The Argument Of Flag Desecration

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Flag desecration is a topic that is black and white, there is no grey. Majority of the people that believe flag desecration should be illegal are Republicans, and the opposition is made up of mostly Democrats. While there are two sides to every argument, the following articles agree on one thing: flag desecration should not be restricted. In article one, “Flag Desecration Should Not Be Restricted” by Andrew Cohen (published in 2004), he discusses four viewpoints of why legislation prohibiting flag burning is unconstitutional. In article two, “Flag Desecration Should Not Be Restricted” by Robyn Coffey (published in 2009), she claims that the flag is a symbol and prohibiting it from “expression” infringes on free speech. Article one began with …show more content…

Cohen brought up two ideas of the amendment and how yes, it is supposedly meant to protect opinions and expression, but also how the Framers did not warrant for it to protect all forms of expression. Because of this we have laws against libel, slander, and obscenity, all of which were not there to begin with. While the author pointed out that there is obviously room for change, it still stands that the First Amendment was not put in place to protect people from being …show more content…

Cohen’s article focused on four main reasons of why defacing the flag is not illegal; free speech, property rights, unsettable boundaries, and exactly what the flag means. He was courteous, respectful, and it seemed as though he understood both sides of the argument. The first article was so unbiased that it even started off with a short summary of why some people believe that flag desecration should be illegal. Coffey’s article had a completely different approach and did not discuss reasons, but threw a fit about the idea of not being allowed to use the flag for artistic purposes. She was harsh and forceful with her ideas. The second article was just one rude and selfish argument with no regards to the opposing side. The sharp contrast between both articles is very obvious; both authors stood for completely different

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