by Kasey Sailer

Created on: September 25, 2010   Last Updated: September 26, 2010

It’s not all black and white.  I’m sure even the founding fathers of this nation knew this when they wrote the First Amendment.  There are a lot of gray areas.  So should burning an American flag be protected as free speech?

Free speech will always be a trivial thing.  I may have the right to say bomb on an airplane but that doesn’t mean I won’t suffer the consequences of my actions.  I also can’t say I want to kill the President.  Are these violations of my First Amendment Rights?  I don’t think so.  I am still free to say these things but if I do I will have to deal with the fallout.  Burning the American flag is no different.

When you burn an American flag it is offensive to a lot of people, including me.  I have known people that have given their lives for that flag.  In my mind, whenever someone burns the flag it is like they are spitting on the grave of every man who has died for this country.  Ask yourself this, if I smoked a cigarette in a non-smoking building as a symbol against the laws for smoking would I not get in trouble?  Technically under the first amendment I am only committing this act for reasons of symbolic expression against smoking laws.  Not to continue beating a dead horse but just because I have this right; does that make it a smart thing to do?  I would have still broken the law, just as Gregory Lee Johnson did when he burned our nations flag.

Every American citizen has a voice.  The important thing is knowing when and how to use it.  Everyone has laws they don’t agree with.  Everyone doesn’t agree with the decisions our leaders make but it is important to remember the American people elected him.  Allowing our nation’s citizens to disrespect our flag, to include all of the men who have fought for these beliefs, is a travesty that cannot be allowed to continue.

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