American Flag Logs

BURN AMERICAN WHILE AMERICA BURNS

**"BURN AMERICAN WHILE AMERICA BURNS."**

## Overview

American Flag Logs is a pretty simple and straightforward drop, simply offering for one payment of $1776 an American flag pre-rolled into log form and made more flammable for use as a firestarter.

## Manifesto

"Flag burning is protected symbolic speech, as most recently codified by a Supreme Court decision in 1990.

*'Though symbols often are what we ourselves make of them, the flag is constant in expressing beliefs Americans share, beliefs in law and peace and that freedom which sustains the human spirit. It is poignant but fundamental that the flag protects those who hold it in contempt.'* - Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the Majority, 1990

Of course, the idea that the flag represents a coherent set of commonly held principles is laughable; America and the experience of being American diverge wildly in meaning and direct physical consequence between individuals. As a vague symbol for the United States at large, the message manifested by flag-burning is both sweeping and almost hilariously undirected. Without further context, it is an action that swings at such a broad range of targets as to inevitably miss by a mile. Which facet of the myriad contradictory and heterogeneously distributed aspects of the USA does your flag burning condemn?

But hedge your bets here folks: no matter who wins this election, there’s a use for a ready-to-burn flag.

The flag, per both manufacturing regulations and simple common sense for an outdoor object that sees year-round use, is made of rather durable materials. There is no strict requirement that it be cotton or any other such natural fiber. Flags are typically fire retardant.

American Flag Logs therefore represent an improvement over the original object in that they 1. Fit nicely into a standard fireplace, and 2. Use a paraffin wax binder that acts as a flammable matrix - enabling those durable flag fibers to go up in smoke.

Is flag burning protest? Catharsis? Recreation? One thing’s for sure: never forget you live in a country that will happily sell all three of those actions back to you. We can say with certainty: if it CAN be done, then it CAN be PRODUCTIZED! Commerce eats the nation. It is far easier to imagine the end of the United States than it is to imagine the end of capitalism.

Protected symbolic speech? Twenny bucks, buddy."

## Legality of Flag Burning

There are often questions regarding the legality of flag burning in regards to existing flag desecration law, but it has been affirmed and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court that it is legal to burn flags as a form of protest, and that laws preventing someone from burning a flag are unconstitutional in that they violate the First Amendment. Two of the best examples are *Texas v. Johnson* and *United States v. Eichman*. It is important to note that these decisions overrule existing law, such as 18 USC § 700 that express in part:

> "Whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both."
>
>

Laws like these used to be enforced in 48 out of 50 states, but they have been ruled unconstitutional. Due to the fact that they targeted specifically protesters, as they allowed burning of the flag for disposal.

> "[I]ts asserted interest is related to the suppression of free expression and concerned with the content of such expression."
>
>

Therefore, as a resulting of these two rulings, there is no question about the legality of American Flag Logs, as they are protected as a protest and free speech under the First Amendment.

1. ↑ https://americanflaglogs.com/