Here is the text of the considered amendment: "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States."You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating, at the top of his lungs, that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free, then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. - The American President
Based on that, would government agents have the power to enter homes to prevent 'the physical desecration of the flag'? Which rectangular pieces of cloth will be considered flags? What if you draw a flag and then crumple the paper on which it's drawn?
"Countless men and women have died defending that flag," said Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Actually, our current flag has been in existence since 1960 (with Hawaiian statehood) and about 100,000 have died in combat since its creation. Our constitution and the way of life it allows is what's sacred, not a single visual representation associated with it. The men and woman died defending the freedom provided by our constitution Senator, not the flag.
Burning a symbol is a peaceful act of defiance. As a free people, we must have the right to protest the ruling government, especially if they've subverted our historical symbols. If we pass a "No Flag Burning" amendment, then I say we are in a totalitarian state.
The irony is "when a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner."
In an interesting side note: the House passed (on voice vote) a bill sponsored by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) that would prevent condominium and homeowner associations from restricting residents from displaying an American flag on their property. The Senate is considering debate on the measure. What if a resident displays a desecrated flag?
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3 comments:
Up until quite recently, I've been neutral on the flag burning issue. However, I did feel the time spent debating the issue could have been used in a much more worthwhile manner. It is frustrating to have debates over symbols when there are much more pressing matters, such as the state of the economy and the wellbeing of our men and women in Iraq. However, the more I think about it, the less neutral I become on the flag burning issue and the more I believe it is a bad idea to outlaw flag-burning. While I do not believe burning the US flag is a good thing, I believe what's most important is the freedom the flag stands for, and that freedom includes the freedom to protest. Banning the burning of the flag is somewhat analogous to prohibiting the Klu Klux Klan from holding (peaceful) demonstrations. As someone of African descent I naturally find the Klu Klux Klan despicable, but as an American I value and would gladly fight for their right to free speech.
Oh, I almost forgot...great post!
Spot on!
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