Can you believe the Senate didn't past the flag desecration amendment?

Question

If you haven't read it here's the url: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060627/ap_on_go_co/flag_amendment

I can't believe our Senate. I believe if you don't care for this Country GET THE H@%& OUT. You should burn the flag if your in this country and also flag burning is not protect in the FREE OF SPEECH as the Senate saids. I don't like Bush, but I don't think he's as bad as the stupid Senate. Yes I said stupid.

Do y'all agree with me that the flag shouldn't be burned?

Answer 1

The Senators are idiots. The bill had no mention of anyone losing any freedom under
our "Bill of Rights". It was a very short sentence
protecting our flag from being desecrated-
that's all! As a member of the Amerian Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, it just makes me want to vomit! I wonder how many
children of these Senators are now, or have ever, served their country wearing a uniform!

Answer 2

Here's the thing, have you ever wondered why we would need to actually amend the Constitution in order to prohibit the burning of the flag instead of just making it a law? It's because the law would be unconstitutional (see Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 [1989]); it would violate the First Amendment. So, essentially, we would have to change the First Amendment in order to prohibit flag burning. I don't know about you, but when we start talking about changing the First Amendment, I get a little uneasy. Instead of burning the flag, we'd be burning parts of the Constitution. Which is more important, a symbol made of fabric, or the ideas which give that symbol any meaning?

What irritates me is that, though this issue has been debated in Congress many times (and not surprisingly, usually in election years), it keeps getting brought up again, when both parties know it will fail to be passed, as it always has.

Answer 3

Actually I don't agree. It is another symbol. And free speech and expression allows you to say or do things as long as you do not cause physical harm and in some cases psychological harm to anyone. A totalitarian state may impose a belief like that. But not a civil society.
When you say country, what do you mean by country? Do the symbols mean more to you than the people of the country? You are probably the kind of person who thinks a country is defined by its borders and its symbols. Unfortunately that is not so. A country is defined by its people. Without people it is just land. America as the land existed long before it became a country. It became a country when the people decided to make it a separate nation. And if an overwhelming percentage of those people want something to be in a certain way, then it means that is what the COUNTRY wants. As you can see from the responses you have been getting a lot of people don't agree with you.

The people ARE the country: people who work in the farms, people who work in the factories, people who work in banks, in mines, in software companies, in hospitals, in schools and colleges, in libraries, in restaurants and in countless other places. So from your comment it would seem that you are the person that doesn't care for her country because you don't care for the people.

So try to be gentle and don't ask anybody to get the hell out.

Answer 4

Why so much drama over a piece of cloth? It is not like they are burning the first flag ever made. Let the babies have their bottle. Burning cloth and polluting our o-zone layer won't get protesters anywhere. If they would have passed the amendment people would have found another thing to be shocked about. If they can;t burn the flag then they will piss on it, poop on it, run it over with cars. There are many other ways to desecrate a flag other then burning it.

Answer 5

I'm not American but how does one define desecration of the flag?I'm sure many will agree that burning the flag amounts to desecration but there are a thousand and one things that one can consider as desecration.In short the term is too subjective and if the amendment had passed I'm sure it would have created more problems in the future.But I agree with you that the flag of any country should not be burnt.

Answer 6

I dont think it is OK to burn the flag - but whether it should be illegal or not? I say something should be illegal ONLY if it has the possibility of causing physical and/or psychological harm to someone.

Those who desecrate the flag only do so to inflame anyways.... you take that away, and they will find a different, equally annoying, way to try and inflame (like coming up with an editorial column ala Ann Coulter)

Answer 7

The better question to ask is, why shouldn't the flag be desecrated. If it is just a piece of cloth then its a feakin' peice of cloth (or paper)
If it represents our country, then desecrating the flag is exactly like speaking ill of America which is allowed under Freedom of Speech.

Answer 8

I'm glad they didn't. I knew it would not happen.

And I must say, burning the flag does not mean that you don't care for your country.

Get over yourself.

It's my right to burn the flag if I so choose.

Don't be anti-american in your sentiment of telling people to get the hell out.

If you don't like it, you too are free to leave.

The wonderful thing about this country is that we can express our freedoms.

Answer 9

I'm glad they didn't pass it. It's one of the FEW things they have done right lately, in my opinion. I don't really understand why someone would desire to burn the flag but it's a FREE country, right?

Answer 10

I can't believe it didn't get passed, that just floors me, and the frickin morons say it is protected under the Freedom of Speech, I think we just need to keep pressing the issue and get the Damn law passed, how da*n stupid does one have to be, burning our FLAG..........shoot 1st questions later, but only with Rubber bullets no kill death squads..