Just for the sake of amusement, I recommend google-newsing “flag-burning”. Read the arguments.

Take 1

Do you think George Washington and his men would tell a flag-burning protester, after Valley Forge and defeating the English, that he had every right to burn it, or do you think the protester’s body would be found somewhere near Jimmy Hoffa’s?

With the split in our country about how best to defend it against outside problems, and July 4 coming up, the one thing we all agree on is the beauty and history of our flag and the

George Washington would have killed that odd man who burned the flag this year. As for the “beauty and history” of the flag — well, beauty is an aesthetic matter; history is fairly rock – solid: Betty Ross designed the flag, the ring of 13 stars was shifted as each new state was added to the Union. Sure… I guess we can all agree on the history of the flag.

Some chest thumping here.

Desecrating the most widely-recognised symbol of America, in my opinion, is not any kind of speech at all. It’s the opposite: the end of speech, the end of debate, the end of principled opposition.

A curiosity. Put this all aside, and let’s just place a man yelling a disagreeable position on a soapbox. He plugs his ears and says “na na na na” when someone tries to talk to him and disagrees with him. I won’t say anything about the quality of his speech, or his unwillingness to debate, but I will say he is… speaking.

There’s no reason to change the Constitution to protect the flag. What we really need is a federal law giving Americans the right to rescue a flag from desecration by any means necessary, short of causing death or permanent injury. I wouldn’t mind seeing a bunch of America-bashers interrupted in their flag burning by a gushing firehose or a string of firecrackers going off, would you?

Actually we are stuck in the realm of Property Rights. If it is your flag, sure, you should rescue it — and sue whoever stole it and destroyed it… and club that person. Otherwise…

Item #3, and it is here that I have to say something:

What are you going to do with all of these law breakers when they do burn or desecrate the flag? Where are you going to house them? In our already over crowed prison systems?

Not a good argument. The epidemic of one, again.

I proudly wear a United States flag on my uniform shirt. I dare anyone to come and try to burn it!!

Nay. It’s your property.

This reminds me of our flatulent, impotent state legislature who are also incapable of achieving anything of substance so they pass ludicrous legislation like the 20 mph speed limit near schools 24 hours per day.

Wow. That must be on the political issue that keeps him up all night. Do you feel the need for speed?

Anyway. What impresses me is that there don’t seem to be any editorial pages arguring in favour of the Amendment (save that “Men’s News Weekly” piece, which for all intents and purposes is). I guess this is where you can lob the charge of “liberal bias” (or “elite liberal bias”).

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