Flag Burning Amendment

Off Topic Politics and World Issues
21

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
On an another amusing and related note, Hillary voted against the flag-burning amendment after sponsoring a bill to outlaw flag-burning – any thoughts, other than the usual that she has no actual convictions?[/quote]

John Kerry set the gold standard for the Dems by being for something before they were against it.

The Dems are pathetic for hedging their bets for the 2006 election and the GOP are pathetic for wasting time discussing this.

I do not want my tax dollars wasted on discussions of flag burning or putting people in jail for flag burning.

The police have enough to do without having to waste time on this.

Chasing bad guys is far more important and all my law enforcement friends have said that a flag burning law would be a waste of their time.

22

[quote]orion wrote:
Solomon Grundy wrote:
I found another issue that I disagree with the Republicans on?flag burning. I personally could not think of a reason that I would burn the flag other than disposal. It is hypocritical to me to hold the flag in such high regard and then try to make a law against burning it.

Me Solomon Grundy

I think it is morally wrong to forbid flag burning, because the American flag stands fo the freedom to voice your opinion, even by burning an American flag.

Such a law is a harder blow against what the flag stands for than burning it could ever be.

Try to see it positive, when they burned the Austrian embassy they burned a Danish and French flag…

At least people know what your flag looks like…

Unprepared, lazy, bastards…[/quote]

That is funny. Apparently, they just couldn’t spend the time to look up what your flag looks like.

In the “Land of the Free” that is famous for its first amendment saying that there is “freedom of speech”, there should never be a law banning burning of the flag.

23

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
orion wrote:
Solomon Grundy wrote:
I found another issue that I disagree with the Republicans on?flag burning. I personally could not think of a reason that I would burn the flag other than disposal. It is hypocritical to me to hold the flag in such high regard and then try to make a law against burning it.

Me Solomon Grundy

I think it is morally wrong to forbid flag burning, because the American flag stands fo the freedom to voice your opinion, even by burning an American flag.

Such a law is a harder blow against what the flag stands for than burning it could ever be.

Try to see it positive, when they burned the Austrian embassy they burned a Danish and French flag…

At least people know what your flag looks like…

Unprepared, lazy, bastards…

That is funny. Apparently, they just couldn’t spend the time to look up what your flag looks like.

In the “Land of the Free” that is famous for its first amendment saying that there is “freedom of speech”, there should never be a law banning burning of the flag. [/quote]

Surely if people don’t treat it like it’s an affront to do it, then people will stop doing it. The only reason to burn a flag is to piss someone else off. How many anti-Americans sit at home burning flags when no-one else is around?

24

[quote]steveo5801 wrote:
Anyway, I am saddened by the fact that once again, the U.S. Senate cannot even protect this symbol of our great nation.

God help us…
[/quote]

Typical idiocy. The flag is just a symbol buddy, relax thyself. Stop trying to force everyone to respect what you repsect, to live as you think they should live.

It’s called freedom. Not sure you know what that is.

25

[quote]1-packlondoner wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
orion wrote:
Solomon Grundy wrote:
I found another issue that I disagree with the Republicans on?flag burning. I personally could not think of a reason that I would burn the flag other than disposal. It is hypocritical to me to hold the flag in such high regard and then try to make a law against burning it.

Me Solomon Grundy

I think it is morally wrong to forbid flag burning, because the American flag stands fo the freedom to voice your opinion, even by burning an American flag.

Such a law is a harder blow against what the flag stands for than burning it could ever be.

Try to see it positive, when they burned the Austrian embassy they burned a Danish and French flag…

At least people know what your flag looks like…

Unprepared, lazy, bastards…

That is funny. Apparently, they just couldn’t spend the time to look up what your flag looks like.

In the “Land of the Free” that is famous for its first amendment saying that there is “freedom of speech”, there should never be a law banning burning of the flag.

Surely if people don’t treat it like it’s an affront to do it, then people will stop doing it. The only reason to burn a flag is to piss someone else off. How many anti-Americans sit at home burning flags when no-one else is around?

[/quote]

This country would have to get pretty fucking bad before I ever considered burning the flag.

If it got to that point where I thought that flag was no longer representative of what America should be (which at this point I’m not sure it is), then burning it means nothing to the man that burns it.

I hate to do something like that, being as so many men have died under it. However, if America changed so much to the point where those protests were needed, and flag burning was common, then all those men died in vain anyway.

It’s complicated, but the right to protest is one of the most important things this country has. Limiting it is a bad sign, and a nationalistic move in a country that’s already had it’s fair share of ridiculous chest beating.

26

I am opposed to laws and amendments against flag-burning.

If, however, someone was able to pass a constitutional amendment limited in scope to just the flag, I don’t think that curtailing one very specific mode of expression is catastrophic. Given that it would be an amendment and not a regular federal law, it is difficult to make the slippery slope argument, since a supermajority would be required to consent to it.

I still don’t think it’s a good idea or a valuable use of our tax money to be having this discussion, however.

27

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
On an another amusing and related note, Hillary voted against the flag-burning amendment after sponsoring a bill to outlaw flag-burning – any thoughts, other than the usual that she has no actual convictions?[/quote]

Who cares? She’s just another professional politician(crimminal).

28

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
1-packlondoner wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
orion wrote:
Solomon Grundy wrote:
I found another issue that I disagree with the Republicans on?flag burning. I personally could not think of a reason that I would burn the flag other than disposal. It is hypocritical to me to hold the flag in such high regard and then try to make a law against burning it.

Me Solomon Grundy

I think it is morally wrong to forbid flag burning, because the American flag stands fo the freedom to voice your opinion, even by burning an American flag.

Such a law is a harder blow against what the flag stands for than burning it could ever be.

Try to see it positive, when they burned the Austrian embassy they burned a Danish and French flag…

At least people know what your flag looks like…

Unprepared, lazy, bastards…

That is funny. Apparently, they just couldn’t spend the time to look up what your flag looks like.

In the “Land of the Free” that is famous for its first amendment saying that there is “freedom of speech”, there should never be a law banning burning of the flag.

Surely if people don’t treat it like it’s an affront to do it, then people will stop doing it. The only reason to burn a flag is to piss someone else off. How many anti-Americans sit at home burning flags when no-one else is around?

This country would have to get pretty fucking bad before I ever considered burning the flag.

If it got to that point where I thought that flag was no longer representative of what America should be (which at this point I’m not sure it is), then burning it means nothing to the man that burns it.

I hate to do something like that, being as so many men have died under it. However, if America changed so much to the point where those protests were needed, and flag burning was common, then all those men died in vain anyway.

It’s complicated, but the right to protest is one of the most important things this country has. Limiting it is a bad sign, and a nationalistic move in a country that’s already had it’s fair share of ridiculous chest beating.[/quote]

I agree flag burning should not be against the law. In my opinion, whatever this country stood for long ago has been erased by massive corruption within politics. If you like, burn the flag as it no longer represents what it used to. And that is symbolic in itself. If you knew what the people around the world thought of us it might come as a shock. And no I’m not just talking about muslims.

29

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
The most interesting thing about the proposed amendment so far is that Diane Feinstein was for it:

I would love to get some background on how she came to that position, given her solid blue state credentials and voting base.[/quote]

When you see Feinstein for an ammendment like this you know that she has aspirations beyond her state! In other words it’s all about politics.

30

[quote]steveo5801 wrote:
Anyway, I am saddened by the fact that once again, the U.S. Senate cannot even protect this symbol of our great nation.

God help us…

[/quote]
That’s the point. It is just a symbol and freedom of speech only works when it pisses people off.

I would never burn a flag (from any country) but it is one of the most effective means of getting ones point across.

And your god won’t protect you from this–which is pretty petty in comparrison to other issues facing this country.

31

[quote]nephorm wrote:
I am opposed to laws and amendments against flag-burning.

If, however, someone was able to pass a constitutional amendment limited in scope to just the flag, I don’t think that curtailing one very specific mode of expression is catastrophic. Given that it would be an amendment and not a regular federal law, it is difficult to make the slippery slope argument, since a supermajority would be required to consent to it.

I still don’t think it’s a good idea or a valuable use of our tax money to be having this discussion, however.[/quote]

Well put. I think people should have the right to burn the flag, as disgusting as it can be to the rest of us. But even if you’re against flag burning, with Iraq and Afghanistan uphill struggles, federal spending out of control, enormous executive overreach/abuse of powers…is this really what Congress should be spending its time on? Almost as bad as hearings on steroids in baseball.

32

legal or not, if i ever catch ANYBODY burning our flag i’ll stomp their fucking skull in.

DON’T TREAD ON ME

33

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
On an another amusing and related note, Hillary voted against the flag-burning amendment after sponsoring a bill to outlaw flag-burning – any thoughts, other than the usual that she has no actual convictions?[/quote]

Yeah, she is running for President and therefore running to the middle, back to the left, a little to the right,…just like her 'ol hubby…

34

This flag burning amendment is an annual Republican publicity stunt. They do not think it will pass, and if it ever did, it would never be voted in by the states, and they know that.

The flag is an important symbol that represents the nation. But representing is different then being. It is simply something somebody made up one day, and has eventually evolved to what it is today. A symbol.

The nation is truly about the people, not a piece of cloth. If people cannot understand that, then they do not understand what America and freedom is truly about.

35

[quote]mazilla wrote:
legal or not, if i ever catch ANYBODY burning our flag i’ll stomp their fucking skull in.

[/quote]
please! gimme a break…what does that piece of cloth mean to you that you would commit violence against someone for it.

It is just a symbol.

36

[quote]mazilla wrote:
legal or not, if i ever catch ANYBODY burning our flag i’ll stomp their fucking skull in.

[/quote]

Wow that was some tough internet talk there…you gonna pistol whip them too tough guy?

37

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
mazilla wrote:
legal or not, if i ever catch ANYBODY burning our flag i’ll stomp their fucking skull in.

Wow that was some tough internet talk there…you gonna pistol whip them too tough guy?[/quote]

Obviously, only if they are much smaller and weaker than he is.

38

[quote]Zeppelin795 wrote:
If you knew what the people around the world thought of us it might come as a shock.
[/quote]

It wouldn’t shock anyone at all. The only time the world has even pretended to “like” us, was when our citizens had been massacred on Sept. 11th.

It lasted about twelve hours.

Now we’re back to the usual humorous stereotypes that are supremely ironic to anyone with any knowledge of history – the Germans calling us a “young” nation, the french calling us arrogant, the Italians calling us obnoxious, the Irish calling us uncultured, the British accusing us of empire-building, the Canadians are mad because we’re relevant, the Mexicans calling us racist, etc. …

Oh, well.

All of this was going on long before the War on Terror and will go on long after. All the well-wishing hand-wringing in the world won’t help.

39

[quote]ChuckyT wrote:
…
Now we’re back to the usual humorous stereotypes that are supremely ironic to anyone with any knowledge of history – the Germans calling us a “young” nation, the french calling us arrogant, the Italians calling us obnoxious, the Irish calling us uncultured, the British accusing us of empire-building, the Canadians are mad because we’re relevant, the Mexicans calling us racist, etc. …
[/quote]

Good stuff.

40

[quote]ChuckyT wrote:
Zeppelin795 wrote:
If you knew what the people around the world thought of us it might come as a shock.

It wouldn’t shock anyone at all. The only time the world has even pretended to “like” us, was when our citizens had been massacred on Sept. 11th.

It lasted about twelve hours.

Now we’re back to the usual humorous stereotypes that are supremely ironic to anyone with any knowledge of history – the Germans calling us a “young” nation, the french calling us arrogant, the Italians calling us obnoxious, the Irish calling us uncultured, the British accusing us of empire-building, the Canadians are mad because we’re relevant, the Mexicans calling us racist, etc. …

Oh, well.

All of this was going on long before the War on Terror and will go on long after. All the well-wishing hand-wringing in the world won’t help.[/quote]

It’s not so much that we accuse you of empire-building but rather, like an elder brother, we know all the reprehensible mistakes we made in our past and comment on you guys doing exactly the same thing in a hope that you will learn from them.

And just like a younger brother you dismiss us out of hand, lock yourself in your bedroom and listen to angsty guitar rock, determined to make and learn from your OWN mistakes.

Those who forget the lessons of history are destined to repeat them.

And for the record, you ARE a young country. There’s nothing wrong with that. Why would you consider that an issue?