I’m a libertarian, and I’m all for personal freedom.
For the life of me, I don’t understand/fathom/comprehend why anyone would ever want to burn the flag of their country. Are there other ways to express your displeasure, perhaps more articulately?
The logical limitation of free speech seems to be the proverbial “shouting fire in a crowded theater”, where the consequences of your actions could result in people being hurt (trampled as patrons scramble to flee the flames.)
I’m not sure that burning the flag reaches that point? It’s extremely, extremely offensive... try to burn a flag in front of a veteran and see what happens... but that’s the same arguement that left makes regarding southern states flying the confederate flag. And if I’m going to say that I want the southern states to be able to be free to fly whatever flags they choose to honor, logically, shouldn’t I allow the idiots who want to burn the flag to do so?
I agree that allowing the left to burn the flag helps the conservative cause, makes them look petty and foolish while showing that we are tolerant.
“Never interrupt your enemy while they are making a mistake.”
I remember being read this story in grade school just after it appeared in Readers Digest, a 4,300 word 15 pp. short story by James Clavell, I believe. http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/tcs.pdf
Excerpt: Johnny put up his hand. “It’s our flag,” he said fiercely. “We always pledge.”
“Yes,” the New Teacher said. “It is a very pretty one.” She looked at it a moment and then said, “I wish I could have a
piece of it. If it’s so important, I think we should all have a piece of it. Don’t you?”
“I have a little one at home,” Mary said. I could bring it tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Mary dear, but I just wanted a little piece, of this one because it’s our own special classroom one”.
Then Danny said, “If we had some scissors we could cut a little piece off.”
“I’ve some scissors at home,” Mary said. “There’s some in Miss Worden’s desk,” Brian said.
The New Teacher found the scissors and then they had to decide who would be allowed to cut a little piece off, and the
New Teacher said that because today was Mary’s birthday (How did you know that? Mary asked herself awed) Mary
should be allowed to cut the piece off. And then they decided it would be very nice if they all had a piece. The flag is
special, they thought, so if you have a piece, that’s better than having just to look at it, because you can keep it in your
pocket.
So the flag was cut up by the children and ... “
Justify it as you like, it’s illegal flag desecration.
“The logical limitation of free speech seems to be the proverbial “shouting fire in a crowded theater”, where the consequences of your actions could result in people being hurt (trampled as patrons scramble to flee the flames.)”
And America is the only hope of the world, as we haven’t been reminded since Reagan.
If one attempts to destroy the only hope of the world, how is that different from shouting “fire” in a crowded theater, other than that the timeline is in years vice seconds?