FREE ESSAY ON FLAG BURNING: A CRIME AGAINST AMERICA?

FLAG BURNING: A CRIME AGAINST AMERICA?

Flag Burning: A Crime Against America?
Flag burning can be and usually is a very controversial issue with people. Many people
believe that the American flag stands for something important and shouldn't be destroyed
in that manner. Others believe that flag burning is a statement that one should be able
to make without major repercussions. Both sides have valid opinions and both sides state
their case well. Although I am neither nor or against the burning of the flag, I believe
the right should not be taken away. I believe that if a group of people have valid
reasons and a valid point to make by obliterating a flag in such a way, they should have
the right to do it. 
The people who are against flag burning seem to generally be those who have served this
country through war and through other such ways. They are older people who believe that
this country is quite wonderful if not almost perfect. They have a strong sense of
patriotism to this country and would die for what it stands for: liberty and freedom.
They could compare it to the burning of crosses in front of a church or to the way the
Nazis turned a very beautiful symbol into a racial and religious hate badge for
murderers. Disrespect for tradition is what it boils down to. From a young age we are
conditioned to blindly respect that flag hanging from a pole and to pledge out allegiance
to it without even knowing what it truly is. It has been tradition for at least three
generations. People who have been prisoners of war or people who fought for this country
have a reason to respect it so much. The have fought long and hard for what we have and
respect it. Some of our generation doesn't realize how lucky we have it.
A child of this generation could debate how good and pure and wonderful this country is
and could show you how we have had our liberty and freedom taken away to the point that
we really don't have any. True, we have had our freedom limited a bit, but that is only
for the protection of ourselves from one another and from the government. As far as flag
burning goes, people of this generation and other generations, have a right to show how
they feel about what's going on in this country. They feel that this county is doing
something wrong and that is how they choose to express their grievance. The first
amendment to the Constitution states that Congress should make no law. . .abridging the
freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the government for a redress of grievances. So according to that document, we
have the right to get together peacefully and petition or rally or group together to try
to get the government to listen. Sometimes it takes as much as burning a flag to get the
attention of those in the White House and in Congress. As long as they aren't hurting
anyone and it is a peaceful act, they are guaranteed the constitutional right to do
that.
Here is where it gets tricky and where my opinion come into it. I believe that as long as
you aren't hurting anyone else and as long as you have valid reasons for doing such a
thing, it isn't disrespectful to our nation. Granted, that could be what you are trying
to do, but this nation is a great one, although it needs a little work. No one is
perfect. I believe that if you are trying to get the government's attention, you can find
a better way to do it. I prefer the inverted flag. It stands for a sign of distress,
which is what most of the flag burners seem to be trying to say.
Furthermore, if you look at the situation closely, it's an oxymoron. The American flag is
a symbol of liberty and freedom. It is a symbol of everything that we, as a country, have
gone through to get where we are. If you remove the right for someone to show how they
feel about such a symbol, you are removing their freedom. Hence, it's an oxymoron.
I don't personally think that I would ever try or feel the need to burn the flag, just
because I think it is an irrational way to state something. If I ever did feel the need
to burn one, I would have a valid reason beforehand that I would explain to everyone
before I burned the flag. I personally think that there are better ways to go about doing
things, ways that will attract less negative attention. Of course, I don't think it is
right for us to rule over what other people believe and how other people show it.
My stand point on this whole thing is let people believe what they want. Let people show
what they believe however they want. We can't take away that right. We can take it away
when it begins hurting other people and infringing on their right to life, liberty and
property. That's where the line needs to be drawn. If, by burning a flag, you
intentionally hurt someone physically, or end up damaging their property, that is when
action should be taken against you. If we take away this fundamental right to express
ourselves and how we feel about our nation (in ways such as flag burning), we can no
longer say that we live in a true country of liberty and freedom. The land of the free
and the home of the brave no longer exists when our right to free speech, press and
petition are taken away.