Talk Elections

3rd option for me.

Flag burning should not be banned, despite the fact that it is condemnable.

Flag burning is wrong. People say that we have the freedom of speech and the 1st Amendment. Well, without that flag we would have no 1st Amendment because we would have no freedom. Without that flag there would be no America. It was that flag that 13 colonies rallied behind in 1775 to fight against the British. They rallied beneath that flag and won our independence. Without that flag we would have no freedom.

Flag burning demoralizes our troops. Burning of a national symobol, such as a flag, is as bad as desecrating a picture of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Many of you on the left would recomend hanging someone if they were to destroy a picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt in protest.

That grand old flag flew over Yorktown, Gettysburg, Normandy, and now Baghdad as in all our wars it our troops rallied under it to defend our freedom, and the least you can do is respect that flag who gives you that freedom.

In my opinion it should be allowed to burn any type of cloth in a democracy. 3rd option, consequently.

flag burning is oxymoronic and stupid, but if someone wants to, i don't care

It is severly dishonorable and evil to burn a flag that has flown over young women and men who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

But, it is almost equally dishonorable to limit or infringe on the freedom that they sacrificed for.  If given a choice between protecting the flag, or protecting the freedom, I'll choose the latter.

How is it oxymoronic?

Last time I checked an oxymoron was a phrase containing two contradictory ideas.

I can't believe anyone cares about this enough to ban it.  People need to find some hobbies or something.

I agree with also that flag burning should not be banned as it is free speech, but we as a nation must frown upon such acts and encourage those who commit the acts to leave the country

"The first Amendment doesn't protect speech you like, it protects speech you hate."

-Ron Jeremy

wrong. the flag is just a design. with a differentely designed flag we would have those things. the flag itself didn't earn us anything. Outlawing flag burning goes against the ideals the flag represents, and thus is more desecretory to the flag than anything anyone can physically do to it.

And I wouldn't reccomend any criminal penalties to anyone desecrating a picture of Washington, Lincoln or FDR.

"I would prefer a man who burns the flag and wraps himself in the Constitution to a man who burns the Constitution and wraps himself in the flag." - Molly Ivins

Might I add that ever since flag burning has been legalized, incidents of it happening have gone way down. If such an amendent were passed we'd probably have more flag burning incidents in the next week than the last year to protest the amendment, and if it was actually criminalized it would continue to happen more often since it was now an effective form of protest. not a solution to anything.

I kind of think there should  be a fine.  Tossing someone in jail for it is way to extreme though.

The flag sort of belongs to the public.  After that is established then you'd be burning public property.

" if you are going to protest don't burn the American flag, wash it."
- Norman Thomas, Socialist Candidate for President in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, and 1948.

In this year of grace 2004, how could we be having this discussion? Hasn't the Constitutional tradition existed for long enough to cast doubt in the minds of all on content-based speech regulations? But I must tackle this issue.

People support making flag burning a crime because they find it repugnant. But in a marketplace of ideas, those thoughts are something we must cope with. Some say this is an incitement. But every idea is an incitement, and it may set fire to the eloquence of reason. For that reason alone, I stand on a tradition that must endure when I support the right to burn the flag.

I'm not really all that offended by it.

How many times have you heard someone say somethin like "These people don't love their country, and I think it's disgusting" or "These people should leave this country if they don't love it"? Yes, this is the province of redneckery, but in some quarters it accurately reflects public opinion.

I will never burn the flag, until they make it illegal.

Protected Speech...despite being tasteless.

one side says you can't burn a flag.
the other says you can't burn a cross.

whatever happened to free expression?

I burn whatever I feel like burning, and at the moment it's some fine hydroponically-grown indica bud.  word.

I suppose the difference between them is that I view the flag to be public property.  It's not privately owned like a cross is.  I'm not especially offended by it.

a nickel is public property, and should never be defaced, as it represents wealth.  a flag is merely a symbol, just like a cross.

Ok, I bought a big American flag a couple of years ago.  I say that it belongs to me, since I paid for it and everything.  How is it public property?

Very well said.

Any attempt to restrict flag burning is very difficult to define. In particular, it is hard at times to distiguish between a flag and an image of a flag. I've been at club meetings that start with the Pledge. If a cloth flag is unavailable but a paper poster of one was on a wall, that was used instead. Does that become a flag. What about a flag on my tie?

I put down other since there are limited cases where restrictions might apply. Some flags are in fact public property, and the public that owns them can through their laws make reasonable restrictions to prevent damage.

I vote for "Flag burning is protected speech".

Wasn't the old custom to have a ceremonial flag burning if the falg touched the ground.  Something like "retiring the colors"?

flag-burners are basically ignored, therefore I don't see this as a threat worth spending time on.

And I believe you have a Constitutional right to burn a cross as well. That's a legitimate form of expression of viewpoint on race that is known by the Constitution. However, I believe the state has a right to criminalize planting it upon your law, because that infringes on property rights.

YOU support private property rights?  Or am I reading that wrongly?

3rd

I think if they want to burn our flag then they need to get the heck out of our country.  This is not freedom of speech, this is stupid. It needs to be outlawed and people who do this crazy crap needs to be put in jail!

Regardless of what you choose, be aware of potential consequences...during the First Gulf War, an anti-war protestor - who was white, by the way - in Albuquerque set a flag on fire, and a military man back from the Gulf - who was Hispanic, by the way - rushed him and broke the protestor's nose. It went to court of course, but the military man won, suffering no sanction at all. Perhaps not good for the First Amendment, although the government wasn't involved in this incident at all, but illustrative of the type of unofficial, grassroots response a flag-burner may get - not banned by any government, but quashed by their fellow citizens.
And I voted 'other'.