Posted on 10/18/2006 5:52:13 PM PDT by tpaine
America is different from most other countries, and even from most other democracies. In America, all ideologies are protected, even those that the majority thinks are evil.
--- "I won't try to suppress your ideas, if you don't try to suppress mine."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Powerful arguments against 'majority rule' and a power to prohibit.
The guy's point is logical and reasonable. I mean what sense does it make to forbid flag-burning when it's also the suggested way to destroy a deteriorated flag?
It's a backlash to all the other things we've made protected which shouldn't have been, and it's rightly seen as an insult to patriotic Americans.
But you can insult patriotic Americans in other more meaningful ways. You can vote for Democrats, for example, or just not vote at all.
Paradox. Passing an amendment which limits freedom puts the symbol of that freedom ahead of the actual freedom. People who support this are trying to stop something by government fiat and it's not worth the effort.
Perhaps it should be OK to burn law professors as long as its only done in the spirit of free speach.
Yes... Passing a flag burning admendment is foolish. If we are to protect our freedoms, this should stand out above all else... Let the idiots that don't like this country do their thing... Has no bearing on the constitution or any of our other freedoms - have at it anti-Americans! We may not appreciate what you do, but we will fight to the death for your right to do so...
I'm no fan of most law professor's, -- but if we burn Gene, that only leaves a couple of dozen or so conservative legal profs in the whole USA.
Burning a flag just pisses most people off. Let the public opinion deal with flag burners. New laws are not needed.
Volokh is a sensible fellow. Difficult to believe he's a lawyer.
Burn the UN flag.
Just an observation: Those who assert to be fervent patriots and urge the passage and enforcement of criminal proscription for burning a flag in a manner that appears to others as disrespectful are themselves, allegorically, wrapping themselves in the flag as they proceed to burn it. It's a cloth symbol of one of the the objects for which many of us have confronted serious jeopardy. As pleased as I would be to pay a hefty fine for assaulting a creep who does it--to reject the truism that, stupid and offensive as it may be, the act is the expressive contempt of someone dissatisfied with government is to engage in retrogressive thought in denial of the obvious.
Lighting a fire and speech are not the same, they never have been the same...
Article VThe Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress...
he is a few days late and a few dollars short.
This is just as patronizing as those who push the amendment.
SEE #13...
Post #7 states my apprehension clearly enough I do believe. Should legally disposing of a flag in public be illegal?
Tell it to the the torch-bearing revolutionists at the Boston Tea Party.
The article is from five years back or so.. -- But the anti-prohibition, anti-majority rule principles are still very current. -- Lots of flag waving prohibitionists on FR.
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