Flushing of the flag at Gitmo!
Published June 19, 2005
My father once asked me whether burning a flag was speech or action. If you burn a random article you are doing nothing more than making an action. If you burn something of importance you have just made a statement. That is speech.
Let me give you a few more examples of this "active speech". Someone doesn't like the way congress is raping the constitution so they buy a copy of the constitution and burn it in protest. That is speech. Someone urinates in a jar and dumps a crucifix in it, then calls it "Piss Christ". As repulsive as it may be it is protected as speech. (Just for the record, I know that this little piece was paid for by the government and that would cause me to enact the Constitution burning if I was one of those people that burned things.) Bible burnings, Qu'ran burnings and even Torah burnings are free speech because you are trying to send the message of disdain and/or anger, rage, disappointment, disgust, etc.
Sure I could do something a little less drastic to try and make my point. Would it put me on national news to hold a bake sale against Judaism? (No offense to Jews. I'm just giving this as an example.) I might get a five second blurb on Good Morning America if I raised over $10,000. Someone would roll their eyes and we'd be on the next segment. If you burned a symbol of importance you have just given yourself national and sometimes international coverage. If you were an American you'd get interviews, the blogosphere would talk about you for weeks. People would devote whole sites both for and against you. It might even net you a book deal for your cause.
To end this I'd like to quote a poem I heard today so we can all have a little perspective:
IT IS THE SOLDIER
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
(© Charles M. Province)
Taken From: Babalu Blog
- Flushing of the flag at Gitmo!
- Published: June 19, 2005
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Politics
- Filed Under: Politics: U.S.
- Writer: Jeremy H. Bol
- Jeremy H. Bol's BC Writer page
- Jeremy H. Bol's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Thanks Stark. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
This may sound a bit strange, but after I heard this poem the first time (Zell Miller at the 2004 RNC) I wanted to go out and burn a flag, not in effigy, but in honor to the troops. Also, in honor of the others that don't wear uniforms that work hard to keep freedom free.
The poem's been around a long time.
Yes - that does sound strange. The flag is a beautiful symbol.
There's a big difference between private protestors desecrating the Koran or burning the flag and that same action being taken by on-duty military personnel.
When some Wahabist fires up a Koran he's speaking only for himself. When a soldier does the equivalent while in uniform he's effectively acting on behalf of the military and his government.
Dave
Actually, the Wahabist was speaking for his entire sect. It was a wahabist action, not some lone psycho.
It is great that we live in country where we have the freedom to express ourselves, even if it may offend some. flushaholybook.com allows you to flush the holy book of your choice.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/31254)
It is all those other people - and the soldiers - who make life worth living.
Interesting "have my cake ..." post.