Patriotism, flag burning, anthem kneeling – emotional topics throughout history. Ironically, our country was founded by patriots who burned flags. And they endeavored to establish a new kind of country that protected cherished values like freedom of speech in an age when that was not protected so well by any other nation-state. As George Washington stated, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
Flag burning, like kneeling during the anthem, is a symbolic act of political resistance and defiance. Limiting one’s free speech is a dangerous move away from democracy. Any restrictions are the beginning of a slippery slope. Can you choose to be offended by the act? Sure. But you will recover. And we have the right to choose to not be offended.
As former Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan stated on the subject of flag burning, “We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so, we dilute the freedom this cherished emblem represents.” He also stated: “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”
The U.S. Supreme Court in 1990 firmly ruled that we could not and should not outlaw flag burning. Those concurring with Justice Brennan included conservative former Justice Antonin Scalia and soon to retire conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy. They all recognized flag burning as a meaningful cultural act and a means of symbolic dissent.
Justice Kennedy added, “The hard fact is that sometimes we must make decisions we do not like. We make them because they are right, right in the sense that the law and the Constitution, as we see them, compel the result.”
Mary Ruart also nailed it when she stated, “You believe that flag burning shows disrespect towards those who have fought to preserve our freedoms. Punishing protestors shows an even more profound disrespect for the ideals that these people died for. An intact flag is worthless if it no longer stands for freedom. A flag burned to ashes challenges us to remember just exactly what freedom is.”
Burning the flag is not burning my country any more than kneeling during the anthem is an attack on a song. Not possible. The flag is a respected symbol of all that is good in America. But it is not a substitute for all that is good in America.
As I have stated before, let’s not worship the flag. Let’s worship what the flag embodies -- the ideals, the hopes, the people of America. We need less worship of the flag and more appreciation for what it symbolizes. Those who do not deeply appreciate our unfettered freedom of speech, so rare on this planet, are probably living in the wrong country.
Reader Comments(3)
Teague writes:
Now, Mike, don't insult your intelligence or integrity by pretending not to understand the question or resorting to a red herring. As I am sure you are aware, patriots and subjects are not synonymous. Considering that British ''subjects'' could be dissidents, suspect replacement of ''patriots'' within your comment appears to be a ''weasel word'' as defined by Merriam-Webster. Show us all you can do better. Your letter stated: ''Ironically, our country was founded by patriots who burned flags.'' There is nothing ironic about a British dissident or American patriot expressing disrespect for, and division from, its oppressive former sovereign by burning its flag. However, if an early American patriot who founded our country defiled a symbol of America's unified national identity, irony would be evident. Ceremonial disposal excepted and obvious paradox notwithstanding, cite a documented case of one of those American patriots who founded our country that later divisively burned one of the early American flags, a symbol of hard-won independence, sacrifice and unity. That is, if it's not too complicated for you. And my reading comprehension is just fine; how about yours?
07/28/2018, 9:02 pm
moondance writes:
Teague, you perhaps misread. Our founders were all British subjects. They burned British flags in protest, so yes, they burned their own flags. Not complicated.
07/21/2018, 12:47 pm
Teague writes:
Mike, you stated ''Ironically, our country was founded by patriots who burned flags.'' Ceremonial disposal excepted, can you cite a single documented case of an influential patriot or founder from America's colonial and revolutionary past who burned their own flag as a form of symbolic expression through desecration?
07/18/2018, 9:53 pm