Burning American Flag....

[WinterBorn]

What bugs me is the number of people who will get so offended and upset at someone burning a flag, and then they will use a napkin with a flag on it to wipe barbeque sauce off their face at the picnic celebrating Memorial Day.

 

[ABikerSailor]

What bugs me is the number of people who will get so offended and upset at someone burning a flag, and then they will use a napkin with a flag on it to wipe barbeque sauce off their face at the picnic celebrating Memorial Day.

Yep, you can't burn a flag, but it's perfectly okay to leave skid marks in a pair of American flag underwear.

I think crapping on the flag is more disrespectful than burning it.

 

[Pogo]

Very true, but they are still disrespecting the country that gives them such freedoms.

Actually they're disrespecting a piece of cloth. If they burned down the country then they'd be disrespecting it.

Wasn't your point anyway --- you said they should be deported.

I wouldn't say deported under law, so much as they should just GO back to where they came from and see how they like it there, good or bad.
Also, that "piece of cloth" represents the brave men and women throughout history who have fought to keep this nation safe and free. I suppose burning the entire country would be kind of disrespectful, too

A piece of cloth "represents" whatever the subject in his/her subjectiveness, imagines it represents. To the jingoistic fetishist and the flag burner the representation is remarkably similar.

To those who aren't so symbolminided, it represents a piece of cloth that some fourteen-year-old girl in China made so she can eat.

Whatever. When one invests much, one stands to lose much.

Ok, ok, so the flag isn't important, I get it.

I'm not going to speak for Pogo, but I think the point is more that the flag has different importance for different people.

I see plenty of ways the flag could be seen to be disrespected: flag clothing, which both gets dirty in ways a hanging flag is not supposed to, and often might put the flag in less than respectful places (covering the ass or groin); flag bumper stickers, which like all bumper stickers, get dirty, torn, and faded; flag waving at sporting events, which to me has always seemed an almost intentional diminishing of the importance of the flag; etc. Yet, for some reason, these other, far more common disrespectful displays of the flag are rarely commented upon, while flag burning brings out a great deal of vitriol and even has people attempt to create constitutional amendments.

I don't particularly care if someone wants to burn a flag they own, so long as they don't do it in a way which endangers another person or another person's property. However, I understand that many people are upset by or offended by flag burning. I don't want to try to denigrate their opinion, but I do think flag burning should remain a protected form of expression.

Yep, that's exactly the point. A flag, or any symbol, means simply what the subjective idea of the observer thinks it means. Thrift stores are full of family mememtos that surely meant something to somebody somewhere.

Especially agree with this part:

flag waving at sporting events, which to me has always seemed an almost intentional diminishing of the importance of the flag; etc
​

Sporting events, marketing in general, and the whole idea of brandishing a flag (or other symbol) as a way of stealing its power so that one can hide behind it. It's just so phony. That's what gets me --- if you're going to infuse an idol with some kind of sacrosanct power, then try at least to be honest about it.

This post was especially funny for its irony:

The largest flag in Tucson, where I live, flies over the Honda dealership. It represents their desire to encourage people to buy Japanese cars.

Zackly. Because if you don't buy a Honda you're unAmurrikan!

 

[Moonglow]

If a person buys a flag and wants to burn it, it is their right to as such, it is their property.

 

[Pogo]

Actually they're disrespecting a piece of cloth. If they burned down the country then they'd be disrespecting it.

Wasn't your point anyway --- you said they should be deported.

I wouldn't say deported under law, so much as they should just GO back to where they came from and see how they like it there, good or bad.
Also, that "piece of cloth" represents the brave men and women throughout history who have fought to keep this nation safe and free. I suppose burning the entire country would be kind of disrespectful, too

A piece of cloth "represents" whatever the subject in his/her subjectiveness, imagines it represents. To the jingoistic fetishist and the flag burner the representation is remarkably similar.

To those who aren't so symbolminided, it represents a piece of cloth that some fourteen-year-old girl in China made so she can eat.

Whatever. When one invests much, one stands to lose much.

Ok, ok, so the flag isn't important, I get it.

I'm not going to speak for Pogo, but I think the point is more that the flag has different importance for different people.

I see plenty of ways the flag could be seen to be disrespected: flag clothing, which both gets dirty in ways a hanging flag is not supposed to, and often might put the flag in less than respectful places (covering the ass or groin); flag bumper stickers, which like all bumper stickers, get dirty, torn, and faded; flag waving at sporting events, which to me has always seemed an almost intentional diminishing of the importance of the flag; etc. Yet, for some reason, these other, far more common disrespectful displays of the flag are rarely commented upon, while flag burning brings out a great deal of vitriol and even has people attempt to create constitutional amendments.

I don't particularly care if someone wants to burn a flag they own, so long as they don't do it in a way which endangers another person or another person's property. However, I understand that many people are upset by or offended by flag burning. I don't want to try to denigrate their opinion, but I do think flag burning should remain a protected form of expression.

Yep, that's exactly the point. A flag, or any symbol, means simply what the subjective idea of the observer thinks it means. Thrift stores are full of family mememtos that surely meant something to somebody somewhere.

Especially agree with this part:

flag waving at sporting events, which to me has always seemed an almost intentional diminishing of the importance of the flag; etc
​

Sporting events, marketing in general, and the whole idea of brandishing a flag (or other symbol) as a way of stealing its power so that one can hide behind it. It's just so phony. That's what gets me --- if you're going to infuse an idol with some kind of sacrosanct power, then try at least to be honest about it.

This post was especially funny for its irony:

The largest flag in Tucson, where I live, flies over the Honda dealership. It represents their desire to encourage people to buy Japanese cars.

Zackly. Because if you don't buy a Honda you're unAmurrikan!

Of course it's equally ironic that we insist on flag-worship just before a baseball game --- so that we can then watch players from Venezuela, Cuba, Canada, Korea, Japan, Australia, Germany, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, South Africa.....

 

[AZGAL]

 

[IsaacNewton]

An American citizen exercising their freedom of speech to burn a flag is evil to many cons, but a US president prostrating himself before a North Korean general and saluting that piece of shit gets a pass from them.

These are people that are clueless about what America is and what the Constitution is. They don't think these things important, they think their feelings regarding these things are important. Ignorance incarnate.

 

[otto105]

Well, if there is a first amendment right for a private citizen to burn the flag, then reason requires that there is a first amendment right for a private citizen to kick the hell out of those burning the American Flag.

Of course, if there is NOT a right for a private citizen to kick the hell of someone burning the flag, then there can't be a right to burn the flag.

Ya see, 'Individual Rights' come with individual responsibilities, that sustain those rights. If there are no consequences born of responsibility for burning the flag, then there is no potential for such a right.

Burning a flag is a free speech protected right.

Assaulting someone who is exercising that right is not.


Assault me exercising that right and I will sue every penny out of you.

 

[otto105]

Unacceptable in all situations and circumstances. Do it in front of me and there will be consequences for you.

What you going to fart in my general direction hillbilly?

 

[Anathema]

What you going to fart in my general direction hillbilly?

No. The sound will be louder, sharper, and its consequences far more permanent.

 

[my2¢]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

 

[irosie91]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

I agree that the rendering of LEGAL TO BURN THE USA FLAG---was
a serious mistake. Does anyone know if burning national flags is "LEGAL"
in any other land?

 

[HappyJoy]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

I agree that the rendering of LEGAL TO BURN THE USA FLAG---was
a serious mistake. Does anyone know if burning national flags is "LEGAL"
in any other land?

Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and others it's legal.

I really don't understand the outrage of the legality of burning the flag, it doesn't harm the country.

 

[irosie91]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

I agree that the rendering of LEGAL TO BURN THE USA FLAG---was
a serious mistake. Does anyone know if burning national flags is "LEGAL"
in any other land?

Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and others it's legal.

I really don't understand the outrage of the legality of burning the flag, it doesn't harm the country.

I do-----it is a kind of ceremonial thing------like standing when the judge enters
a court room------it is NOT LEGAL not to stand---the judge can hold you in
contempt of court and fine you. Whom or what does it harm? The shedding
of all FORMALITIES is a slippery slope----it leads to our President ---SALUTING AN ENEMY GENERAL. It leads to young jerks vandalizing
this that or the other "sacred site"-----like cemetaries, monuments----and
trashing images of santa claus

 

[HappyJoy]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

I agree that the rendering of LEGAL TO BURN THE USA FLAG---was
a serious mistake. Does anyone know if burning national flags is "LEGAL"
in any other land?

Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and others it's legal.

I really don't understand the outrage of the legality of burning the flag, it doesn't harm the country.

I do-----it is a kind of ceremonial thing------like standing when the judge enters
a court room------it is NOT LEGAL not to stand---the judge can hold you in
contempt of court and fine you. Whom or what does it harm? The shedding
of all FORMALITIES is a slippery slope----it leads to our President ---SALUTING AN ENEMY GENERAL. It leads to young jerks vandalizing
this that or the other "sacred site"-----like cemetaries, monuments----and
trashing images of santa claus

We're not talking about standing in court where your rights to free speech are curbed. We are talking about the right to protest your government.

There is no formality of not burning a flag, there actually is quite a bit of history of flags being burned, Americans have been doing it for decades if not longer. What that has to do with Trump saluting some asshole in an over sized hat I'm not sure.

I don't know, removing free speech rights for the sake of formalities doesn't seem very free.

 

[Pogo]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

I agree that the rendering of LEGAL TO BURN THE USA FLAG---was
a serious mistake. Does anyone know if burning national flags is "LEGAL"
in any other land?

Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and others it's legal.

I really don't understand the outrage of the legality of burning the flag, it doesn't harm the country.

The outrage is because it's blasphemy.

And it's only blasphemy because we made it into a god, to be worshiped and bowed before and genuflected before and sung praises and poems to and folded a certain way and yammer yammer rama rama ding dong.

Had we not gone down that kinky fetishism road, there would have been no host for the parasite of idolatry to suck on. And hence, blasphemy would have been impossible.

Fetishism is kind of a weird trip.

 

[emilynghiem]

unacceptable or acceptable as "freedom of speech"?

Technically you are supposed to burn a flag if it touches the ground.

Environmentally, it pollutes the air to burn flags unnecessarily. Why not find a better way to protest than burning things. It may draw attention to a problem, but once you have that attention what solution do you propose ? Is the flag burning used to publicize that?

 

[HappyJoy]

I am both for and against flag burning. I'm for burning when it's conducted as part of a respectful flag retirement ceremony, against it as a form of protest.

I agree that the rendering of LEGAL TO BURN THE USA FLAG---was
a serious mistake. Does anyone know if burning national flags is "LEGAL"
in any other land?

Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark and others it's legal.

I really don't understand the outrage of the legality of burning the flag, it doesn't harm the country.

The outrage is because it's blasphemy.

And it's only blasphemy because we made it into a god, to be worshiped and bowed before and genuflected before and sung praises and poems to and folded a certain way and yammer yammer rama rama ding dong.

Had we not gone down that kinky fetishism road, there would have been no host for the parasite of idolatry to suck on. And hence, blasphemy would have been impossible.

Fetishism is kind of a weird trip.

Yes, when we hold the symbols to be more important than the freedom they represent then we took a wrong turn somewhere.

 

[Nosmo King]

Is there a rash of flag burnt that I am not aware of? Seriously folks, are there flags being burned across the fruited plain?

Of course burning the flag is a political statement. And that's a right protected by the very first amendment. Remember, it's unpopular speech that needs protection. No one is going ape over someone proclaiming their love of chocolate sundaes.

Burning the flag is speech, more so than money, but let's argue the Citizens United case elsewhere. Burning a flag yields little heat so flags make a. poor choice of fuel. Burning flags provide a short term source of light, so no one is going to replace their LED bulbs with burning flags. The one and only reason to burn a flag is to make a political statement. Therefore flag burning is a protected right under our constitution.

By the way, I love a good chocolate sundae.

 

[HappyJoy]

Is there a rash of flag burnt no I am not aware of? Seriously folks, are there flags being burned across the fruited plain?

Of course burning the flag is a political statement. And that's a right protected by the very first amendment. Remember, it's unpopular speech that needs protection. No one is going ape over someone proclaiming their love of chocolate sundaes.

Burning the flag is speech, more so than money, but let's argue the Citizens United case elsewhere. Burning a flag yields little heat so flags make a,poor choice of fuel. Burning flags provide a short term source of light, so no one is going to replace their LED bulbs with burning flags. The one and only reason to burn a flag is to make a political statement. Therefore flag burning is a,protected right under our constitution.

By the way, I love a good chocolate sundae.

Hey, fuck you I love chocolate sundaes! There should be a law I tells ya'!!1!

j/k