While checking out a new blog [visit Katherine] - I found a link to this news story about the house approving a move to outlaw flag burning. Katherine and I have similar views on the topic - [see her thoughts here]. Whenever I see anything on this topic - I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, The American President. A great quote can be found in a scene where Michael Douglas (the President) is talking to the press about a photo found of his girlfriend (played by Annette Bening) burning a flag in a protest in her college days.
You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil who is standing center stage advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours … The symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.
The symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. Yes - that’s the lesson the house needs to learn.
Agreed. Those nutjobs don't even understand the fundamentals this country was based on. It's the freaking First Amendment! The FIRST ONE! Top of the list, it was the first thing we wanted to make certain, that we had the right to criticize the government. And now those clowns want to bring us all in line with their zealotous crazy quote-unquote patriotism. Gah, it makes me so mad I can hardly type. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
:thumbsdown: I ask you to consider this for a moment. What if your best friend or parents or someone very close to you had been killed because they were sharing their beliefs with someone or you yourself were in peril because of sharing your beliefs. Now imagine someone burning a Bible. It is the same thing as flag burning. The bible is symbolic of your beliefs as the flag is symbolic of our freedom.
Freedom of speech is not the same as freedom of action. As the saying goes actions speak much louder than words. Flag burning is an action.
If the government can tell us what we can & can't watch & listen to on TV & radio. If they can force us to wear seat belts and fine cigarette companies for other peoples own stupidity, then they should be able to protect the symbol of this country that men and women willingly laid down their lives for.
If you ever get the oppurtunity read the fourth stanza of the Star Spangled Banner do so.
But you see, it's NOT ok with me for the government to "tell us what we can & can't watch & listen to on TV & radio" -- that's not their job.
And I live in The Land of the Free. Where it isn't against the law the share my beliefs.
Do I WANT people to burn the flag or the Bible ... of course not! But do I want people to lose their freedom to express their dissatisfaction with something. Definitely not. One of the things about this country that is so amazing is that our people have the right to disagree with our government - and show it even by burning the symbol of our country. Would you rather live in a society where you were shot down in the street for voicing opposition to the leaders?
Voicing dissent with our government and burning the flag are 2 totally different things. The flag is not symbolic of the government nor should it be symbolic with someone's dissatisfaction with the government. If they want to burn a figure in effigy fine, but when the burn the flag they are saying I am dissatisfied with the beliefs it represents.
Yes you do live in the land of the free. Thanks to tens of thousands of men and women who died so you could live in a free country. Who carried the flag into battle with them. Who were laid to rest with the flag over their coffin representative of the fact that they died for freedom.
"...but when the burn the flag they are saying I am dissatisfied with the beliefs it represents."
What's your point? So if I am dissatisfied with the beliefs the flag represents, I should be able to burn it in protest. Just like someone has every right to burn the bible in protest. I don't particularly care for it, but our government has no place telling people they can't.
As far as I know, the fourth stanza of the Star Spangled Banner is not law in this country. The Bill of Rights is.
I beleive that any person has the right to burn the flag. to me the flag is nothing special personaly there are many photos of people stabing other ppl with the flag personaly i would rather burn the flag then pledge allegiance to it. people have the right of protest and if u havnt figured it out flag burning is a form of a protest. u may disagree with burning the flag but people should have the right to do that.