Warning: Political Incorrectness and Strong Opinion.
I am tired of hearing where everyone was on 9/11. I am tired of hearing how people felt that day. We were all sad, we were all angry, we were all united. We aren't now. People say that dissension is a good thing - that debate is good for the country. I am going to respectfully disagree. There is a time and a place for dissension and debate. There is a time and a place for unity. Now is the time for unity. There is no reason why we cannot win the war on terror.
There is a bill in Congress which, if signed, would make it a federal offense to burn the flag. I am unequivocally in favor of it. I have heard the free speech arguments, and after long and careful consideration, I have concluded that I don't give a fuck.
I consider an attack on the flag an attack on my home and my country, and I am not willing to sacrifice either in the name of so-called free speech. If you have a problem with my country, I expect you to use your actual freedom of speech, i.e actual words, to discuss your issues. I consider an attack on our flag to be an end to the discussion of whatever is bothering you, because it signals to me that you would rather see your issue prevail than for America to survive. There is no issue so grave that America should not prevail in the end.
Brave people died on foreign soil to defend that flag so that we could live in peace and freedom here. This is often spoke of, but let it never be a cliche. Let's do our part, as Americans, to defend our flag from those who seek to harm it, and not stand by benignly participating in her desecration.
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I concur. There are too many stupid ass laws that stifle creative freedom while at the same reduce our people's ability to understand respect, and the sanctity of certain things. It is not the object but the power of the object that is important.
Isn't it nice you have the right to say all this. But what if you didn't. I respectfully disagree with you. You cannot say we are fighting for a flag. We are fighting for a country with freedoms, and ideals. With people who have the right to have different ideas than ourselves. The fact that someone in our country can burn our flag and NOT go to prison is what we ARE.
You can expect people to act any way you want to, but that doesn't mean that they have to act that way. Just because you and many others feel so strongly on something, does not negate the oppositions rights to feel differently. Your values are not necessarily someone else's.
What you are proposing is more in the realms of dictatorship. "Believe in your country or else" doesn't cut it.
I did appreciate the post, and I hope you know I am not trying to piss you off. Just a "dissentor."
I don't want to sound like I agree with Jamie, because I'm not sure I do. On the particular issue of flag burning... I'm not sure I feel one way or the other about it.
I can see both sides, although I find that those who are against a ban don't really have much of an argument, beyond the usual "slippery slope" of free speech restrictions - 'if you ban flag burning, what next?' - which is of course rubbish.
Those in favor of a ban, I sympathize with, but I can't feel in my heart that enacting a ban is good for America. Perhaps it can be solved in a more American way - in the marketplace. There are clothing materials that are toxic when burned. There is no law against using them in commercial products, other than perhaps requiring a warning label. In a similar (and perhaps less lethal) vein, why not fireproof them in the first place? I know this goes contrary to the ideal of protecting the symbol, but it does mean the "commies" would have to find something else to burn.
Anonymous, I wish you would use a name. You made a really interesting point. I like the solution, but it wouldn't change my mind about the ban, because if it isn't a free speech issue, than it isn't an issue. The whole "slippery slope...what's next" argument IS stupid because the simple answer is "not a blinking thing."
Maybe I should clarify that I am not opposed to people expressing their opinions verbally, or their right to assemble and protest. I really don't feel like it though. That should be a given, but the free speech bullies always want to steer the argument in other directions. As long as protesters aren't blocking traffic and they have an unobstructed view of me giving them the finger, then assemble away. The only thing I want to be illegal are violent acts against a country that is allowing you the freedom. That's it. I don't think it is unreasonable.
It is irritating for me to feel obligated to state that I, FOR THE RECORD, AM OPPOSED TO DICTATORSHIPS simply because I believe that defiling the flag is a criminal act. The only way for America to become a dictatorship is to have a military coup. That is, in fact, how all dictators are brought to power.
If we put that Amendment to a national vote, it wouldn't even be an issue. Most people support the ban and most people favor term limits for political office. So you see, one does not lead to the other.
Ah Jay. I knew your sweet peachy apple something something ass would have an opinion. Glad you stated it. I love Texans.
Taking a slightly different approach, I guess my question is where are all these random flag burnings occurring? I don't doubt that at some place at some time someone has burned an American flag, but it hardly seems like any sort of major epidemic that is damaging our country. That's what always bothers me when this issue is discussed - it always seems like it is more of a hypothetical issue rather than an actual one. A good way of distracting from "real" issues by discussing a relative non-issue that sends us into our easy, little political camps over something that doesn't even really effect us.
Flag burning is becoming the act of choice for protest groups on the right and the left. A white supremecist group burned the flag in Livingston, Texas to protest white tax dollars being spent on the Middle East, but is mostly anarchists who prefer this particular form of expression.
The individual at this website shares several incidences of flag-burning. And he is all for it.
http://www.esquilax.com/flag/index2.html
Honestly, why should any citizen have to watch or read about their flag being burned? And the whole purpose is trivialized by the reasons for doing it. Don't like Bush? Burn the flag. Don't like blacks? Burn the flag. Hate Jews? Burn the flag. Think Americans are too fat? Burn the flag. Wish you were back home in China? Burn the flag.
It is incredible to me that any American, even if they don't advocate a ban, wouldn't want to at least come up with an alternative to having the symbol of their country desecrated.
if we spent more time burning flags and less time conquering helpless countries, more of america's children would be alive and more importantly more of the world's children would be alive. do you have children?
Anonymous pyromaniac pussies don't debate. They just drop their idiotic mental turds and run.
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