chairman mao would be proud.
It appears that Congress is working hard to protect Americans by making it illegal to desecrate an American flag.
Congress Nearing Ban on Flag Desecration
The Senate may be within one or two votes of passing a constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the U.S. flag, clearing the way for ratification by the states, a key opponent of the measure said Tuesday.
"It's scary close," said Terri Schroeder of the American Civil Liberties Union , which opposes the amendment. "People think it's something that's never going to happen . . . The reality is we're very close to losing this battle."
Congress regularly has debated the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Texas flag desecration law in 1989 and its own Flag Protection Act the next year. But until now, it has failed to muster the two-thirds vote needed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before states try to ratify the measure.
Read more.
For starters, I have absolutely no desire to burn a U.S. flag in protest. Most people in this country, I would guess, are in the same boat as me. Nevertheless, the movement to prohibit the desecration of a symbol -– not a building, living creature, private property -– seems to fly in the face of freedom of speech and smack of idolatry.
I’m skeptical of any government that moves to protect symbols, rendering illegal an act simply because they find it “offensive.”
Hey, I find it offensive when someone burns a flag. But I’m also offended by crying babies and loud teen-agers in movie theaters. I find public displays of affection offensive. I find loud, thumping sub-woofers in cars offensive. I find Ku Klux Klan rallies in town squares deeply offensive. I find vehement protests outside abortion clinics offensive. I find that idiot “Dr.” Laura to be wholly offensive.
But I would never -– EVER -– advocate a constitutional ban on any of the aforementioned acts.
Freedom of speech does not and should not be contingent upon the offensive factor.
There is a real danger when we start enacting legislation based upon a knee-jerk reaction based upon not liking something. For if we elevate the American flag to Sacred Cow status, we begin to cheapen the very foundation of this nation.
Patriotism comes in many flavors. It’s time for Congress and many Americans to realize that rote recitation of the First Amendment is more than just words. And it’s doubly important to realize that the flag is the very symbol of freedom. The minute you pass a law to protect it, you reduce it to nothing more than a zealot’s possession; fragmenting it and claiming ownership for a lost cause.
I sincerely hope Congress comes to its senses and stops pandering to the citizens and gets back to the real business at hand: getting our men and women home safely from the Middle East.
Congress Nearing Ban on Flag Desecration
The Senate may be within one or two votes of passing a constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the U.S. flag, clearing the way for ratification by the states, a key opponent of the measure said Tuesday.
"It's scary close," said Terri Schroeder of the American Civil Liberties Union , which opposes the amendment. "People think it's something that's never going to happen . . . The reality is we're very close to losing this battle."
Congress regularly has debated the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Texas flag desecration law in 1989 and its own Flag Protection Act the next year. But until now, it has failed to muster the two-thirds vote needed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before states try to ratify the measure.
Read more.
For starters, I have absolutely no desire to burn a U.S. flag in protest. Most people in this country, I would guess, are in the same boat as me. Nevertheless, the movement to prohibit the desecration of a symbol -– not a building, living creature, private property -– seems to fly in the face of freedom of speech and smack of idolatry.
I’m skeptical of any government that moves to protect symbols, rendering illegal an act simply because they find it “offensive.”
Hey, I find it offensive when someone burns a flag. But I’m also offended by crying babies and loud teen-agers in movie theaters. I find public displays of affection offensive. I find loud, thumping sub-woofers in cars offensive. I find Ku Klux Klan rallies in town squares deeply offensive. I find vehement protests outside abortion clinics offensive. I find that idiot “Dr.” Laura to be wholly offensive.
But I would never -– EVER -– advocate a constitutional ban on any of the aforementioned acts.
Freedom of speech does not and should not be contingent upon the offensive factor.
There is a real danger when we start enacting legislation based upon a knee-jerk reaction based upon not liking something. For if we elevate the American flag to Sacred Cow status, we begin to cheapen the very foundation of this nation.
Patriotism comes in many flavors. It’s time for Congress and many Americans to realize that rote recitation of the First Amendment is more than just words. And it’s doubly important to realize that the flag is the very symbol of freedom. The minute you pass a law to protect it, you reduce it to nothing more than a zealot’s possession; fragmenting it and claiming ownership for a lost cause.
I sincerely hope Congress comes to its senses and stops pandering to the citizens and gets back to the real business at hand: getting our men and women home safely from the Middle East.
