> "To me, this right wing babble in the Senate about flag
> burning is as selfish and gratuitous a waste of American
> taxpayer dollars as any godless commie pinko liberal out
> there when we have MUCH more important things here at home
> we need to be spending our money on."
>
> I know of no other way to interpret this grandstanding
> except to agree with you that it's a gratuitous waste of
> time. Senate grandstanding is hardly unprecedented, though.
> Don't forget that we were recently treated to hearings on
> Steroids in Baseball. Now there is a burning issue that
> keeps me awake at night.
>
> I agree that some 1st Amendment cleaning up might be in
> order since "free speech" rights have "evolved" so far.
> Remember that it was decided back in 1991 that the nude
> dancers at The Kitty Kat Lounge, Inc. of South Bend, Indiana
> were actually excercising their "freedom of expression", not
> just getting naked as those of us not sufficiently nuanced
> in Constitutional law thought. (BARNES v. GLEN THEATRE,
> INC., 501 U.S. 560) But to write a constitutional amendment
> narrowly aimed at flags? You can bet your ass that the day
> that passes, some group of protesters will mark its passage
> by going out and pissing on a US Army uniform or other
> symbol of patriotism.
You can see that throughout American history into Prohibition and the Drug War. It's well intentioned, but in a nation that cherishes it's personal liberty over someone else's idea of a "moral" lifestyle, it's impossible to enforce.
>
> There is a very practical reason to oppose an anti-flag
> burning amendment: It will cause more flag burning! Flag
> burning is pretty much a juvenile attention-getting device
> for those who like to see themselves as rebellious. Well,
> hell. How rebellious can it be to do something that's not
> even illegal! Congress to the rescue. If they were to
> succeed in passing this turkey of an amendment, these
> attention-seekers will then have an opportunity to burn a
> flag (but not until they have first sent out press releases)
> and then have the chance to be led away to jail in handcuffs
> protecting their First Amendment Rightsin full view of the
> cameras.
It's like obscenity on the radio. Hard to define, but you know it when you hear it. But we can't rely on Congress to be babysitters. That's not their job. Their job is to represent US, not their religion, not corporate America, but the people in their respective states and districts. And what people are really concerned about is the lack of jobs and health care, the rising homeless issue and the tied-in mental health crisis. These are things we see every day, but no one can afford or want to do anything about.
>
> I propose that Congress instead, pass a resolution in favor
> of Motherhood and Apple Pie. It will require the same amount
> of political courage and do a lot less damage.
LOL! SHHHH! Don't give 'em any more ideas......
>
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