Based on this, and her school prayer entry, I can tell that Ms. Emerson and myself probably will never agree on anything.

This country is founded on FREEDOM, FREE CHOICE and INDEPENDENCE – ideals that every TRUE American holds dear.

If someone wants to burn the U.S. flag, that is protected free speech and should be tolerated. No one says you have to like it or agree with it, but it IS protected free speech.

Something tells me Ms. Emerson isn’t much of a true American…and that she doesn’t understand at all the U.S. Constitution or the ideals this country was founded upon.

No one is saying

I agree that this amendment would be ridiculous. We shouldn’t get into the game of legislating behavior toward symbols. In fact, flag burnings should probably be used by the government to recognize, isolate and redress the grievances of the persons involved.

The school prayer amendment, however, protects individual liberty. So I think it might be overkill to imply that Ms. Emerson isn’t a “true” American.

This is not an issue of freedom or freedom of expression. Vandalism of property is against the law, and the United States Flag is more than a “symbol.” It is also the property of the United States. It was defended with the lives of thousands of U.S. men and women, and should never be disrespected.

To have that viewpoint doesn’t make you a “false” American. That makes you a PROUD American who feels it’s right and worthy to take a stand against the destruction of our National flag. There are rules and regulations about how a flag should be handled, hung, and placed. What makes you feel that you should have the right to burn it? Protest all you like, make as many signs as you want, or any other mode of discontent you feel the need to show, but burning the flag should not be one of them.

I agree with Tehprincesspeach. Free speech,is just what it implies. That a person has to speak. Burning the flag is not speech, it is act. Displaying your dislike. The example that it is free speech is comparing it to an individual beating up on a person of minority and calling it free speech. You don’t see that flying do you. That would be a hate crime. I feel that desecration of the flag is a hate crime, our flag stands for all that we as Americans have fought to attain since the beginning. This should have already been a law.
Personally my husband, father, grandfather and greatgrandfather proudly served in the military for all US citizens. They would take great offense to a person wanting to burn their flag, when they were willing to die to defend it. That’s like spitting on someones grave. Dispicable.

Seeing the American flag being burned makes me angry as hell but I would have to agree with Ken here. Objectifying symbols to a protected class in delving into an area we really don’t want to go.

ckw:
While I obviously don’t speak for all military members, and certainly not your family, but I do not think you really meant that. I proudly served in the US military for 8 years, but I was NEVER willing to die for my flag. I can’t imagine your family was either.

What I can say is that I was willing to give my time in service to protect this great republic and the soil on which we live. If I were to give my life in this cause it would have been justified.

The line in the sand has been drawn….
All that is left to do now is choose a side.

Good rule of thumb — Whichever side Jo Ann Emerson is on, is probably the wrong one.

Burning the flag disgusts me. KKK rallys burning crosses disgusts me. But I think our republic is solid enough that it’s not going to crumble just because some stupid hippy burned a piece of cloth — or because some stupid redneck set fire to a couple pieces of wood.

Setting up symbols for protection is bad idea. Next they’d be laws to protect other symbols (other countries flags, pictures of government officials, who-knows-what).

Ken: I think a good example would be how the Muslims hold the image of Muhammad and the Koran as objects worth killing over.

When you hold an object to a higher level of importance than the intangible in which it represents you have lost the meaning of the symbol.

I personally take the American flag as a true symbol of this republic and democracy and treat it with the utmost care. I salute the flag at events and get goosebumps every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner. BUT, I am not going to go and kill some hippie that is stomping on the flag or burning it at a protest. Although, I might have to fightback a genuine desire to sock him in the mouth.