Will Koran Burning Be Banned In The United States?

The American Thinker ^ | April 05, 2011 | Allan Wall

[Scanian]

As an American in the United States of America, you are allowed to do many things.

You can burn the flag. You can burn the Bible. You can produce obscene art and sometimes even get government money to finance it.

You can make movies and TV shows that ridicule Christianity, traditional morality, and that take the Lord's name in vain.

If anybody objects to this, you can just accuse him of trying to impose his values on others. Then start talking about the Salem Witch Trials and the Spanish Inquisition.

Yes, you can do all those things, and more.

But can you burn a Koran?

Yes, but maybe not for long.

Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, in Gainesville, Florida, became the target of world condemnation last year when he announced he would burn a copy of the Koran in protest.

President Obama didn't want him to do it. Neither did General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Actress/Activist Angelina Jolie spoke out against it. I'm still waiting for Angelina to speak out against anti-Christianity in Hollywood.

As a result of his plan to burn a Koran in the U.S.A., Terry Jones received death threats. His website was shut down. The mortgage on his church's property was called in and -- what a coincidence -- the church's property insurance was cancelled. The city of Gainesville threatened to charge the church for protection. And who knows what else happened behind the scenes? All this happened to a private group which wanted to burn a privately-owned book on private property.

What if the powers that be decide your private activity is objectionable ?

In the end, Jones decided not to burn the Koran.

That was seven months ago. But now, he and his group have finally...

[Scanian]

Absolutely...what part of the First Amendment don’t those maroons understand?

[Sherman Logan]

the church's property insurance was cancelled.

Not difficult to believe.

Would you want to cover his risk?

[Durus]

What is wrong with quoting Voltaire here?

[pennboricua]

You should be glad that there are those that disagree with, and their children are indeed dying for your right.

[Sherman Logan]

the SCOTUS declared that burning a cross is NOT protected free speech but burning a flag is.

The rationale, a not unreasonable one, is that cross-burning is not just the burning of the cross, it is historically and practically a threat of extreme violence. It was the threat which was ruled unprotected, not the burning of the two pieces of wood.

The burning of a flag carries no such history of a threat of violence, except possibly to those doing the burning. :)

[AppyPappy]

Once again, you are not listening to what I am saying. Watch carefully:

IT SHOULD BE LEGAL
IT SHOULD BE LEGAL
IT SHOULD BE LEGAL
IT SHOULD BE LEGAL

Ask the nurse to read that to you until you begin to comprehend.

However, someone could be killed because you did it. If you want to tell some Marine’s mom “Hey, your kid may die because I want to burn a Koran but too bad. What I want to do is more important than YOUR worthless child”. The leftist American media will be more than happy to beam your Koran burning over to Afghanistan so it can inflame the savages to attack our military. But so what? They are expendable, right?

[paulycy]

Quoting Voltaire now?

I don't know whether or not that quote is from Voltaire but I do know that I was raised with it as the example regarding our Constitutional rights.

I've used it frequently here on FR. What problem do you have with it?

[massgopguy]

Burning a copy of Mein Kampf might inflame Germans. treat it with respect or they’ll invade Poland.

[P-Marlowe]

I dare any one of the sanctimonious Freepers who have accused Pastor Jones of being an idiot to make the same charge against this woman. Let us pray this video goes viral and it starts a new trend.

[Cuttnhorse]

Great idea! Nice barbeque, beer, and a big pile of korans burning in bacon grease. I like it!!

[P-Marlowe]

However, we still need to be there because as far as we know, the leaders of Al Quada are still alive and need to be wiped out or they will be a constant threat to our security.

They are everywhere. They are in Libya and we are giving them air cover. They are in Egypt and they are preparing to go to war with Israel. They are in Pakistan. They are in Iran. They are in Bahrain. They are everywhere. Should we send our troops everywhere?

We have no legitimate mission in Afghanistan. I don't support the mission because there is no mission. We are merely treading water and enabling the Afghanistan government to grow more and more militantly Islamic.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"How do you know this? Aren't they already in a full fire zone? Are they less competent because a koran was burned? Are the enemies more capable? Angrier? More intent on killing?"

Okay, not all of what you said makes sense to me. For one, I don't even know what a full fire zone is. A free fire zone is a term used for fire control measures. If an area is designated as a free fire zone, that means anyone in that zone who is not wearing your uniform or the uniform of your ally is considered an enemy and may be fired upon. As far as I know, there are no free fire zones in Afghanistan (i.e. shoot first, ask questions later).

As far as the competency of our troops in Afghanistan, I'm not even sure how you pulled that out of anything I said. And by the article I cite below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/world/asia/02afghanistan.html

You will clearly see that the populace and the enemy are angrier and more intent on killing. Seeing as how they've killed 12 people including four of our nepalese allies. It is as a direct result of protests spured on by mullahs telling them to protest because they are angry at the koran burnings. These are indisputable facts that can't be denied. Not sure why you are even questioning them. The Koran burning made our troops less safe.

Now, whether that is cause for us to question why we're even there is a separate point altogether. One worthy of debate. I say that we still need to be there because the leaders of Al Queada who perpetrated 9/11 are still alive as far as we know. They need to pay for their crimes and the organization needs to be wiped out over there. If not, then they will be back here and maybe this time it will be a nuclear 9/11.

[sniper63]

Make it illegal to own/sell/give away for free outside of a Mosque, a koran in the US.

[Responsibility2nd]

Correct. Everyone is so quick to place the blame at Pastor Jones’s feet.

But what about the MSM? Don’t they have a role in all of this? Of course they do.

Instead of banning freedom of speech (Jones), why not outlaw freedom of the press (MSM)? That way the media will not be allowed to report the Koran burnings, and our troops will be safe to defend our freedoms.

Oh wait.

[Graybeard58]

I just googled the words “free Koran” and it looks like several links where they are giving them away.

[GBA]

Will it be a misdemeanor? A fine? Jail time? Or maybe they'll make burning a koran a capital offense and it can be Americans just doing the job muslims would happily do. Satan smiles.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"We have no legitimate mission in Afghanistan."

For the reasons I stated earlier, I believe we do. As for the other places you mentioned, each situation is different. Al Queada is in America also and we're certainly not going to send our military into New York City to root out an Al Queada cell. The Libyan rebels by and large are regular people from what I have so far read who just want to be free. Can they be co-opted by Al Queada or the Muslim Brotherhood? Absolutely. That's why we need to be working (i.e. CIA) to ensure that they do not co-opt this rebellion.

Not sure if you know this or not. During WWII, many of the French resistance were communists. However, that didn't stop us from working with them. Supplying them weapons and intelligence. At the end of the war, we ensured they weren't the ones calling the shots to rebuild France. We have a chance to get rid of a true despot and turn an enemy into a friendly. We should take it IMO.

[Joe Boucher]

Nothing pal,
Just kidding him, or her.

[P-Marlowe]

For the reasons I stated earlier, I believe we do.

Explain why Americans need to die to uphold a Sharia law government that is doomed to ultimate failure in Afghanistan in 2011.

Explain it to me as if I am the parent of a soldier who was just killed there. What American value did he die for?

[Sir Gawain]

I don’t think it should be illegal. If you want to do it, that’s cool but my child isn’t over in Afghanistan with those lunatics either.

Your logic does not compute. Would your child be less dead if one of those bloodthirsty savages kill him without the Koran-burning thoughts in his mind? Will your child be less likely to die if Koran burning stops? Of course not. You imply the lack of Koran burning will equal lack of Muslim savagery.