ANSWERS: 32
  • No, it makes no sense to me, it's completely contradictive. I think flag burning in protest is in bad taste and is disrespectful, but what's so great about American freedom is we can say we are so free that we are free to burn our symbol of freedom. Just because we can doesn't mean we should, but if we're going to call ourselves free then we should be free to be offensive, disrespectful, unpatriotic, and all around buttholes in a peaceful way if we so choose. It seems to me to be one of the worst forms of hipocrisy for the very symbol of freedom to be the cause of our loss of freedom.
  • There are a number of occasions when it's wise to arrest somebody for their own safety, for example somebody who is so drunk he is stumbling onto the road in front of traffic. In the case of flag burning it would probably be a very wise move on the part of the police if they removed the flag burner from a place where he could end up being beaten up by witnesses who were offended by his behaviour.
  • No, it's just a f***ing flag... I HATE all those laws about flag burning... ESPECIALLY in the US! The country is so damn proud of it's freedom of speech, yet if anyone hurts the symbol of the country they suddenly don't have it any more? The Constitution says that whole 'these truths are self-evident' thing, it guarantees them... It's just dumb-ass, disgusting stupidity to arrest someone for flag burning. (Unless they set the flag on fire then set something or someone else on fire with it... but then they are arrested for assault/battery/vandalism/etc)
  • Flag burning has been ruled by the Supreme Court to be Free Speech and therefore protected. There is no law saying that you have to be patriotic. There are laws against treason - actually harming your country - but not against saying that you think there is something wrong with it. And before you say "if you don't love it, leave it", is it not better to try to cure a sick relative than to abandon them? If America is your home, but you think it is deeply sick, is it not reasonable to campaign to cure it, not run away and hide? I do not necessarily agree with the flag burners, but their flag burning can be because they feel they cannot support the symbol of a country which, however much they love it, is harming others. Similar to tha attitude of a mother whose child is harming others.
  • No I don't think it is right and I think moreover it is illegal...we live in the United States of America where our soldiers have died in wars to preserve our right to free speech...let those who would tell you otherwise examine their souls..what they will find there will not be a pretty sight.
  • no, i do not. has this happened?
  • No. Expression is expression, regardless of what you're expressing. Our country was founded on freedom of expression. You do the math.
  • It's not like its illegal since its under the consitution to right of free speech or whatever it is.
  • good as a form of protest
  • No, it is not right. Any attempt to reduce the rights of people to express themselves is unpatriotic and counter to the principles on which the country was founded.
  • Definitely not. Though I hope they'd not arrest me either when I walked up and told him he was offensive and obnoxious and should go to another country if he doesn't like mine. Incidentally, I do not approve of the regulation of "hate-speech" either. Or any other speech either. Words never hurt anyone.
  • Flag burners are chickenshit provocateurs who take advantage of the laws of their own country that they insult with their actions. They are not expressing freedom of speech. They are performing an action. Anyone, including lawyers and judges, who can't tell the difference between words and actions, is an idiot. That being so, laws are laws, even when twisted by idiots. Nope. Don't arrest them. But don't waste taxpayer money defending them until they have been actually assaulted. Until then it was only words, right?
  • For your pricks out there who think it is ok to burn the US Flag, why don't you come get the flag out of my yard and try to burn it? There are people out there, even today, dying so that you can talk some big shit in here. Hope you enjoy it, they just shoot you in the head in some countrys for talking this way.
  • No, our freedom protects that. They could be arrested for littering, air pollution and burning without a permit though. :)
  • Many have fought for our freedoms and our way of life. Many have died while clutching the flag. However, the flag is a symbol. Part of what makes this country great is that those who live as citizens can freely choose to express themselves and protest. Burning the cloth of the flag is part of that freedom.
  • To me burning a flag is tantamount to rejecting the entire system and country -- which includes rejecting your right to burn the flag in the first place. I think it should not be met with arrests, but it is in bad taste and certainly wrong on every level. If you are willing to burn the flag and reject the entire system (i.e. country, government), then get your ass up and move to another. Rejecting certain actions of a system is one thing, but rejecting the entire country is another.
  • To me if you disrespect the flag to that extent you should be thrown out of the country for treason.
  • No it's not right. There's nothing wrong with burning a piece of fabric that you own.
  • Arresting someone creates a long and expensive legal process. A person burning an American Flag should be immediately hanged from the nearest tree, up high enough so they can see the smoldering remains.
  • No. Not in the Middle East.
  • i love my country, it may not be America but do. If you live in a country of free speech you should be allowed to burn that flag legally, i think is is unpatriotic and you should find somewhere else to live, but free speech is free speech. still undecided about non-citizens though maybe the should be deported but i feel hat unequal treatment so go-figure
  • I've read answers on here and agree with all the freedom of speech stuff even though i think it's messed up. But I have this one question: What are the laws for displaying Nazi flags (in public places)? Is this also protected by the constitution? If yes, then flag burning is "ok". If no, then flag burning should result in a punishment. That's logical, ain't it?
  • No. I think it's wrong to arrest someone who kicked the shit out of someone who burned the flag.
  • no. i served this country and part of my duty was to protect freedom of speech/expresssion. i strongly disagree with flag burning and think it's a shallow, uncreative means of protest but it's their right to make fools of themselves. i'm willing to die to protect our freedoms. do you think those that do that are willing to do the same? i doubt it. just a thought ;)
  • Only in America would this question be taken seriously !
  • My father, who served in the pacific in WWII said it best. The flag is the symbol of the nation. But I wasn't fighting for the symbol. I was fighting for the nation. The nation and what it stands for. One of the things it stands for is freedom of speech. Not the neo-con freedom of speech. The American freedom of speech. I disagree strongly with people who would do such things to Old Glory. But I would sail out to the pacific like my old man did to fight for their right to do it. Freedom of speech is freedom of speech. From the T-shirt you wear to a president's speech to flaming the flag. You can't cause a panic or a riot with it. Other than that, enjoy what you've got.
  • I think people who try to push this bullshit onto others should be arrested for "Anti-Liberty". The Founding Fathers of America did not set out to make the Flag, an idol to be Worshipped. If anything, their primary goals were always to FIGHT blind loyalty to the State, and PROMOTE freedom of expression and self-determination.
  • As long as I get to kick the shit out of the flag-burning hippies, it's okay with me.
    • Linda Joy
      Hoorah! Can I video it?!
    • Archie Bunker
      Nope
    • Linda Joy
      Will you let me promote it and sell tickets?
    • Archie Bunker
      I'll pass. I'm not interested in the other hippies that will show up to protest.
  • No, but only because its not legal: "The United States Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), and reaffirmed in U.S. v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310 (1990), has ruled that due to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, it is unconstitutional for a government (whether federal, state, or municipal) to prohibit the desecration of a flag, due to its status as "symbolic speech." However, content-neutral restrictions may still be imposed to regulate the time, place, and manner of such expresion." ~wiki.
    • mushroom
      Content neutral? Is it OK if I use my Detective Clouseau magnifying glass to light it?
    • Linda Joy
      Do you have a permit? You're still gonna need a light source. Thank goodness we still have access to that huge hydrogen globe in the universe that's causing all the global warming to get it started! haha
  • Supreme Court says "no." A constitutional amendment was proposed by a US Senator to ban flag burning. HRC.
  • No, every citizen can express their anguish, just as long as they are not hurting anyone physically or damaging tangible property. That's what makes America great. Flag burning does look offensive, no doubt about it. But nobody makes a big deal in public if women and men are posing in a US flag thong up their buttocks. How respectful, huh? On the contrary if you disrespect a flag from another country in any way, you will get thrown in jail if bystanders leave you standing until the authorities get there.
  • Well it's about what the flag represents which in your case is America, and so burning of the flag is representation of how those people feel about their governing body. We are living in confusing times because of the push for a globalised world (New World Order), which means mass immigration into Western areas of different cultures and races which can only clash over values and way's of life, and so ending Sovereignty and Patriotism, accompanied with the push of differing of values from the government which conflict with how an older generation has been raised. The West has drastically changed over the last century, (not always for the better especially with a lessening on family values and togetherness), and with change comes conflict, it is set up that way "Order out of Chaos."
    • Jenny The Great ⭐
      How do? I am gobsmacked how you touched on the NWO and today's generation that has lost the plot. One of my best friends on social media is from Cheshire, England. He taught me some British slang words in which I find fascinating. He also introduced me to fish and chips, along with mushy peas. :)
    • Creamcrackered
      Well, over here you have those that can see what is happening as clear as the nose on their face, and then you have those who, as you so rightly say, have lost the plot.
    • Linda Joy
      Why do you assume those burning the flag are Americans? Was this specified somewhere and I missed it?
    • Linda Joy
      "different cultures and races which can only clash over values and way's of life, and so ending Sovereignty and Patriotism," So this is the ONLY outcome you can see???!!! You are waaayyy off on this one. You are looking at the lies perpetrated by the media and its BS! They are just trying to get ratings and make people angry! They don't even care if its not true! You don't live here you don't know how people get along in the real life America! You see what you are allowed to see and nothing more! I have neighbors of many different cultures and we get along fine! We actually sit down and eat with our neighbors on occasion so don't try to tell me we can "ONLY CLASH" That is a personal choice and a media lie. I choose to get along with my neighbors and embrace their culture as well as mine!
    • Jenny The Great ⭐
      Creamcrackered, like any other country, you can know all the rules, but you can't get rid of chaos.
    • Jenny The Great ⭐
      Linda Joy, having love for your neighbor is about being kind and generous. It is not about puffing yourself up and degrading Creamcrackered. Quote: "You are looking at the lies perpetrated by the media and its BS!" Typical American rant of blaming everything on the media. lol

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