Flag Burning Amendment

The BIG NEWS today is that the House of Representatives passed a piece of legislation that would amend the Constitution making it illegal to burn the U.S. Flag as means of protest. It has been held by the Supreme Court that flag burning is political speech protected by the First Amendment. The pundits are all in a tizzy as they breathlessly explain the rest of the process the proposed amendment must go through to actually be included as part of the Constitution (Senate has to vote, states have to ratify).

Personally, I think the news people are jumping on this bandwagon a little too early. If memory serves me, the House of Reps has passed this legislation every year for the past 5 years and it has never passed the Senate. I am too lazy right now to go research and find out if my memory is accurate. But, we will assume it is. So, I don't care that the House of Reps passed the bill...they do it every...let me know when something new actually develops. That is news.

Next, who really cares. I am a patriot of patriots. I love this country and I love its flag. I find it a high honor to be allowed to fly a flag outside my home. We are the greatest nation ever to grace this and Earth, and while we may not be perfect, there is no other nation who does it better. So, while I find the burning of the flag to be utterly detestable, I can not think of how anyone else's right to life, liberty, or property is being infringed upon by the use of force or fraud when some idiot burns a flag. To me, that should be the standard of all law. Only actions that deprive an individual of his right to life, liberty, or property through the use of force or fraud should be illegal. So, unless some steals a flag to burn it, there is no victim when an idiot buys his own flag and lights it aflame.

Now, that being said, I think the law should allow that any person convicted of beating the living tar out of another individual who has burned a flag to be fined no more than $1 and then that conviction should be sealed. That would curb a lot of flag burning, or at least let those of who respect our flag and our country handle the issue of flag burning in a reasonable and prompt manner.

Instead of worrying about protecting people for being offended (yes, that is about the worst that can happen to another individual), maybe Congress should work on passing an Amendment to repeal the 16th Amendment that makes it legal for the Government to use force to deprive an individual of their income. That seems like a better use of the news print, news airwaves, and news bandwidth than this tired old story, recycled from years gone past.