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One of the most important things a candidate for public office can do is to
make themselves familiar with as many public issues as you can.
Therefore, from this article forward, I will be doing my best to educate you on as many issues as I can before Election Day. Of course, I may just have to throw in a few opinions of my own. You decide if they match yours or not. The issue I am addressing here this week is that of flag burning! It all began with the Supreme Court, on a 5-4 decision in the Texas vs. Johnson case in 1989, that burning the American Flag is protected under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. What had happened was that in Dallas, in 1984, during the Republican Convention a group of people held a protest against Ronald Reagan's policies. During the protest, about one hundred protestors spray painted walls and chanted and Johnson took the Flag from another demonstrator, poured gasoline on it and set it on fire. For this he received one year in jail and a $2,000 fine, because several of those that watched the burning of the Flag were outraged. The decision of the U.S.Supreme Court reversed the lower court decision and said that "Conviction of a protester for burning an American Flag as part of a political demonstration did not violate the Federal Constitution's First Amendment." In my opinion, flag burning has nothing to do with free speech! An action is a conduct, not a spoken word. The American Civil Liberties Union thinks that this country is all about free expression at its maximum and that we show strength by allowing such outrageous acts to be committed. Murder is an expression, but it is against the law. If you desecrate a monument it would be an expression, but it is also a crime. How far will we allow this expression to go if it harms others, as these acts by some are perceived to be attacks on patriotism and is a betrayal of the honor that our Nation owes the men and women who fought in the military to preserve it. For most Americans the Flag holds a special meaning and especially so to the veterans. When I look at the Flag, I am proud - proud of my country and proud of those who died to make our country what it is. And by allowing the desecration of our Flag, we are sending a wrong message to our children. It is a dishonor to the memory of our dead soldiers. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article To Burn or Not to Burn! in Women in Politics is owned by . Permission to republish To Burn or Not to Burn! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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