Why is flag burning even in congress if there are bigger issues to worry about?

Question

The american flag is an extemely important part of America and represents of all we stand for here. Yet, I can't help but feel that we have so many larger issues to worry about in our country that are effecting the people. Marriage laws, Social Security, where our tax dollars go....etc..etc... are all issues that effect the people in the country, so why are we paying congress to argue about an issue that doesn't involve us. Anyone who would burn a flag is an idiot, but its thier constitutional right to do so. I don't agree with it, but why waist time and money on foolish people??

Answer 1

Because repigs are running congress right now and want to bring up as many liberal controversial issues as they can.... election.

Answer 2

Bigger issues. This is a thing of Respect, for 200+ years now thousands of people have faught to protect your freedom. In other countrys burning the national flag is an act of treson and has some results of jail time, fines, and even being striped of citizenship. The American flag is a sacred piece of United states property. So Why is it a big deal? because there are some things worth fighting for.

Answer 3

Politics are smoke and mirrors. Issues like this are used as a covert way to have things approved. For example, an erstwhile senator proposes having the national bird changed to a turkey (Ben Franklin's choice) and a bill is written up, but attached to that bill is legislation for a dam in the Mojave Desert or some other nonsense. Then it is passed into a committee that reccommends to the House or Senate for passage or non-passage. So the Committees are very powerful. Things are hidden from voters and even from Congress themselves. But sometimes, a congressman wants to make a fuss to show his folks back home that he is working for them takes a strong stand on a minor issue to insure his re-election. Others chime in for the same reason and it amounts to a waste of time but a good show....but other times, it gets exactly what congress wants without telling the voters.

Answer 4

This issue is brought up just about every year. Is it right...........no! I fly a flag 24 hours a day in front of my house, I have the flag from my grandfathers casket in my den. I have an old flag disposed the proper way. And I'll never burn one! But the right to burn one is guaranteed in the Constitution. And for that freedom and the others that are guaranteed us is what our brave servicemen and woman fought for. And if you start amended the Constitution to take away a right, were does it stop?

Answer 5

Flag burning is an issue in congress because even though to some it is not a big deal, to others it is. It is a debate about freedom of speech vs. national pride. Both are super big issues to some. Personally, to me a flag is a piece of cloth. It doesn't hurt me if it is burned because you can't kill what it stands for. Sinead O'Connor tore a picture of the Pope. Did it kill him or destroy what he was? No, it was used as a form of expression. There are other issues out there that are are equally important and congress has to address them all. I think they are doing a crappy job personally, but they have to do it because even though it may not be a big deal to you, it is to someone.

Answer 6

The fact that we can burn our own flag in protest and others can protest the burning of that flag is what makes this country unique. When Congress speaks of " Flag burning Amendments" this is a dangerous thing. To take away a form of protest without due process is a violation of the principles of the Constitution. So to all of you " Amendment" supports out their, be careful for what you wish for. You just might get it and lose everything else.

Answer 7

watch out, while the talk of flag burning fills the headlines and congress time, look for little stories buried away. In my experience the more seemingly purile subject being discussed and reporting the more likely it is that something else probably not popular is happening way under it. In the UK an Minister's (I think) press person wrote an e-mail asking her collegaues if had anything bad to report just after 9-11. This was, she said, because it would go out unnoticed ( whilst the public looked to New York in shock, they are not reading the small print!)

Answer 8

I think our Congress is having a great game at making the American People ponder the irony of even being governed at all. The fact that flag burning is at issue makes it obvious that (the younger of our) governing body(s) really doesn't have the slightest idea of what is really important for our nation. Either that, or they are motivated by causes that really have absolutely nothing to do with the welfare (and I use that term in the most literal sense and not as a reference to some social program) of our nation and its people. Perhaps money, power, lobbies, etc. It becomes clear that the locus of power lies within lobbies and not within votes. Mercifully, We The People, as voters, can change that. It's okay to vote for someone who isn't in the pocket of lobbyists, really. No one is going to toilet paper your house.
I am against flag burning. It offends me. That having been said, something being offensive is no reason to amend the constitution. Our Great Nation has survived for hundreds of years and during some of that time, things far more offensive than flag burning were legal. Obviously we do not NEED a law against flag burning. I am offended by people who don't bathe often enough. I don't see Congress debating an amendment to the Constitution over public BO. Also, will our flag-burning amendment include the citizens of flags of other countries? If I want to burn an Iranian flag, for example, will my actions be precluded under the auspices of the sacredness of the flag? If Iranians burn an American flag, will we consider that a declaration of war? An amendment against flag burning is absurd, and I am offended more by this infringement of the freedom of speech than I would ever be by watching someone burn a flag.
All that I have said is completely without political affiliation. I know my Constitution. I have expressed a fondness for the Libertarian party, although I will not succumb to the voting practices of party-line voters. Being a swing voter makes me more valuable anyway. And I do tend to throw some Libertarians in the mix. I will vote for Republicans, Democrats, whomever. One thing you will have to do is not be part of ridiculous legislation like this.
For all of those whose stake in this argument is "my (son/daughter/husband/wife) was buried shrouded in an American flag, I respect your right to do that. I respect the flag, and I wish others would respect the flag as well. However, part of the REASON I respect the flag (and all those who have fallen defending it) is the Constitution. And in the Constitution, we are guaranteed that Congress shall make NO LAW ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH. And when Congress does make a law abridging the freedom of speech, all bets are off. I will no longer respect that flag, which represents the Constitution, and I may be tempted to burn one. Again, I intend no disrespect for defenders of the Constitution. In fact, I am one. I hope at least some members of our Congress, most of our Senate, our President, and our Supreme Court agree with me. The correct opinion is:
I am offended by flag burning. However, it is protected under the Bill of Rights. (and don't our legislators have bigger things to worry about than a few renegades expressing themselves? Give me a break.) So, I hope some people in Congress get to see this debate and maybe they'll hit me up sometime on my opinion of legislating morality. (Legislating morality is essentially like boiling water. Things get hot for a while, and nothing changes. Water becomes water again, sometimes ice, sometimes liquid, sometimes vapor.) When you legislate morality, the moral impetus is taken away from it. That means I no longer have to be moral. All my devotion to God and country is meaningless now. THANKS CONGRESS! That is absurd. You cannot legislate morality any more than you can legislate the winner of the Superbowl. Give me a break!
Flag burning is a moral question and a free speech question. It is practiced by less than 1/1000000th of our population and is therefore statistically insignificant in a country of 300,000,000 and is not even in the province of federal governance under the Constitution of the United States of America. So, to answer the question at hand... I haven't the foggiest idea.

Answer 9

Real Americans don't care about the burning of our flag on our soil, or even, on YOUR soil, 'overseas'!

Real Americans are concerned that you will be Executed by the State, if you burn YOUR flag, on YOUR soil!

America is the ONLY nation that stands for genuine FREEDOM!

That is why these servers, with these questions about FREEDOMS, Liberties, and personal choices, equality for EVERYONE, are NOT hosted in Syria, Iran, North Korea, or China, or a thousand other palces where the labor is ten times CHEAPER!!!

Answer 10

Because for some people (who usually don't vote) it is a 'hot' issue that they would use as a single-issue voting decision to select a candidate .

The whole Carl Rove strategy is based on getting people to the polls who vote on single issues: abortion, flag-burning,gay marriage - even voting against their own interests on other issues: cutting veterans benefits; closing national parks; prohibiting medicaid from bargaining to lower prescription costs.

The party sponsoring the vote undoubtedly plans to send campaign recommendations out showing that their candidates 'defended' America and the other candidate favors flag burners.

Answer 11

The same reason that the gay marriage amendment is in congress ... Number 1 because this is an election year ... Number 2 because this administration has proven time and time again that they will use anything and everything to get the public's mind off of what is really going on.