Flag Burning

"Your argument is that flag burning is legal, but offensive." -I never stated nor implied any position against the legality of flag burning. "So, I should be prepared to be assaulted if I exercise my right to free speech." -Yes, if the "free speech" you are exercising is violent in nature like flag burning is. "How can you advocate assaulting someone for exercising their rights?" -Everyone has the right to free travel within the US, but that right is regulated. The right to free speech is also regulated (you can't curse on TV, right?). If the government doesn't regulate symbolic acts of violence that may provoke actual physical violence, someone who is offended may. If you cannot handle that responsibility, you have no business burning a flag. "Would you beat the hell out of Rosa Parks if that was supposed to be your bus seat?" -Don't be ridiculous. Not only wasn't it Rosa Parks's legal right to sit in that seat, her act was non-violent. The law preventing her from sitting down did not protect anyone, and her manifested opposition to that law did not cause anyone any harm physically, emotionally, or morally. She didn't offend anyone's culture, nor did she offend anyone's creed, moral code, religion, nation, or anything that flag burning can offend. "Would you gas protesters if you didn't like their message?" -Is gasing protesters a normal act of street violence? Does your regular Joe who disagrees with protesters carry CS? No. But if I saw a bunch of KKK members marching through South Philadelphia I would expect to later see their heads on stakes downtown in the lawn just feet from the Liberty Bell. The difference? Protesters aren't necessarily intentionally offending anyone. Just the presence of the KKK incites violence, emotional hurt, anger, etc. A peaceful protest does not bring forth these emotions, but flag burning does. Otherwise why would you argue it is effective enough to bring about change??? "What if you didn't like Jews?" -Are Jews or the presence of Jews an act of violence? I think you are attempting to tap the emotional sympathies of the reader as an ad-hominem attack, but these arguments are not attacking my premise. Jews are not burning flags. Why would you even bring that up??? "Your advocating abusing people who voice their opinion or exercise their rights." -And? Is that what this debate is about? Don Imus was exercising his rights when he called the Rutgers female basketball team "nappy headed hos" and "jigaboos", but half black people in America wanted to kick his butt for it. That is the very reason why free speech is regulated- people also have the right to quiet enjoyment of their homes, and flag burning can be an encroachment on that quiet enjoyment. "This kind of mentality is the embodiment of hosing civil rights activists and the Nazi movement. Not to be dramatic, but seriously, this is the oldtimely intolerance mentality. "If you piss me off I'm gonna kick your @$$!"" -Again, and ad-hominem attack. After 9/11 if we had this debate 90% of Americans would want your butt kicked for burning the American flag. Any other country? They'll kick your butt today, tomorrow, and on 9/11. The GOVERNMENT hosed activists, the Nazi movement was a GOVERNMENT, and YES, you are being VERY dramatic. I am not talking about institutionalized persecution of flag burners- I am saying that if you don't expect a confrontation, don't burn the daggone flag. Don't have your mouth write a check your a$$ can't cash, like your daddy used to tell you. A far cry from invading Europe I'll say... "Even if you don't personally advocate attacking these people, telling them to stay quiet and not exercise their rights because of the potential backlash goes against every great movement of protest." -No it doesn't. "Every great movement of protest" wasn't carried out with the intention or result of offending an entire nation, religion, or culture. Flag burning does this INTENTIONALLY. "People acted against Martin Luther King and Jesus Christ, does that mean they should have just kept to themselves and not rocked the boat?" -More ad-hominem attacks... Martin Luther King and Jesus Christ did not burn flags. They carried out no acts of violence intended to offend an entire culture, religion, or nation. Not the same thing, buddy. "We agree that flag burning is a legal right." -No we don't. We only agree it's legal. "It doesn't hurt anyone, so acting against someone who burns the flag wouldn't be self-defense, realistically." -Neither does calling your momma a whore, but most people would get their butts kicked for doing that, right? "So, how can it be moral in any way to attack a person who burns the flag?" -Who said it was moral? Is it moral for a father to murder his child's murderer? Noooo... but it is understandable and he probably would get lenience from a judge. I feel there are times when flags are burned, and if the flag burner get's their butt kicked, most likely they deserved it. "We agree that it is legally ok, and exercising your own rights without hurting others is a moral action." -We don't agree on that. We agree it is legal, not "legally ok". Exercising your own rights without hurting others is just an action, not a moral or immoral one. "Attacking those who exercise their rights is certainly not moral." -How did this become a question of morality? If I burn the flag of the Vatican, is it moral to a Catholic? If I burn the flag of Israel, is it moral to a Jew? If I burn the flag of Iraq- half the Muslim world will want to kill me because I burned the name of Allah! If I burn an Irish flag in Boston... What should I expect? What if I find myself in Chinatown one day and decide to burn the Chinese flag because I am against their Communist government? Should I not get my butt kicked by a bunch of pissed off Chinamen? Only a person with no loyalty to any flag of any kind can agree with your arguments, but reality is that it is not the decision of the person burning the flag whether or not the act is moral, and it is not your choice whether or not someone wants to kick your butt for it, but it is definitely your choice, responsibility, and RIGHT to research what you are doing and know what to expect. Flag burning is an act of violence and WILL incite a violent reaction. The morality of that violent reaction is not relevant. "We shouldn't restrict people's rights in the name of avoiding a disturbance." -So you agree flag burning in the very least is intended to cause a disturbance? That goes back to my right to quiet enjoyment. You have every right in the world to listen to your radio, but when you listen to it at midnight in front of my house you are encroaching on my right to quiet enjoyment. You are not breaking any "moral" law, you are exercising a right to free speech, that at time of day unfortunately for you is regulated. Should we unregulate that and let people park in front of other people's houses and blast the radio? No, we must be tactful with our legal decisions, as well as with our choices of protests. Flag burning is an act of violence, and may incite a violent reaction.