Trump Threatens Flag-Burning Americans With Loss Of Citizenship Or Jail

Fox News via Zero Hedge ^ | November 29, 2016 10:29 AM | by Tyler Durden

[SeekAndFind]

With snowflakes everywhere across America seemingly content to burn the Stars & Stripes to protest democracy's decision to elect what they have been told is a racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, sexist, tax-fraud as president...

... President-elect Donald Trump has put his foot down in this seemingly most unpatriotic of endeavors:

Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016

Of course, there is the small issue of changing the Constitution as flag burning remains protected speech by the First Amendment.

The catalyst for Trump's 7 a.m. tweet is unclear. Fox News reported earlier this month that Hampshire College in Massachusetts would stop flying all flags on campus after an American flag was burned following Trump’s win.

"We hope this will enable us to instead focus our efforts on addressing racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and behaviors," Hampshire's president, Jonathan Lash, said in a statement at the time. 

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) pushed back on Trump’s proposal during an early morning interview. "I don't think we want to make this a legal issue," Duffy told CNN on Tuesday.

And before the liberal media gets hold of this tweet and claims Trump's fascist tyranny is peaking through against constitutionally protected rights to do whatever a citizen wants, don't forget that none other than the Hillary Clinton herself sponsored exactly this punishment in The Flag Protection Act of 2005

In 2005 a bill was introduced that would outlaw burning the American flag.

That bill was introed by: @HillaryClinton & Sen Bennett (R-UT) pic.twitter.com/3hKzTjV0E9

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) November 29, 2016

The Flag Protection Act of 2005 was a proposed United States federal law introduced by Senators Hillary Clinton and Robert Bennett. The law would have outlawed flag burning, and called for a punishment of one year in jail and a fine of $100,000. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the act was summarized as such:

Amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions regarding desecration of the flag to prohibit: (1) destroying or damaging a U.S. flag with the primary purpose and intent to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace; or (2) stealing or knowingly converting the use of a U.S. flag either belonging to the United States or on lands reserved for the United States and intentionally destroying or damaging that flag.

Early in his presidential campaign, Trump said that he supported revoking the citizenship of babies born to undocumented immigrants, but this appears to be the first time since then that he’s proposed revoking citizenship as a punishment.

[Boogieman]

Sure, then the “public safety committees” in liberal areas will deal with conservatives the same way. That’s a really great plan. /sarc

[ZULU]

BURNING or otherwise defaming the American Flag is NOT an act of “free speech”. There is NOTHING about “free expression” in the Constitution. The Flag does NOT represent the government of America, it represents the PEOPLE of America. In the 1989 Court Decision, Justice Rehnquist DISSENTED from the majority opinion. He was an OUTSTANDING conservative jurist. ANOTHER justice, I think it was Stevens, a LIBERAL, ALSO dissented.

And I would most certainly strongly dissent anyone stupid enough to try and disgrace our flag in my presence.

This has got to stop. Respect starts at home and this idiocy has gone quite far enough.

NO freedom is absolute - as the libs are so often eager to point out.

Trump is RIGHT.

[GoldenPup]

Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag

Should be an automatic 2 year sentence to prison. No parole, no time off for good behavior. Make little rocks out of big rocks.

[nikos1121]

REad this. Very insightful.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/442545/are-anti-trump-protesters-dumb-enough-take-bait

[Electric Graffiti]

"Antonio Gramsci stated “Communism is a long march through the institutions”

This subversion is complete. The brainwashing and demoralization is so thorough that people elected a marxist muslim America-hating faggot illegal alien to be commander in chief of our armed forces.

That's real brainwashing.

The reason you can't shout fire in a crowded theater is to safe guard the very lives that would be in danger from such an act.

I guess it's a bridge too far for some people to safeguard the country and the lives of an entire nation when it's ultimately subverted and turned into a totalitarian dictatorship.

[pissant]

I don’t think so. There are all kinds of things we don’t allow for good reason (Westboro freaks yelling on bullhorns at funerals, running around naked in public, for example). And I don’t give a darn how much nudists or feminazis scream that it is their “speech” to flash the world.

[Boogieman]

Sure, and if Republicans start acting like fascists, they can lose a lot of liberty-loving conservative votes too.

[Boogieman]

“If he was concerned about the flag he could go after the NFL, NBA, MLB or any other sports team who wears the flag on their uniforms, which is a no no.”

A “no no” is not illegal, just bad form.

[Boogieman]

“I had no idea “speech” included burning US flags. What does the fire say?”

What did they tea say when it was dumped in Boston harbor?

[morphing libertarian]

Overreaction

The two judges were in the minority no matter what you think of them.

Free expression os freedom of speech. Speech is expression. It includes writing, demonstrating, wearing slogans, and burning flags because it includes POLITICAL PROTEST> Critiquing the government is the foundational point of free speech in the first amendment.

There is and should not be a law rating RESPECT> Yes we should;d all respect the flag, but people have the right to be disrespectful if they have the right to protest politics.

There is no reason except for some idea in your head why this “has got to stop.”

No one is arguing that the freedom is absolute. If you burn down a building using a burning flag that would be actionable by the criminal justice system. You are exaggerating.

Trump needs to show some understanding of the constitution on this matter and not just throw raw meat to the masses..

[Theoria]

Against the flag code, if that is the law we are trying to abide by.

[ConservativeWarrior]

I think he’s goading the protesters into burning the American flag.

Will have the same effect as when the illegals protested his rallies with Mexican flags.

The media will be in a tough spot. They will want to show the “huge” protests, but will also have to show the burning flags.

[LeoWindhorse]

no ‘liberal’ areas

[Electric Graffiti]

I remember the broken window syndrome where if a broken window was left unfixed, soon there may be another broken window which steadily leads to the demise of the neighborhood, lawlessness and gang activity.

I you allow flag burning, kneeling for the national anthem and then cop shootings....

Very good. Now it's not just a ruined neighborhood but a country in ruins.

[Electric Graffiti]

I agree.

[pissant]

Good grief.

[Boogieman]

“It’s not free speech, it’s an attempt to incite a riot.”

You realize this is exactly the logic that liberal schools use to ban conservative speakers, or ban kids from wearing conservative or pro-American symbols on their clothing, right? All some libs have to do is claim they are being provoked by someone’s speech, and the lib administrators use this same excuse that you are promoting to try and ban them.

[Boogieman]

“There is NOTHING about “free expression” in the Constitution.”

Gee whiz, there is nothing about the internet in the Constitution either, I guess the government can shut down any website they don’t like. Right?

[Lorianne]

I cannot agree.
If the government can tell you that you cannot burn a flag (or desecrate it in other ways), then they can tell you cannot read a book or you cannot say something “hateful”, or that you have to bake a cake with a motif that goes against your religion, etc.

Be careful what you ask for.

You cannot piecemeal 1A. That is how we have gotten the infringements to our 1A rights we have gotten so far and it is how there will be more in the future.

[Lorianne]

.... or books or movies or songs, etc.
You make an excellent point.