Outlaw Flag Burning
A few weeks ago when I took my oldest boy to Cub Scouts we taught the kids how to properly display, fold, and care for our flag. Now to a bunch of seven year olds we were making a really big paper football but they could tell that it was important to us grown ups so they played along. There were several fathers there that have served and it was interesting and comforting to see how they perked up in regards to the flag. After we were done and on the way home me and my little man talked about why the flag was so important. I’m sure that now he understands that it’s much more than a “big paper football” when you fold it up.
Of course our conversation got me to thinking, as they usually do. A seven year olds’ perspective on things has a way of doing that. When did flag burning ever become a legitimate form of protest? I think I already know the answer to that… the sixties. I guess the better question is what makes anyone think it’s an effective form of protest? Now correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t a protest an attempt for a group of people to get together and let their views be known? With any luck it will draw attention to their plight so people can hear their point of view and possibly change their mind about a given topic? If so, then why on earth would anyone take the one unifying tangible item we have in our society and burn it? Regardless of your political affiliation, your religious views on life, any personal views that you have, regardless of all that; we all live under this one unifying flag. We can all find comfort in the fact that we are all Americans and this one symbol gives us something to gather around, to unify us. Why would anyone want to destroy it? If someone wants to destroy it than a logical mind would conclude that they would want to destroy our unity. If that be the case then as far as I’m concerned they have just lost their right to be heard. If you will try to “rip the fabric” that unifies us then I’ve got no use for you. Disagree, that’s fine. In fact that’s good if you truly believe your point but trying to rip us apart serves no purpose other than to make us weak.
Too many people have laid down their lives for our flag. Not for the fabric that it is but for the unity that it represents. For that reason alone it boggles my mind why anyone would A) want to burn it, and B) why we would continue to allow it to be legal. I know, the response to that is going to be “free speech man…” Well set down the doobie, blunt, spiff, whatever you want to call it and think about that a little. If the only way you can get anyone to listen to you is to burn their flag then do you honestly think that you are going to sway their opinion? Banning flag burning does not in any way deny someone free speech. That argument sheds light on yet another prime example of why we should make everyone in school understand English. That way these knuckleheads will have a tool to use to express themselves other than burning my flag.
The free speech argument is bogus and doesn’t hold water in this corner of the blog-o-sphere.
I’m done for now. Thanks for listening.
Of course our conversation got me to thinking, as they usually do. A seven year olds’ perspective on things has a way of doing that. When did flag burning ever become a legitimate form of protest? I think I already know the answer to that… the sixties. I guess the better question is what makes anyone think it’s an effective form of protest? Now correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t a protest an attempt for a group of people to get together and let their views be known? With any luck it will draw attention to their plight so people can hear their point of view and possibly change their mind about a given topic? If so, then why on earth would anyone take the one unifying tangible item we have in our society and burn it? Regardless of your political affiliation, your religious views on life, any personal views that you have, regardless of all that; we all live under this one unifying flag. We can all find comfort in the fact that we are all Americans and this one symbol gives us something to gather around, to unify us. Why would anyone want to destroy it? If someone wants to destroy it than a logical mind would conclude that they would want to destroy our unity. If that be the case then as far as I’m concerned they have just lost their right to be heard. If you will try to “rip the fabric” that unifies us then I’ve got no use for you. Disagree, that’s fine. In fact that’s good if you truly believe your point but trying to rip us apart serves no purpose other than to make us weak.
Too many people have laid down their lives for our flag. Not for the fabric that it is but for the unity that it represents. For that reason alone it boggles my mind why anyone would A) want to burn it, and B) why we would continue to allow it to be legal. I know, the response to that is going to be “free speech man…” Well set down the doobie, blunt, spiff, whatever you want to call it and think about that a little. If the only way you can get anyone to listen to you is to burn their flag then do you honestly think that you are going to sway their opinion? Banning flag burning does not in any way deny someone free speech. That argument sheds light on yet another prime example of why we should make everyone in school understand English. That way these knuckleheads will have a tool to use to express themselves other than burning my flag.
The free speech argument is bogus and doesn’t hold water in this corner of the blog-o-sphere.
I’m done for now. Thanks for listening.
posted by jasona117 at 6:10 PM
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