Your First Amendment rights are extremely close to being violated by none other than the United States Congress. I refer to the Flag Desecration Bill that, if passed, would do irreparable damage to our right to free speech and undermine the very priniciples for which the American flag stands. Fortunately, West Virginians have an ally in Sen. Robert C. Byrd. Sen. Byrd, who previously favored the bill, now fights to protect our rights by stopping the passage of this bill. I applaud his stand and want
“When someone burns the flag in protest they are exercising their right to free speech, and that is a freedom that should never be tarnished by the government”, says an anonymous writer. Criticism of the law has been a common theme throughout history. It is designed to inspire the audience to modify and benefit their society. In Antigone, by Sophocles, a woman challenges King Creon’s prohibition towards burying Polyneices and defies the standards of being a female. The poem, the “Ballad of Birmingham”
Flag burning can be and usually is a very controversial issue with people. Many people believe that the American flag stands for something important and shouldn’t be destroyed in that manner. Others believe that flag burning is a statement that one should be able to make without major repercussions. Both sides have valid opinions and both sides state their case well. Although I am neither nor or against the burning of the flag, I believe the right should not be taken away. I believe that if a group
The Disgrace of Flag Burning To Those Who Want To Burn the Flag, just ask permission........ Does the First Amendment give us the right to desecrate the American flag? Or is the flag a sacred symbol of our nation, deserving protection by law? For those who want to light Old Glory on fire, stomp all over it, or spit on it to make some sort of "statement," I say let them do it. But under one condition: they MUST get permission from three sponsors. First, you need permission of a war veteran
Abstract Several times in our nation's history, Congress has introduced a bill that would provide for banning flag desecration. Each time, however, the Supreme Court ruled that this act was protected by the First Amendment freedom of speech rights. The debate over this topic continues, with both sides arguing for "the good of the country." In a 1943 landmark Supreme Court case, Justice Robert H. Jackson wrote, "The freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much" (qtd
mean? The American Flag can be seen almost anywhere. From the high-school, to the ball park, and even in our homes, the American flag stands as a symbol of all that is good and true in America. When one thinks of the flag, they usually think of the blood that was shed for this country. It was shed so that we could have liberties, such as, freedom of speech and expression, which fall under the first amendment rights of the Constitution. However, when you think of a burning flag, what comes to mind
What is flag burning? Easy enough, it’s burning a flag. Branching off of that there is also flag desecration, which is basically abusing a flag in public. Some people may be completely oblivious to the fact that others even burn flags. There are only two reasons that someone would want to burn a flag. One reason is out of respect (People before lawyers org.). When a flag is old, and worn out it is never supposed to just be thrown away. Because of that, there are things called flag burning ceremonies
Is Flag Burning Protected by the First Amendment? Can an individual be prosecuted for openly burning the American flag in a political protest? Gregory Johnson did this in a political protest outside Dallas City Hall. He was then tried and convicted of desecrating a venerated object under a Texas law (Penal Code 42.09), which states that "a person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly desecrates a state or national flag" (317). The question of whether this Texas law is in violation
White and Blue The American flag is majestic, waving in the wind, standing tall and proud. For the patriotic, respectful Americans, it brings us to our feet when the national anthem plays, mouthing the words with honor. America is a free country, often referred to as the promise land, where respect should be earned. The American flag is treated as a living object. It is respected and easily recognizable all around the world. It should be illegal to burn the American flag because not only is it disrespectful
is necessary for Flag Burning is seen as a heinous act and many seen it as an act of disrespect. Disrespectful for the men and women who make the sacrifice and sometimes , if necessary, the ultimate sacrifice. Many want the constitution to protect the flag from any discrimination to protect the ones who have fallen. If the government is to mandate protection of flag, criminalizing any nature of disfiguration of the flag, it will be trampling on civil liberties as we know. The Flag stands for freedom
Is Flag Burning protected under the First Amendment? There is a proposed amendment to make flag burning illegal. Congress tried to pass the Flag Protection Act of 1989, but the act failed because it is seen as a form of public protection. There have been other attempts to pass legislation to protect the American flag but all of the attempts have failed so far. Flag burning is very controversial because people have different definitions of what “freedom of speech” means and what our flag
controversy with the flag burning right? Well flag burning, for most people, happens to be a huge issue seeing as though it is repulsive or anti abolitionist in a certain state of mind. These people constantly ask the question, can flag burning be punishable by law? Flag burning cannot be punishable by law, nor should it be, “no matter how uncomfortable they make others feel or how much people disagree the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed that the right to desecrate the flag is included in
first day this country was free everyone looked at the flag as the reason why, but at the same time it isn’t the real reason. Our country is free because of the people who fought for it. Proving that burning the flag is disrespectful, but it gives people a way to express themselves. It should be legal because it gives people a way to communicate with the upper class, and if it is illegal they will protest and keep their same actions. Flag burning is not right, but making it illegal takes away from the
Flag code states that the flag represents a living country therefore the flag is considered a living thing. Over the years, the Burning of the Flag has been a very heated topic. Several individual cases went on to the Supreme Court. “The freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much” (Jacoby el al. 20). Do you think it is unconstitutional to burn the American Flag? The Constitution of the United States says yes, it is unconstitutional. Even by adding an American flag patch to
Protesters burned United States flag, to make an example of how we, Americans, are ruining and destroying everything we have, but they don't understand how burning the flag disrespects the people. The people who have served for this country and fought for their freedoms. Protesters think everything we do falls on the flag, but they are wrong, when they are mad at something, they blame the flag, but they should be blaming the government, and its corrupted system. It is the system that cheats them
The colors of the flag, white, red, and blue, all have distinct significant meanings of what the United States stands for. White signifies purity and innocence, red signifies hardiness & valour, and lastly blue, which shows vigilance, perseverance & justice, while the stripes indicate the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. Although the flag may just be a piece of cloth, it most certainly has a definitive symbol that beholds a tremendous amount of power in its
nation’s flag what do you see? Do you see 13 stripes and 50 stars? Do you see a nation that has been over many trials and obstacles and is still unified? Or do you see war amongst us? Do you see hatred? So a question worth pondering: why would anyone even think it is justified to be allowed to burn our flag? The American Flag is the fabric of our nation; millions of Americans have fought for the flag, it is more than a symbol of hope to many groups and people respect the flag. Making flag burning illegal
Flag Burning Flag Burning can be and usually is a very controversial issue. Many people are offended by the thought of destroying this country's symbol of liberty and freedom. During a political protest during the 1984 Republican Convention, Gregory Lee Johnson was arrested for burning an American flag. Years later in 1989, Johnson got the decision overturned by the United States Supreme Court. In the same year, the state of Texas passed the Flag Protection Act, which prohibited any form
In the United States, some citizens and groups have used public burning of the American flag as an attempt to express their political beliefs. Some see this act as inappropriate and argue that the Constitution should be amended to protect the flag from physical desecration. Though, it’s clearly apparent that the Constitution should not be amended to prohibit the burning of the American flag, for it violates a citizen’s rights and could cause the creation of more amendments that restrict one’s freedom
Flag Burning Analysis "Why Flag Burning Should Not Be Permitted", is a short essay by Luke Saginaw. The main purpose of Luke's essay is to persuade the reader why he would have voted for a proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting any type of physical desecration of the United states flag. While reading this essay I felt that the author provided good information and had good supporting details to back up his argument. But overall I think that this essay could have been better as the author has