Or, what the hell, leave him there. It's a window into Mr. Trump's mind.
In the run-up to the November election -- a "choice" between root canal and having a toenail removed -- I remarked that major-party voters were being asked to choose between a candidate who knew exactly what laws she wanted to get around and how to do so, or one who was unfamiliar with the Constitution in general and the Bill of Rights in particular.
So thus we come to the President-elect's recent Twittering that flag-burning should not be allowed, and so doing ought to lead to loss of citizenship or maybe a year in jail (a rather interesting spectrum of choices). This is wrong -- don't take my word for it, ask the Supreme Court -- for reasons fundamental to the very nature of the government the U. S. flag signifies. Worse, the cockeyed notion that U. S. citizens are "allowed" various actions by their government is an inversion of the very nature of the relationship and assumes anything not permitted is prohibited. That's not how it works around here.
The flag is just a piece of cloth -- a symbol. A deeply meaningful symbol. One of things it symbolizes is freedom of speech. Even obnoxious speech or expression. Even disrespectful expression. Burning the flag, for example. A flag you can't burn is a symbol protected by the force of the State, a limit on a citizen's free and peaceful expression.* A flag for which respect must be enforced by men with clubs and guns does not stand for anything worthy of respect. And yet, when a protester (or a vandal) burns that piece of cloth, the symbol remains -- unless we besmirch it by damnfool infringements of the freedom of speech.
"A republic, if you can keep it."
___________________________
* Interestingly, a very strong case can be made against flag-burning in areas with a high risk of fire; if you set a flag on fire during a drought or in the middle of a crowded theater, the issue is a little more basic than freedom of speech.
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
13 comments:
I just checked, my (non-expiring) oath of enlistment doesn't have the word flag in it anywhere. So burn away you America hating asshats, I helped defend your right to do so.
Or....he was trolling the "OMG WE'VE JUST ELECTED HITLER!!!11!" crowd by bringing up an issue that was last championed by.......Hillary Clinton, in 2005.
Not particularly a Trump fan, but if this is the game he is playing, color me entertained.
Totally agree with you. Now, what would be you opinion on the "hate crime" laws that add years to a crime sentence?
"So thus we come to the President-elect's recent Twittering that flag-burning should not be allowed, and so doing ought to lead to loss of citizenship or maybe a year in jail (a rather interesting spectrum of choices)"
It's bombast. Bombast with nuance. This article explains it:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/28/opinions/journalists-stop-taking-trump-seriously-todd/index.html
Meanwhile, in your neck 'o the woods, I hear about 1,000 out of the 1,400 folks at the Carrier plant are happy to still have a job. (Yeah, I know Pence being governor was a big part of that).
This is a president different than any other to date. Would you rather have the alternative? :)
I would hope any push to criminalize flag-burning would hit a Constitutional wall hard and as a result, fail. I don't like flag-burning as a concept but I dislike abridgement of free speech even more, and didn't Voltaire or someone talk about "I may disagree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"?
(And anyway: whether or not speech you DON'T like is defended is the real test of freedom of speech)
Also: Now I kind of want a t-shirt saying "Don't blame me, I voted for having a toenail removed."
I have been nice more than once. I agree with Joseph about the link to Hillary, as he has done this several times before. I think we have Kellyanne Conway to thank for some of these hijinks.
I fall on the strange side of I fully support your right to burn the flag. But if you do it near me, I will make you stop. I know, that is wrong of me, but I can't help it, many of my family and friends fought and died for the things that the flag represents, and I am a throw back kind of person. So I might go to jail. I will live with that, if it happens. I won't argue here, I know all the reasons that I am wrong.
"...what would be you opinion on the "hate crime" laws that add years to a crime sentence?" That has nothing to do with the subject of this post.
Most commenters appear to have missed the anything-not-compulsory-is-forbidden slant to Mr. Trump's comments.
Others shrug off his his Twitterings (etc.) as mere hyperbole. All well and good -- but he has the full might of the United States federal government behind his offhand musings. I don't much care how the Press takes them but foreign heads of state are another matter.
"This is a president different than any other to date. Would you rather have the alternative?"
Yes; I voted for alternative, Gary Johnson.
"I fall on the strange side of I fully support your right to burn the flag. But if you do it near me, I will make you stop."
Replace 'burn the flag' with 'say the Lord's prayer' and play that back.
"Oh, that's different!"
No it's not. It's the same damned Amendment.
"I'll make you stop."
*snort*
Come at me, bro. :)
I rather prefer speech, even offensive speech. I do find it amusing that Trump's position now is the same as Hillary's position about 10 years ago. Don't know if it was her public or private position though.
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