back ground checks. We don't want any crazy people burning flags. Now when you carry your flag to the burn it must be out in the open. If you conceal it then you need to fill out a bunch of other paper work and a judge gets to decide if you can carry a concealed flag.



To all the Flag burners