Alright, I havent said anything about this because I wanted to let the fervor die down for a bit.
If you are an American citizen, burning the flag (unless properly disposing of one) is wrong. It is intended as, and recieved as; a gesture of disrespect for the service that millions have provided to this country. The burning of an American flag by an American citizen is an act of dishonor equivalent to the denunciation of your citizenship; and should cary a social stigma equivalent to it. It is a direct insult to those freedoms which allow you to burn the flag in the first place
And that's the thing, you DO have that freedom, and you should.
The most dangerous words in the English language are "There ought to be a law"...
No, there ought to be some courtesy and civility; there ought to be some decency; there ought to be some respect; but we don't need a law to prohibit burning the flag.
We don't need to write laws to ensure civil behavior, and we shouldn't. You cannot write laws to make everyone behave honorably, because there is no honor in "not breaking the law"... if one has to write laws enforcing honor, then honor has no meaning.
We most certainly do not need to alter our constitution, to prohibit a class of distatasteful expression.
We don't need a law for this, we need a society where people actually understand what the flag represents. Because I tell you right now, those people who burn the flag certainly do not. They have no real understanding of what they are doing, it's just a symbol to them, and NOT the same symbol it is to you and me. It's a political tool and nothing more.
To them, the flag has no real meaning or message.
To me, it's a different story. When I see the american flag, I cannot help but straighten up; and I unconsciously want to salute. When I see the flag, I think of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making those colors mean something.
A flag is nothing, it is just a symbol, a piece of cloth; and if you dont understand what it means; if you don't believe in what that symbol represents; you have destroyed nothing...
It;s what is represented by that symbol that is important; and you haven't destroyed that by burning the symbol...
But you HAVE made a lot of people angry, and they are mostly the type of people you really don't want to make angry.
Now I don't think we need an amendment to protect the flag... but I well and truly believe that burning the flag should automatically be considered "Fighting Words", for the purpose of a justification defense.
No, you wont get off, but it will just be misdemeanor simple assault, with a light sentence.
So go ahead, burn the flag, but if you try and do it anywhere near me, I'm going to take extreme exception. Hell, I live in the real America, what jury is going to convict me for shoving that pole right up your ass.
