Should flag burning be illegal?

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Mr. Swedish Guy, Jan 22, 2013.

?

burn or not to burn?

  1. Flag burning should be illegal

    15.4%
  2. Flag burning should be legal

    75.4%
  3. I don't know

    1.5%
  4. I don't care

    7.7%
  1. Marine1

    Marine1 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    There are limits to freedom of speech. You can't yell fire in a theater and you shouldn't be allowed to burn the flag because you have a gripe against this country. Nothing makes my blood boil more than see someone stomp or burn my nation's flag. You have a (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) against what this country does, fly it upside down, people will know your ticked off at the country. But you won't be desecrating the flag that hundreds of thousands of Americans have died for.
     
  2. stekim

    stekim New Member

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    Why not?

    I don't recognize the right to not be offended, so this matters not one bit. The thought that things should be banned if they make you mad is just silly.

    They did not die for a flag. If we never had a flag they would still have died.
     
  3. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    Its not banned because we feel offended and insulted by it, tho we certainly do. Its aymbolic.

    Youre right, not for the flag but the nation. The flag represents the nation
     
  4. Archer0915

    Archer0915 New Member

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    Dude this ain't the US I grew up in. That flag is not my flag. Mine is in my heart.
     
  5. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    A nation is as some one described it the gathered collective experiences of the people, what isand whathas been. The flag symbolises that, its still your flag.
     
  6. Archer0915

    Archer0915 New Member

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    No I am a man without a country. I live here and I thrive but I have absolutely no faith in it.
     
  7. distantplace

    distantplace New Member

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    What you're essentially saying is that if I simply OFFEND you by engaging in a non violent act that poses no threat and imposes no force against you or anyone else, you believe I ought to be criminalized. Will you please study up on morality a bit?

    What the flag represents today and what our government has become is far different from what it was a few hundred years ago. This is why many people have lost respect for the American flag, but regardless of how "amazing" our country is or ever was, if I want to wipe my a$$ with my own property for whatever reason, be it piece of toilet paper or an American flag, it belongs to me and you have no right to dictate what I can or cannot do with my property. I don't care how much it hurts your feelings, offends you, boils your blood, whatever. Learn to grasp some control over your emotions.

    Now, if I ever initiate force against you or someone else, then we can discuss criminalization and appropriate punishment for such actions.
     
  8. manifold

    manifold New Member

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    What about burning the Koran? Would you be on board with making that illegal too?
     
  9. Marlowe

    Marlowe New Member

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    IMO there's nothing sacred in a flag however it can mean whatever you want it to mean, the fact remains its just a coloured piece of cloth.
    However one of my favourite flag burnings is, Jews burning Amalek's flag .


    [video=youtube;i0g9ZCqQj74]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0g9ZCqQj74[/video]

    [video]http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/jewsburnisraeliflag2.jpg[/video]
     
  10. Marlowe

    Marlowe New Member

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    imo - its just a book same of the Bible and we've seen how some christians reacted to Bible burnings , in the past , have'nt we ?
     
  11. kilgram

    kilgram New Member

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    And? Let's ban the freedom of expression :)

    One of the few things that I like of USA is that, that you can burn, clean your arse with the flag without troubles. That is good. If you want to critizise a state or whatever the flag burning is a possibility.

    A flag is just a symbol. And if it is banned burning a flag, why not ban to "insult" any kind of symbol? Start with this and you can ban any critizicism. In a free country you should be able to do anything except violence against people and other's private and personal properties.

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    And? Let's ban the freedom of expression :)

    One of the few things that I like of USA is that, that you can burn, clean your arse with the flag without troubles. That is good. If you want to critizise a state or whatever the flag burning is a possibility.

    A flag is just a symbol. And if it is banned burning a flag, why not ban to "insult" any kind of symbol? Start with this and you can ban any critizicism. In a free country you should be able to do anything except violence against people and other's private and personal properties.
     
  12. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    Becaise not all symbols represent the nation. Some, like the sickle and hammer, really deserve some arse wiping
     
  13. kilgram

    kilgram New Member

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    And the nation no? Why not? And what nation? What is a nation?

    And if I don't like what represents USA why cannot I burn it, or what represents the flag of Spain but you can burn the symbol of the communists(why that one has less value than others?). Can you explain me this?

    A symbol is a symbol, and any symbol or idea is subject to be used as arse wiping.
     
  14. Mr. Swedish Guy

    Mr. Swedish Guy New Member

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    First, i have to say that i hate amazon with my whole being, soul and mind. Tjat (*)(*)(*)(*)ing ad is somehow activated when i press tje reply button. How must annou it has been these last hours. I whish death upon thee, o amazon. Ad mortem te, o amazon.

    I can let you answer tjat yourself. If there was no states (like in your utopia. Nice of me eh?) whom would you call a swede, and a catalan? What do you think i would be referring to with the swedish in my name? This is something people just know. It might be hard to say exactly what it is but we know there are swedes and catalans, and differences between tjem.

    A nation isnt an ideology
     
  15. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    I'm not sure what you mean by "hurts society very much" but I'd like to suggest that if you're talking about government protecting people's feelings, that's a very dangerous path that I would advise any society to avoid. Once you let that genie out of the bottle, there's no stuffing him back in... then you prove Orwell correct yet again.
     
  16. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    If you honestly think buring a piece of cloth (private property at that) amounts to treason, then I'm afraid we're too far apart on this topic to continue any meaningful discussion.
     
  17. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    Burning the flag means whatever you say it means. And that's the problem with this whole line of reasoning--it's far too subjective to legislate. And not to put too fine a point on it, but even if you DO hate your neighbors, that does not make you a traitor. It probably just makes you a jerk.
     
  18. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    Because you understand the value of freedom. I nominate this for post of the week. Or to bring Voltaire into the discussion, "I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death to defend your right to say it." And that is truly the highest expression of our American ideal of freedom in my view. That is what the fallen died for--to defend that precious hard-won freedom. :flagus:
     
  19. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    NO, assaulting the flag burner is assault. Go ahead, beat 'em up, then you can think about all the assets you lost from the comfort of your jail cell when they sue you for damages.
     
  20. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    They should be free because we agree that freedom is worth defending... at least in the U.S.. Liberty is part of our culture. Maybe it's different in Sweden, I've never been there, though my wife is a Swede...

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    Not sure I understand the question. Are you suggesting it should be illegal to burn a Koran?
     
  21. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    Technically, it would be battery and assault. Battery is a matter of civil law, assault is criminal. ;)

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    No better, either. And we should be better.
     
  22. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    Now you're just being pedantic. We have an expression here in the U.S.: Your freedom stops at the end of my nose. If I say some words that offend you, you have not been harmed. If you punch me in the nose, I have been harmed and you will go to jail for it because you have committed a crime called assault.
     
  23. manifold

    manifold New Member

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    I knew of a guy who was arrested and charged with assault for telling a chick that she needs to get laid.

    She was offended, but was she really harmed?
     
  24. Bow To The Robots

    Bow To The Robots Banned at Members Request

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    Funnier, Serfin said ASSAULT, not KILL. Big difference, don't you think? Maybe better to respond to what your debate opponent actually said rather than intentionally falsify their argument, don't you think?

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    Pot, meet kettle. Your "argument" is purely emotional, lacking any logic of any kind.
     
  25. Object227

    Object227 Well-Known Member

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    The first question: What kind of a threat to human life and property does burning a flag represent (assume the flag one burns is his own)?
     

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