Burn Baby Burn

So the U.S. House of Representatives once again has passed an "anti-flag burning" amendment to the Constitution. It will now go to the Senate, where it will probably die once again but it will be close. What the fuck is wrong with these people? I'm trying to figure out what goes on in the mind of these twits that this is important to them, or how it is they don't see that it is the most un-American thing you could do to the Constitution since Prohibition.

This follows an incident that happened in Gloucester or Salem or some city north of Boston that I stay away from. I guess they have some exhibit of American flags at some waterfront park every year after Memorial Day until the 4th of July. One night earlier this week someone burned or ripped or in some way destroyed one of them. Just one. Talk about a lazy vandal. Anyway, I saw this story on the local news and they were interviewing, I honestly don't know who this guy was, I assume someone who has something to do with putting the display up or something. And this guy seems just anguished over the whole thing and goes on to say that flag burning is "the lowest thing someone can do".

Really, that's what he said. In about five seconds I was able to rattle off in my head several things that I think most people would agree are "lower" than flag burning.

Killing 6 million people based on their religion.
Killing anyone for any reason other than self defense.
Rape.
Child molesting.
Wife-beating.
Pimping.
Lynching someone.

Seriously, it took no thought to think of those things right away. I'm sure if I thought about it for an hour or so I could fill a book with things that every sane person would agree is worse than burning a piece of cloth with some red and white stripes painted on it. Of all the things to get worked up over. There are innocent people being brutalized in places like Sudan and Zimbabwe, and our elected officials put this stupid shit at the top of their agenda?

Look, I know some people are offended by it. You know what I say to these people? GET THE FUCK OVER IT! The First Amendment is supposed to protect offensive speech. Popular speech doesn't need protecting. I think the Nazis marching through Skoki Illinois is amazingly offensive, but that doesn't mean they don't have a right to do it. I find Pat Robertson, Billy Graham and his ass-hole son, Jerry Falwell, and the Southern Baptist Convention offensive. But you don't see me out there trying to get them declared unconstitutional. Not that I wouldn't love that. But just like the Constitution protects me from those dicks, it also protects them from me. And they should thank their lucky stars too, because if it wasn't for that protection I'd be pulling out the can o' wup-ass on them.

And I have read some stupid rhetoric coming from these idiots over the last few days. They try to make it sound like people could come grab Old Glory off of your flag pole, have a bon fire and that it would be perfectly legal. Well, as you all know, that's just fucking ridiculous. Charges of theft and destruction of private property apply to flags just like they apply to anything else you own. It's against the law to steal someone else's flag just like it's against the law to steal their car. This stupid law would make it illegal for me to buy, or make my own, American flag and then destroy it.

So here's hoping that just enough Senators are sane enough to protect us from the jingoists once again. My two Senators are voting against it. Find out where yours stands and urge them to do the right thing.

Now where did I put my matchbook?