Making it a crime to burn a flag is contradictory of free speech. The U.S constitution guarantees free speech to the individuals. Any law against flag burning, of any nation, is violating a persons freedom of speech. While it's not illegal to burn the U.S flag, people who do so in America must also anticipate consequences and criticisms from the public. Posted by: RayEar Report Post

It's just a piece of cloth, and this comes under 1st amendment right of expression. I think it's dangerous to ascribe sacred meaning to national symbols or any other symbol. This incites people to 'die for the flag' which is after all just a scrap of cloth. I think these symbols are used to brainwash people, to elicit a Pavlovian response that makes debate useless and renders sane arguments impotent. Fight for a cause, not a symbol. Posted by: Th4Fire Report Post

The American flag is a symbol of genocide. It should not be a crime to burn the US flag; it should rather be encouraged. First off: since the 1940's, the US have killed around 10,431,000 people in the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings, the Vietnam war, the 1973 Chilean coup d'état and many other. Give me one reason to show any respect for a nation responsible for that amount of casualties. For me, that is pretty much the same as sympathising with any genocidal dictatorship. Also, America is not free. We like to pretend it is, but it isn't and this shows why: if you are not patriotic, if you object against the nation that controls nearly the entire world and continues to commit crimes they are never held responsible for, people want you arrested. When I was going to visit America in the mid 80's I had serious trouble getting in only because I was a member of some far leftist/socialist organisations. Does that sound like freedom to you? Why should I show respect for a nation like that? For me, burning the US flag and objecting against the US in other ways is the only alternative under these circumstances. Report Post

Burning the American flag is the ultimate symbol of free speech and should not be a crime. Americans fought hard in the revolution from England. They wanted this nation to be free. How then can we take an act of free speech and punish it as a crime? Destroying national monuments is, and should be a crime. But a flag, which is just a one in a billion copy, can and should be burned whenever someone wishes. After all, it's just a cloth. Posted by: elen111 Report Post

Flag-burning is a form of free speech, and therefore should not be a crime. The burning of the U.S. flag is a form of speech, which is protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It poses absolutely no threat to national security, nor is it a form of libel or slander. Since it is not harmful to either national security or intentionally and falsely damaging to anybody's reputation, it should not be a criminal offense. Posted by: A Paul Report Post

Mind your own business Why the heck do any of you care if someone else is burning a flag. If you think it is wrong don't do it but mind your own business. You are all a bunch of nosy people who feel the need to control the actions of everyone else. The American flag will mean nothing if you burn it because America, the free country, has grown so corrupt that you can't burn a flag. You all have no business trying to tell me what I can or can't do. Being free means that you can disrespect the nation and the people in it. Patriot mans fighting for freedom so that makes me more of a patriot than all of you. The day that burning a dumb flag is illegal is the day our countries flag is absolutely meaningless. I am also suck of reading all of this junk about how you are disrespecting soldiers. You all have been horribly mislead and the founding fathers are looking down on this blog right now so be careful what you say. Posted by: Cooper101 Report Post

Why have freedom at all. The burning of the American flag, in spirit, has nothing to do with dishonoring the country, her people. Or her soldiers, It does have everything to do with disrespecting and rebelling against the policies, laws, injustices, and corruption of the nations leadership. I see it as equal to tossing tea into the sea. Report Post

The first Amendment When being wrong or right anything OPINIONATED is useless in the court of law. Fact being any law against flag burning directly interferes with the first amendment (specifically freedom of speech) which automatically makes it null and void. The system is built so anything that conflicts with the amendments are useless, end of story. Report Post

It should not be a crime to burn the flag It should not not be a crime to burn the flag because people have different religions that might be against the flag. Like they probably think that the american flag is a symbol to them. We have our freedom of expression. We have the right to express our feelings so we can express our feelonigs against the flag if we wanted to. Eventhough it is wrong to some people, others do not think the same. Everyone has different thoughts about certain things. Report Post