Drama Queens and Other Things
Flag-Desecration Amendments are such a non-issue, and they always die in the Senate. I don't care how much hand-wringing that pundits pantomime over the new "Republican Dominated" Senate, but if this alleged Republican Dominated Senate can't even get John Bolton approved as the ambassador to the U.N., then I hardly think anyone needs to start quivering over the potential loss of their their god-given right to blowtorch the American flag.
Political sound-bite moments like this only guarantee that the ACLU will come crawling out from under its rock to stage yet another tediously predictable grandstanding session, which is never a welcome thing in my book.
Yet I do feel compelled to point out this nonsense, which, really, is the most hilarious response I've read so far to the whole desecration amendment: "Boy Scouts, for instance, ceremonially burn far more old flags in honorable disposal than antiwar activists burn to show their disagreement with government policies. "How do you make a distinction in deciding who to prosecute regarding a group or person burning a flag out of respect, as provided for in current law, and a person who intentionally or unintentionally desecrates it?'' asked (Paul) McMasters, (ombudsman of the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center and) an opponent of the amendment."
Wow. I never thought of it that way -- I mean, really, how could we possibly tell the difference between a Boy Scout burning an old flag in a ceremonial ritual of respectful flag retirement on one hand, and a neo-hippie protester at a Hate-Bush rally who's just torching it for attention on the other? The subtleties on this one are mind-boggling (me, rolling my eyes).
This whole hullabaloo seems to happen every other election cycle, and always right around July 4th. The flag is a symbol of our country, and being respectful towards the symbol shows the respect in which one holds the country, but making it against the law to disrespect the country's symbols seems way too much like a tempest in a teapot. Do our Congressional representatives not have better issues with which to occupy their time? I hear Social Security and torte reform still haven't materialized . . .
Comments
The one thing I agree with, that homocon says , is that Congress should be concentrating on the more important issues. The inescapable truth, that the Iraq war was, and is a total abuse of (blah blah blah) along with the stranglehold against (yadda yadda yadda), gutless murmerings of mainstream media (flappity gummity). American boys and girls have been sacrificed on the altar of (yippity yappity schmappity), yet the administration remains aloof. Can the Home of the Brave, Land of the Free really be best led by a (oh dear god is this guy still running off at the mouth)? And why do Americans not demand the highest accountability in the highest ranks of Power? These are indeed shameful (snore) . . .
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Homocon sez:
Couldn't resist.
Posted by: nuffsed | June 23, 2005 2:13 PM