This whole flag debacle has gotten my wheels spinning a bit. Many of us on this site and in this community have served our country in the military. Some, if not many of us, have seen combat and had close friends and family killed or injured by the enemies of our country. Talk about disrespecting the National Ensign tends to make our blood boil, not to mention seeing it happen.
However, we who chose to serve did so knowing that we were protecting the greatest country in the world. A country that has certain rights afforded to its citizen and that are one of the reasons we became a country in the first place. Regardless of our opinion as to how they are exercised by some people in our society, they are still exercising their rights as given by our constitution.
I have lived in countries where just mentioning things like what has been mentioned here, and on other sites, would end with the offending individual being woken up late at night to the sounds of his/her shins being smashed. If his family was lucky later they would find the remains of his/her body in a field somewhere.
Is flying the flag upside down when not in a true emergency wrong? I say yes. However freedom of speech advocates will argue that the people who fly it upside down are making a statement as to the countries situation. And oddly enough I have fought and lost friends for these people to exercise their rights.
A great point about the Flag Code was brought up concerning the latter. However it goes even more into detail as to how to not disrespect the flag.
Anyone here worn a US flag on their tee shirt? "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery."
Ive seen this several times too: "The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling."
Here are some more:
"The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature"
"The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown." How many of us use US flag napkins during the 4th?
However, all this is voluntary and up to the individual to exercise their own personal respect for the symbol of our nation:
"While wearing the colors may be in poor taste and offensive to many, it is important to remember that the Flag Code is intended as a guide to be followed on a purely voluntary basis to insure proper respect for the flag. It is, at least, questionable whether statutes placing civil or criminal penalties on the wearing of clothing bearing or resembling a flag could be constitutionally enforced in light of Supreme Court decisions in the area of flag desecration.51
In the past, the Supreme Court has held that states may restrict use of pictures of the flag on commercial products.52 There is a federal criminal prohibition on the use of the flag for advertising purposes in the District of Columbia.53 While commercial speech does not receive the full protection of the First Amendment,54 the status of these statutes and cases can not be taken for granted in light of Eichman and Johnson."
Burning the flag is also considered to be "free speech" and although I fully support every part of the US Constitution I can not say that seeing someone do that to a symbol that represents a country that I served almost 22 years for, had friends loose their life for, and sacrificed a lot for wouldnt move me to do something irrational.
atriot:
