Flag desecration be legal?

Question

Should there be laws protecting the right to burn a flag as free speech, should people be allowed to protest of the policies of the government, by burning a flag. What's your perspective?

Answer 1

They do it all the time. My opinion? I think it is a crass and cowardly thing to do. Doesn't make much sense, if you think about it. You hate the USA so much, you are going to desecrate the flag. But you can only do that here, in the USA that you hate so much, because if you did it in some other country, you would either be beat down in the streets, or imprisoned by the government. Same with the illegal aliens who march and protest in our streets because they want to be allowed to stay in this country and not be picked up by INS. They want to stay in the USA, so they march through our streets waving the Mexican flag. Stupid. If they want to wave the Mexican flag, they should go back to Mexico and wave it. I am very, very tired of people using the freedoms of the US, all the while disrespecting those freedoms.

Answer 2

I don't think so. That's kind of the purpose of the flag, to be respected.

In my opinion, from what I've heard from veterans from various wars, the flag is really symbolic of freedom and our country. In battle, there are stories and diaries where soldiers describe knowing the flag was there and was still waving and that's what they were fighting for.

In my opinion, burning a flag is a stupid point to make, because it invalidates the men and women throughout our history who have given up EVERYTHING so that we can sit at home and watch tv or obsess over what body part some skanky actress exposed or how many kids Brangelina will have, or (from a serious perspective) our rights to vocalize our opinions about the government.

If people have a problem with the war, fine. If they have a problem with the government, fine. But that doesn't mean the flag and everything it represents (the people who gave their lives so the rest of us could live free) should be desecrated.

And the first amendment protects our right to free SPEECH, not our right to do whatever the hell we want. If you want to make a statement about a policy, address the policy so that something can be DONE about it, don't just try to do something to up your shock factor.

Answer 3

No it should not be


I served in the USMC I fought for this country and shed my blood for it and the rights of freedom that come with it.

If someone wants to burn the flag that is their right as long as they are not breaking any other law like fire codes.

I look at it this way. The flag has meaning to me. When I see it I see the people who sacrificed for it. I see the people who built this country to what it is today. I see what the ideals of America is all about.

Someone willing to burn it to prove a point just sees it as a peice of material that can make someone mad by them burning it. I say don't give them the pleasure of getting my goat.

It's much the same with hate speech. Those words That people use to spew hate towards people of diffrent races and colors are only inflamitory if the person they are said against allows them to be.

If someone calls me a name I have two options, Get mad and let them accomplish their goal or smile and go on with my business. It takes away their victory. They havent achieved their goal of hurting me.

Answer 4

While I am liberal in many ways, far moreso than conservative in others, I do think there has to be a point where one is to stop.

The flag is the symbol of the American People, not the government. Is your protest against the People, or the government?

As Baron le Rouchefoucauld said, "I love my country, but fear my government."

Answer 5

The flag, for all its great symbolic meanings is just a piece of cloth. Just like the Constitution is just a piece of animal skin.

It is the meaning behind them that makes them what they are. Free speech comes in many forms and though I find it personally saddening and maddening that you would burn a flag, I would defend your rights to do so. Other wise I would be a hypocrite because I believe that the Constitution clearly spells out (via lack of actually limiting anything on free speech) that it is our right to our free speech.

Answer 6

Hey, if the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, can desecrate a flag, it CAN'T be illegal, can it?

Keep in mind, this is the same president who referred to the Constitution as "Just a God----ed piece of paper"

Answer 7

There was a law against that at one time.

The supreme court struck it down as unconstitutional.

We'd need an ammendment to do that. and with all the liberals, we'd never get it.

Don't forget that burining is also the only to legally dispose of a flag.

Answer 8

nicely, bearing in mind that when a flag is previous and tattered, one is meant to 'placed it down' respectfully by using burning it. on the different side of the equation, there are people who decide for to burn the flag to make a political assertion, in spite of the shown fact that faulty. yet although, in case you do away with the burning of the flag from the two side all you're left with is a man or woman's political expression. the 1st substitute ensures unfastened speech, exceptionally political speech. individually, there are a number of greater effective techniques of having your political ingredient in the time of, yet I kinda like that we don't stay in a society the place a flag burner is met by using firing squad. Our flag is our terrific image, in spite of the shown fact that it is the freedoms that image represents that are of extreme value. a lot of human beings have died to guard those freedoms, not the textile itself.

Answer 9

I assume your talking about here in the U.S.A.:NO!and NO! I don't see how burning OLD GLORY,has anything to do with free speech.I strongly feel there should be laws,very strict laws,against burning the flag.I say if they don't like it here then they should move to another country.I say,put the Pledge of Allegence back in schools.Thats how many of us started our school day.

Answer 10

Not something I'd do personally, but we do have rights to protest. In this country I hold freedom and free expression higher than any symbol, even if that symbol represents everything they are doing.