Friday, June 30, 2006

In Favor of Ban on Flag Burning

Freedom of speech, the "First Ammendment", a staple part of western socities. A person is granted his or her right to respect at all costs. Every citizen is free to express any and every intent in any and every manner.

Sounds great. My experience leads to believe that it is one of the few things that make life blissful. Yet, I'm strongly against flag-burning. My reasons are two-fold.

a. What kind of "speech" requires torching? Today, burning a flag is "speech". How far is it a day when we move to accept and legalize arson as "speech", too? I've seen too many cars and shops smashed and torched in the name of "protest". Every person is allowed a safe passage to thought, speech, etc; not a passage to arson or torching. A stuffed idol might represent a person or the thoughts he or she adheres to. Burning that might get marginal support, but definitely not flags. Flags stand for something too wide and vast.

b. Whose flag is it that we're burning? What have we actually done to earn the flag? Who gives us the right to burn it, then? We are not the martyrs who lay dead in search of a free land and a proud flag! Flags belong to those freedom-fighter. They are the only ones who can burn it if they like. You wanna burn a flag? Go get one of your own!

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