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Emerson C. |
Flag Presentation by Steve Carleton | Public Domain
Like many others, fury builds inside me when I see the flag desecrated. As a young soldier, I folded and passed off that flag to the wives of WWII veterans as we laid them in the ground.
After 9/11, I lost good friends in Iraq and Afghanistan, whose bodies returned home under that flag. The American flag is a symbol of our country and our freedom.
The Flag Burning Activists
These clowns are nothing but children throwing a fit. They feel like their voices haven’t been heard because they aren’t getting their way. Instead of communicating intelligently, they get attention by destroying the symbol of the very freedom they are exercising.
Spreading the photos of these attention-seekers on the news and social media only supports their goals. The exposure gives them the feeling of success. They don’t care that it’s negative attention, they feel like people finally heard them.
Then others see this and follow suit. The best thing we can all do is ignore these clowns. Let them continue to feel ignored.
Making Flag Burning A Crime
Interestingly, burning the flag was once a crime. However, a 1969 Supreme Court decision declared that the 1st Amendment protected the practice. Today, the issue is up for grabs again.
President-elect Donal Trump went to Twitter to express his belief that there should be consequences.
While this will be an inspiring statement to some, I don’t believe it is a good idea. First, this would simply make the whiners martyrs. They’d get even more attention if they went to jail over the issue. It probably wouldn’t help their cause any, but it would give them a higher feeling of self worth.
Second, this would set a horrible precedent. As we know, much of our law is based on precedent. By creating laws banning flag burning, we would be opening the doors to increased speech restrictions.
These are the same weaklings that cried when supporters wrote “Trump 2016” in chalk on their campuses. By creating laws against free speech we would be opening the doors to make “Trump 2016” a hate crime.
The Reality Of The Situation
The flag is a symbol of freedom and the American people — but it is just a symbol. The men I fought with didn’t give their lives for symbols. They gave their lives for real freedom and real Americans. I would desecrate the flag myself to get just one of those great men back.
While we watch in disgust at what some clowns are doing at rallies, politicians are destroying our freedoms. Politicians are making treaties to the detriment of the American economy.
People are adjusting to a life of unemployment or underemployment. An encroaching federal government is destroying state’s rights. Insurance costs are soaring. Illegal immigrants are killing people. ISIS is claiming credit for lone attacks on U.S. soil.
The American people and their freedoms are under attack daily.
And we are furious about the symbol of those people and freedoms being burnt.
I understand. That symbol represents the cost of life itself. It represents the values of our society and freedom. But it is not those things. We need to remain focused on the important issues. We need to stand up for the actual freedoms and people that flag represents.
As President-elect Trump prepares to take office, we need to prepare with him. How?
Find a new job. Start your own business. Most of all, speak out to your friends and family about the freedoms the flag represents. But ignore the idiots.
While they burn the flag, we need to improve the future. What important issues do you think Americans need to focus on?
