Our
view
Flag
burning law rightfully defeated
Freedom
of speech is one of the most treasured
and often-used amendments in the Constitution
and arguably, it is the most important.
It has contributed to the marketplace
of ideas, ensuring everyone, regardless
of status or point of view, has the opportunity
to make their opinions and ideas known
(even if their ideas directly contradict
societal norms).
Recently, our senators have tried to abolish this freedom and while many speculate
about Republican intentions to rally support from straying conservatives, something
much more sinister may be at hand.
This action may not only be an attempt to gather support from jingoistic citizens
and borderline Democrats who have wandered into the independent category, but
an attempt to silence dissenting citizens and portray them as outlaws or renegades.
As it stands, burning an American flag mainly appears as a gesture of extreme
disagreement with the policies of the current administration, having earned
its significance in the ’60s as an expression against the war in Vietnam.
Since its genesis 40 years ago, flag burning has developed into an action not
only associated with opposition to the war, but with the policies of the current
administration as a whole. Making this expression a violation of the Constitution
would create an even more negative image of dissenters and possibly even make
people less likely to speak out against the current administration, which is
incredibly dangerous to the well being of our nation.
The United States owes its amazing advances in social justice and political
accountability to those who have not been afraid to speak out against wrongs
that have existed in society. Any example of the extraordinary citizens of
the 20th Century has been someone who has diverged from the commonly accepted
rules and spoke out against them.
Upton Sinclair, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr. and countless others
have spoken out against social injustice. Many were persecuted and hated in
their time, yet without the contributions of these people, our nation would
not stand as the beacon of freedom it has come to represent today.
What gives this ridiculous gesture any significance at all is the shock that
people feel when seeing the American flag burned. The flag itself is merely
a mass of dyed cotton woven into a pattern, nothing of great value. It is the
ideals upon which our flag has become known that gives it any importance and
one of those ideals is freedom.
Creating an amendment to the Constitution banning the very freedoms which the
flag is supposed to represent is equally as unpatriotic as burning the flag
itself, if not more so. Instead of the physical act of lighting the symbol
on fire, our representatives threatened to destroy the real thing, eroding
one of the cornerstone principles fundamental to our nation’s founding.
This proposed legislation is not only a threat to a treasured American value,
but a ridiculous diversion from the problems currently facing the Bush administration.
The conflict over how to deal with immigration, the ongoing struggle in Iraq
and a lingering distrust with the Bush administration from the possibly fabricated
existence of WMDs, the Victoria Plume leak and the outright negligence of Hurricane
Katrina’s victims have left many Americans weary of the actions of the
White House. Seeing the waning support of the Bush administration and a possible
desire for change from many citizens has lead Republicans to one conclusion:
Use a red herring to distract voters and mollify any existing dissention against
incumbents.
Thankfully, one of California’s truest representatives, Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
defended this paramount right and contributed to the dismissal of this superfluous
legislation.
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