Men in most countries (at least in the West) who are not obligated
to service volunteer for service to fight for their country. Whether the men
are British, American, Italian, or German they sign up to go and fight a real
threat.
Americans also go out to fight in oppressed countries to
free the oppressed; Americans fight to bring democracy to other countries. So
Americans sign up and fight to protect their democracy and to bring democracy
to others.
The Constitution is the basis of America’s laws. The two
most Amendments which always get a lot of attention are the 1st
Amendment and the 2nd Amendment. These amendments protect free
speech and gun rights, so it’s easy to see why these two amendments are always
in the news.
The service members, whether they are in the Air Force,
Army, Navy, or Marines are sent to foreign countries in order to bring
democracy or defend democracy against threats real or imagined. But the point
I’m going to make is about what happens when these men and women return home.
"Desecration. Just the word itself, suggests the holy status many Americans have conferred on the national symbol.”
These men and women go out to protect your rights and
freedoms. They risk their lives in order to protect the Constitution so you can
have free speech, the right to bear arms, your right to a speedy trial, and all
the other rights guaranteed by that great piece of papyrus.
Like this? Then please subscribe . . . it's FREE! There's no
obligation, here's the link
But something happens to the soldiers, sailors, and airmen
when they return. It may not happen immediately after they return and it
doesn’t happen to all . . . just a few. I’m not talking about PTSD although it
does happen to some but not all. What I’m talking about is how these service
members get this strange idea. Where it comes from I don’t know.
See, I served in the military for 14 years as both a
reservist and on active duty. I served during both peacetime and during
conflicts. I served on the homeland and in theater. I was both a service member
and a dependent but I never had these strange ideas.
The idea is that the sailor or marine, the airmen or the
soldier has the right to dictate what rights people have and the majority of
the time it’s their freedom of speech which is questioned. Because the veteran
went and defended the Constitution, they believe they have the right to tell
you how to handle those rights.
I see this every time somebody tries to burn the American
flag. For some reason, the service member tries to steal a person’s private
property, that being the flag because the service member disagrees with how the
flag is being treated.
I find this to be more offensive when a veteran or current
serving member of the military does this because the service member in my
opinion is suffering from “delusions of grandiose.” The person who is
attempting to burn the flag is breaking no laws so long as public safety is not
impaired by the fires. He isn’t performing an act which is unconstitutional.In
fact, flag burning has been held up by the Supreme Court as freedom of speech.
The Flag Desecration Amendment, also known as the Flag
Burning Amendment, is a very controversial Amendment allowed under the
Constitution. This Amendment states that the United States Congress has to
allow the expression of political views even if it is through the burning of
the United States Flag. This Amendment passed by the House of Representatives
states that Congress has no power to restrict the desecration of the United
States Flag.
"Desecration. Just the word
itself,” according to Robert Justin Goldstein, Professor Emeritus of
political science at Oakland University “suggests the holy status many Americans have conferred on the national
symbol.”
Like this? Then please subscribe . . . it's FREE! There's no
obligation, here's the link
The flag protection movement, he
notes, dates from the turn of the century, when conservative elements sought to
counter what they saw as the divisive effects of change by promoting respect
for the flag. The effort caught on among people of diverse backgrounds,
interests, and allegiances who saw in the flag the unity and meaning they
apparently missed in America.
Even our current President,
Donald Trump has let emotions over take his senses when it comes to freedom of
speech. When it comes to flag desecration, he tweets:
"Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag — if they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!"
Gregory Lee Johnson, then a member of the Revolutionary Communist Youth
Brigade, participated in a political demonstration during the 1984 Republican
National Convention in Dallas, Texas. Gregory Lee Johnson was convicted of violating Texas's flag
desecration law act of flag burning.
Even the late
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stressed that flag burning is protected by
the Constitution — even if he doesn't think it should be. "I hate the
result [in Texas v. Johnson]," Scalia, said in 2014 at Brooklyn Law
School. He continues, "I would send that guy to jail so fast if I were
king.”
I can understand the
emotions that the flag has on people, especially veterans even though I
disagree with those emotions. But, you cannot impose your beliefs on somebody,
especially when the beliefs of others are protected by the Constitution. You
fought in order to give people these freedoms, you shouldn’t try to dictate how
these freedoms are practiced. You should be proud that we’re allowed these
freedoms because people in other countries, they aren’t as lucky.
# # # # #
Like this? Then please subscribe . . . it's FREE! There's no
obligation, here's the link
Supporting this page gets you updates on new articles and it
allows you to register for future give aways for such items as iPads, Google
Gear, Kindles, gift cards, and Fitbits.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help
it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.
Thank you!