Posted on 12/05/2016 7:26:20 AM PST by reaganaut1
Last week, president-elect Trump sent a tweet that ought to alarm the majority of Americans who voted for another candidate as well as most of those who voted for him. Here’s what Trump wrote: “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or a year in jail!”
The very last thing we need in America is more activism meant to punish people for thinking the wrong things. Our college campuses are awash in left-wing thought control, whereby students who say or write anything that hypersensitive students or administrators find offensive can be punished. That’s bad enough. We do not need a right-wing counter-movement led by Trump doing the same.
One troubling aspect of Trump’s declaration is that it bespeaks either ignorance of or hostility to the Supreme Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence. We have considerable history with cases involving governmental efforts at stamping out dissent generally and involving the flag specifically.
In the early 40s, West Virginia punished and expelled students of the Jehovah’s Witness faith because they, following their religion, declined to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school. The state had sound precedent for doing so, a Supreme Court decision (Minersville School District v. Gobitis) that permitted such punishment.
But when the Court heard a similar case in 1943, West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, it wisely reversed itself. (As I recently wrote, stare decisis shouldn’t matter when constitutional rights are at stake and this is a good example.)
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Oh oh, someone is still busy nursing his butt hurt that Cruz lost to Trump.
HA HA HA Trump doesn’t think that. He said that to indicate that people that do that are losers.
The law says there is freedom of speech and this is it.
duh
Screaming this just gives his words more power. Thanks.
Burning a flag is already illegal
http://www.wnd.com/2006/05/35976/
A Tucson man arrested last month after burning a Mexican flag in protest plans to burn another one this weekend during public Cinco de Mayo festivities.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2006/05/35976/#zWkaAWoXKreSpxtP.99
(Without reading the full article - FR tradition . . .) I agree with the author’s point. Burning our flag is a repulsive and intentionally offensive act, which is why I am okay with the traitors on the left doing it. There is no better way to identify those who are so angry and irrational that they are not worth talking with or listening to than seeing who would stoop to that level.
Let the “BlackThugsMatter criminals and socialist losers burn flags. I like knowing who I should never believe or trust.
But the alt-left thinks speech should be criminalized.
(burning a US flag is speech)
There should be automatic immunity for the patriot should any flag-burner get their ass kicked.
After all, kicking ass on a flag-burner is also freedom of speech.
The poor media just keep doing re-writes of old news.
Indeed - what is more perfect than losers protesting the ideal that allows them to.... protest.
Burning rainbow flags and Mexican flags — these are things which I support and encourage. And I take comfort in the fact that the MSM supports me in my actions.
When I was growing up, you RESPECTED the Flag, you didn’t let it touch the ground, you certainly didn’t burn it, course our freedom of speech wasn’t like it is today, our freedom of speech sometimes got a switch on your butt...something I think needs to be brought back!!!
Yes I think it should be criminal to disrespect the Flag, The Statue of Liberty, The Bald Eagle and the office of President (if we have someone like Trump in that office)....
I am a supporter of his America first policies and I believe we are overdue for a leader who openly loves and stands up for our country. But, I am having some trouble with his messages, especially when he clouds the line between creating a positive environment for growth and business and making laws that control decisions business owners can make.
So it is now OK to....
1. Burn the homosexual rainbow flag
2. Burn the ISIS flag
3. Burn the koranimal’s war manual
...with no blowback from leftists. Got it!
Add it to the category of things that are deemed hate crimes. You really do have to be hateful to incite others around you by doing that. Never mind the disrespectful biting of the hand that feeds you.
+1
The solution to this situation is that at Trump rallies people start a counter flag burning party. Only, the flag we burn will be the U.N. flag.... heh, heh, heh
Actually, I think that Constitution burning should be criminalized (Obama.)
Today, in the USA, a person can be arrested for burning the “sacred” book of a non-Christian non-Jewish religion.
Burning the flag needs to be treated the same way.
So much WIN! Are we getting tired yet?
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