Some protests against the government during the Vietnam War Era included burning the US flag. The Supreme Court ruled that the burning of the US Flag in protest is allowed as freedom of expression. Do you agree with this decision and what is your position on a constitutional amendment which would prohibit the burning of the US Flag?
Please post by Sunday 5-17 for full credit.
43 comments:
Flag burning is a rather extreme way to express distaste in a country. Though it is offensive, it must be allowed. The people should know that they're in control of the goverment otherwise we'll be denouncing the very democracy we strive so hard to promote.
Taylor Carnes
Period 8
I do not agree with the legal status of burning the US flag because I think it's very unpatriotic and there are so many other ways to express your feelings. The flag of your country represents your country as a whole-the people, the government, and everything in between. So, if you burn the flag your saying your against all of those things when you really only want to say your disagreeing with the governments actions. Burning your own countrys flag is wrong and should not be allowed.
Burning of the United States' flag has always been a controversial issue. There have been many arguments against and for burning the flag, but under the constitution, I believe that people have the right to do what they wish with their possessions if it does not in any way harm another person. If the burning of the flag harms another individual in any way, I believe that they should be arrested but just burning the flag is not unconstitutional. Therefore, I agree with the Supreme Court's decision and a person has every right to do what they wish with their possessions.
if you want to burn the flag thats your buisness, but there has to be a boundary where and when you can burn it. you cant just do it in public right outside the white house. this shouldnt be criminalized because it is freedom of expression and people have the right to do what they want with their property.
Jeff Keating
Period: 8
I believe that the burning of the flag should be allowed and unpunished by law. The act of burning the United States flag is not necessarily an act of violence so it should therefore not be punishable by law, or for that matter unconstotutional. The burning of the flag is rather a form of protest. The U.S flag is not property of the government as well and therefore is not destroying something of relative importantce to the community, rather to the indavidual. This situation could be viewed similarly as though some one in our country were buring a Russian or Chinese flag. Logistically the accepeted "formality" for handaling a the flag is the main problem here. The burning of the flag is in no way illegal, it is just a form of protest.
I feel that sometimes Flag Burning may be taking it too far. It definitely gets one's point across pretty clearly but there are other ways to protest the government. It is, on the other hand, a violation upon our freedom of expression. I do feel that we should cherish our freedoms that we built this country from and not back away from them. That's why I feel that a constitutional amendment is not really necessary but there should definitely be laws that punish those who commit very extreme forms of flag burning that can be interpreted as an explicit attack on the US. But we should not forbid this because it would be hindering the freedoms we fought for.
Calvin Song
Class 8
Yes, flag burning is a display of the freedom of speech. It effectively criticizes the American government and ultimately causes it to rethink its actions. Therefore, flag burning can encourage reform.
In the case of the Vietnam War, the American flag represented America’s image. By burning that image, people expressed their thoughts that war tarnished America’s image. This encourages the American government to end war to restore America’s image. Here, flag burning eventually brought peace.
An amendment prohibiting flag burning would be the first step in taking away American’s rights. If I have learned one thing in this class, it is to always be hesitant when giving up individual rights, no matter how small the rights in question may seem. By giving up any individual rights, you open up the possibility for the government to take away many more possibly significant rights in the future.
CRacKie
burning the us flag should be considered high treason. it isnt even a good or effective way of protesting. it doesnt demonstrate anything. its disrespectful, and dumb. there are better ways of protesting that do not require the degradation of the US flag.
I believe that flag burning should be approved because it is your own expression and opinion. In this country it our right to express our own opinion.
I think that the supreme court ruling that the burning of the United States flag in protest is allowed, as it is freedom of expression. I don't think that burning a flag should be considered a crime because although it may offend people, it is not a personal jab at anyone, and it won't hurt anybody. I would have to be against a constitutional amendment which would prohibit the burning of the United States flag, because it wouldn't allow the freedom we have as Americans to believe in what we want. -molly matthei class 8
I agree with the Supreme Court in their decision that the burning of the U.S Flag in protest is allowed as freedom of expression. Although burning the U.S Flag shows that you are not very patriotic, we do live in a free country. Meaning, if someone felt the need to burn the flag in protest, they should have the freedom to express themselves however they want. I do not believe there should be a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the burning of the U.S Flag. We live in a free country, so we should also have the freedom of expression.
Karen Narayanan
Class 8
i am in support of a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the burning of the us flag. its simply direspectful and wrong to distroy the one thing that is know on a global scale to repersent that United States. i feel that this is, if not above, at the same level as burning a cross. nobody would do that these days because of the utter discrase it is to the church and the religion. by burning the flag, you are pretty much saying how much you hate this nation. if your hatred is that strong, then move. one of the strongest things this country runs on is pride and if people want to lower our pride by burning the flag then i feel you should face the consiquences.
austin
I believe that there should be an amendment prohibiting the burning of the US flag. Though people may believe that this would be violating the first amendment, many people have fought for the flag throughout many wars. Many of my friends grandfathers fought in the Vietnam War and if they ever saw someone burning the flag it would make them really upset. The flag is a national symbol that many people look up to and to burn the flag would upset many of the veterans around us, and would be a disgrace to our nation.
I agree with the Supreme Court, that the burning of the flag should be allowed. There is nothing that states that it is illegal and people should be free to express how they feel about something, such as burning a flag. I do not think that there should be an amendment to prohibit the burning of the flag because there is no need for it. As long as no one is getting hurt, the burning of the flag is just another way to express an opinion.
I believe that although it may be considered offensive to others to burn a flag, our constitution calls for freedom of expression. I agree with the Supreme Courts ruling. If the government continues to get more and more selective about what they wish to deem illegal, a day will come when nearly everything a human can do will be an illegal action. Although this is an exageration, I believe the government is responsible for creating laws that protect the people. The laws should be precise enough to criminalize actions that are harmful to others, yet broad enough that every action isn't illegal. So far, the constitution has done a decent job maintaining this idea. I do not think an ammendment that prohibits the burning of a US Flag is necesary. Even though it would offend many Americans, the person really isn't doing anything wrong unless they do not own that flag.
If people wish to burn the American flag then that's their choice. We have the right of free speech and burning the US flag is sending out a clear message. To ban burning flags will be like taking our rights away. It doesn't matter that a group of people look down on flag burning. Everyone has the right to express whichever views they believe. Nobody ever said you had to conform to those beliefs either. So, we should not ban flag burning. It would be banning the right of free speech.
Katie Dunlap, Class 2
Kate Bowen
CLass 2
I disagree totally with the constitutional amendment which allows the burning of the US flag. Burning of the flag is an extreme disrespect to the country we live in. It is like not taking your hat off during the national anthem you just don't do it. In my family we do not burn the flags, we simply keep them. We get new ones every couple years and put the other ones in the basement or in the attic. This is a simple and a much better solution then just to burn them.
Although the idea seems wrong, I do not believe it should be illegal for people to burn the US flag. First off, it is unclear to me as to what should be illegal to burn. Would it be illegal to burn a printed out picture of a flag? A small paper flag seen on labor day? Or the actual cloth?
If people chose to express their feelings for the United States in that manner, then they should be able to do so as long as it is not physically harming others.
Also, I do not feel that an amendment preventing people from burning our flag is necessary. There are many other additions to the constitution that are more important than the burning of a flag.
The decision for the government to allow in burning of the American flag because it is freedom of expression is something im not sure what to think about. I can see why the government would indeed say it was freedom of expression because here in America we like to be as fair as we can be without making anyone angry if possible. But, i also think that it is disrespectful for anyone to be burning America's own flag because even if our country isnt perfect, it deserves respect. The flag is a sign of nationalism; being proud of where you live and if burning the flag is what someone would do to protest on the government, then why are they living here?
Even though burning the American flag is allowed because of the constitutional rights I do not think it is proper to do. This flag is a symbol of the United States; it got us through the Civil War as support and encouragement in the North. If one burns an American flag when they live in America they are diminishing our beloved country, if they hated it here so much in the first place they should remove themselves. I believe it is an action that is very disrespectful to the government and to all the rest of the fellow Americans.
Stephanie Jarvis
class 2
Katie Fragoso 2
An amendment against flag burning is a peripheral issue which would have no benefit to our country at all. The flag is only a symbol and should not be taken so seriously. One of the only things about America that is truly unique is the amount of free speech, and an amendment like this only further limits our "rights." It is ironic how the same groups of people so ardent about this amendment are also "patriotic" by bashing socialism and communism, while this amendment itself is a step in that very direction.
I think that Flag Burning should be illegal. You have the right to peacefully protest, and setting something on fire is a saftey risk and it could injure someone. Also I think burning the flag is disrespectful to all the people that have died for this country. You should respect it because it stands for all the people that have died for the freedoms we have.
I do not believe that burning of an American flag in protest is at the least bit permissable. I would agree on a constitutional amendment in prohibiting the burning of the American Flag. As it being a symbol of our nation, burning it certainly displays an effect of dishoner. Something we pledge allegiance to everyday, something which represents the ideology of a nation, burning it is inexcusable. Soldiers who fight for its very country, the country it represents, to them; it shows disrespect. The flag symbolizes everything we stand for, burning it only shows everything we're not.
-aquib 2
I feel that it should be illegal to burn the American flag. It isn't freedom of expression it is just disrespectful to Americans. If it is okay to burn the American flag then it should be legal to burn the cross? Because that is just freedom of expression? I think it is completely wrong and shouldn't be allowed. If someone is trying to make a statement they can do it in another way because the buring of the flag effects all the americans living here.
I feel that legally, people should be allowed to burn the flag. If the flag is their property and they are not actually harming someone else then this isn't an issue. Our rights end when they infringe on the rights of others; burning a flag is within those limits. I could potentially see an American who burned a flag finding legal trouble if the burning led to suspicion of a national security risk. I would not support an ammendment to the Constitution because burning the flag is within our rights; it is not physically harmful to other Americans.
Molly Nostrand Class 2
I believe that flag burning should be allowed, but I don't condone it. I mean, as the symbol of our nation, why would you burn our own flag? If you hate our country to burn our flag, I don't believe that you belong here. Sure it's a show of rebellion, but there are other ways that aren't so extreme. But this all goes with the Freedom Of Speech, that we have in our country.
Jay Lee
Class 8
I think that it should be illegal to burn the American flag, and any other flag for that matter. A flag is a symbol of pride, of love for something. It's childish to try and prove a point by burning it. All it does is spread hate and fear. It is no longer free expression but a deliberate attack on people's emotions. While it's not even close to the scale of terrorist attacks, it should still be considered one.
Taegan
Period 2
I do agree with this decision. Burning the U.S. flag is a means of expression. As we have the right to free speech, it is only logical that this includes burning the flag as part of that speech. It is a message without words, and one the government has no right to prohibit. A constitutional amendment to prohibit this is ridiculous. It smacks of dictatorship, go against us and you will pay the price. We have the right to express ourselves, that is what makes us Americans, our constitutional rights. Taking these away will make us no better than a society commanded by totalitarian rule, and we are, as we will hopefully always be, the land of the free.
I do not agree with the supreme court's decision to allow flag burning. I beleive it is not only disrespectful to our country, but it is disrespectful to our soldiers that are out fighting wars. The flag is a symbol for the United States and i find it uncontrollably rude and unpatriotic to burn the flag.
I believe that flag burning is not something that should be illegal because in this day and age the people of this country have different takes and opinions on the government and the leaders of the united states. Although it is, in some way, disrespectful to the US, it is something that is done to send a message and represent the opinion of others.If the simple act of burning a flag is illegal than you can't truly say we live in the land of the free, because that would be considered restricting the actions of the people.
Chris Caulfield
Burning a flag is like burning someones picture, its such a symbolic means of America. The burning of any countries flags should be outlawed, it takes protest to a whole new level and is more of a threat then a disagreement.
While burning the American flag may be unpatriotic and disrespectful it is against the American way of life to suggest that this shouldn't be allowed. You can't punish someone for showing their opinion. Not everyone agrees with some of the choices America has made and so they feel they need to do this as an expression of their thoughts. America cannot punish this expression like a student is not punished for refusing to stand for the pledge of allegiance. This is a democracy, people have rights, these rights include flag burning.
Margot Isaacs
period 2
Burning the U.S. flag is probably one of the most disrespectful actions toward the United States. I don't think that flag burning should be allowed as a freedom of expression while in protests because it's rude and disrespectful. If this were made into a constitutional amendment, then I probably wouldn't support it because people die for that flag and everything that it represents. Burning it is basically saying that everyone who died died for no reason and what they did doesn't matter to anyone. Flag burning should be banned in the U.S., and if a amendment like that was to be brought to congress, it would be immediately turned down.
Jacey Mattegat
Class 2
We cannot have people living in America who hates America so much that the would even consider the idea of burning an American flag. The American flag is a symbol of America itself and burning it is comparative to destroying an American building. The American flag is such a strong symbol for the United States that we pledge allegiance to it. People should not be allowed to burn this symbol.
Class 8
Jason Howell
Flag Burning is necessary. It is our right as an american to express ourselves whether it be by putting up a sign or burning a flag. These people obviously felt strongly enough about the war that they needed to burn a flag to show it. I personally agree with them, and would have been right there protesting along side them.
Flag burning should be banned because it is disrespectful to our country. The flag is symbolic of our unity as a country with the 50 states and the stripes represent our 13 original colonies. The flag stands for our people and our history. It should always be respected.
annie fletcher
period 2
i definetly believe that flag burning is a right. it is a form of non-violent protest, and hurts no one. Also, i believe that a constitutional amendment to make it illegal would be wrong. Once we start giving small rights even one's such as this, it is never headed in a good direction, all of our rights should be proected.
Burning the American Flag is a way of showing unappreciation for the country. America is a country of many freedoms and liberties, and this should not be one of them. If a person has enough distaste for America to burn the flag, they should not be living in the country.
Evan Kennedy Class 2
Although i do not think people should burn our flag i also do not think that it should not be allowed. I see it as a way of someone to express themselves and if they want to do so by burning the american flag that is their choice.
I don’t see how burning the flag is going to make any progress if you have a problem with our government, laws, etc. Burning the flag is like burning money in my opinion, in the sense that you are burning a symbol of our country. I don’t believe it should be illegal, it is a freedom of ours to be able to voice our opinions and you can’t let the government take that away from the people. Burning the flag should only be done in a safe manner when you feel that is the only way to get a message across, which would be hard to imagine. Protests seem dangerous enough with a large angry crowd of people, but throwing fire in the mix is just stupid. Even if you are simply burning the flag for no reason it should be allowed.
I think flag burning should be banned because it is extreme disrespect for those who fight and die for your country. I dont think it should be alound, if you hate the government or country that much then you should live somewhere esle.
i believe that flag burning should be banned. while i believe that freedom of speech is all-important in our society, flag burning does little but inspire hate and provoke violence. there are better, more constructive, less extreme and disrespectful ways to protest.
i dont not think that buring our flag is right and in no way can it be justfied. there are other ways to show ones distain for our country then buring the symbol and banner of our country. it is unneccesary and unpatriotic
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