[HenryLeeII]

HenryLeeII: Being a tool of international socialist organizations that want to undermine the U.S. and capitalism is a symptom of stupidity and gullibility, and is not emblematic of being patriotic or of exercising one's rights...Desecrating the American flag and what she stands for, freedoms that our ancestors have fought and died for, is not a right.

Stone Mountain: Actually, I believe [burning the American flag] is a right, declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.

And also: You're saying we don't have a right to be stupid in this country?

Burning the flag has been protected by the Supreme Court, but it does not trump local public burning laws. Burning anything is illegal in some cases, such as on a public sidewalk, in a crowded urban area, etc. A Supreme Court decision does not create a loophole in those laws for burning a flag.

Also, being stupid is a human attribute, not a right. Too many people completely misunderstand what rights are, what responsibilities are attached to those rights, etc. For example, abortion is a court-protected action, not a right. It was legalized through a court decision and can be overturned with a court decision.

[Stone Mountain]

Burning the flag has been protected by the Supreme Court, but it does not trump local public burning laws. Burning anything is illegal in some cases, such as on a public sidewalk, in a crowded urban area, etc. A Supreme Court decision does not create a loophole in those laws for burning a flag.

Irrelevent. That's why I used the word desecration - of course local fire laws and any other kind of laws apply. I think you knew this too - otherwise, why change the quote of my post to "burning" when I talked about "desecration?" In any case, I was only talking about the right of desecrating the flag - not about local fire ordinances or any other ancillary offense that might come up as a result of desecrating the flag..

Also, being stupid is a human attribute, not a right. Too many people completely misunderstand what rights are, what responsibilities are attached to those rights, etc. For example, abortion is a court-protected action, not a right. It was legalized through a court decision and can be overturned with a court decision.

I think the problem here is that we are confusing rights in the moral sense of the word with rights in the legal sense of the word. When I say that we have a right to desecrate the flag, I am of course, talking about in the legal sense. Morality varies with the beholder. Just as right now, there is a legal right to abortion in this country. If that decision is overturned, that legal right will end. Until then, there is a legal right to abortion in this country.

I still contend that people have a right to be stupid in this country. A legal right, if not a moral right.