Terry..I love the Union Jack too..it's really pretty...however you love the Union Jack more than I ever could because it's your flag...so it must be unlike any other to you...
Yes I agree Karen, but it was the "Our Flag is unlike any other, on earth! " statement that I queried, it is unlike any other to the citizens of any particular country, but not the whole world surely? I am not a particularly nationalistic person and know that most countries have lost many in various wars, and can see their flag as a symbol of that loss of life for the preservation of their country. In saying that the flag is only a symbol and as others have said, at times some citizens make a point of burning this symbol, to draw attention to a disagreement they may have with a government and it's laws. In my opinion that is a freedom that should be maintained.
Yes, well it is definitely a symbol of what Americans hold dear...freedom..that ideal...maybe more than the flag itself...if that makes sense...which is why even that symbol can be legally burned when citizens are angry at the government over something..such as Vietnam. I am glad that I live in a country where freedom is protected. I think some might misinterpret this flag thing as extreme patriotism or nationalism...but for me it is about freedom.
Yes, me too. Don't let some punks get to you, @Ike Willis. then they have won, they just want to make you angry by burning the flag and getting a reaction. I would hope all you vets are smarter and wiser than they are. I hope I didn't offend any vets, that was never my intention, just defending a right as Karen posted.
I much preferred the land line all the way back to the crank phone. The cranker was soooo much more versatile than today's cellphone. Generally speaking, the old phone was a 2,3, or even a 4 party phone so we could stay MUCH closer to our neighbor's. And let's not forget that granny had to have something to do later in the evening so listening to what someone else was up to was her job. And furthermore, has anyone ever tried to get serious and do some fishing with a cell phone? I figured that maybe if I put a picture of a minnow on the screen it might help catch a few croppie or even a bass but nada. The picture goes out when it gets wet and heck, it won't even work as a good sinker after the battery is dead. With a crank phone we could take it off of the wall and go out a throw a couple of wires into the water and crank it up. It was guaranteed that if there were any fish nearby that they would come floating to the top. No hooks to remove, no tangled fish line and no need to keep the worms alive. I still can't see why it turned illegal, except in some of the remote bayous of Louisiana. Uh,....it's not that it's legal but in the bayous a whole lot of stuff goes as okay. Yeah @Ike Willis, they just do not remember the good stuff!!
Truthfully, my aim with the OP was to show how the technology has taken over folks' common sense, if not their patriotism. I actually never thought of the disrespect shown on purpose, such as flag burning, but rather wanted to show how incredibly consumed people have become by their new toy, that they thoughtlessly act as they do. Frank
@Bobby Cole , you need to get one of those plastic underwater iphone protector cases. When I was in Maui in Sept, my son bought one and it's remarkable what great pics he took underwater and no damage at all to his iphone. As for crank phones, wayyyy before my time. Never even had a party line. All that is alien to me.
These people are probably thoughtless anyway, don't think new technology has much to do with it. I love my devices but I know when not to use them. You'll always have someone in a crowd that is thoughtless....what else is new? You have people in movie theaters that always talk to each other, push the back of your seat, etc. There are countless annoyances in life that have nothing to do with cell phones. Did you ask the person nicely to step outside to talk?
I'm a veteran. I served under and love out flag too. But, the fact is others are not as invested in it or it's meaning and they do things that offend me. They do have the right to do it, but I have the right to my opinion of them. I've read this thread and I see Chrissy's comment as it stands, I know she wouldn't burn a American (or any other) flag. I am not sure why GR felt she somehow was defending the flag burning, clearly she was not. Morals have changed in our society and not for the better.
While the topic of flag burning certainly wasn't the intent of the topic it has been picked up my several posters including myself as a serious subject. Here is a link that might provide some insight into a few incidents that involved the desecration of the U.S.A. symbol of freedom. http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/desecration.htm While "some" may attach the desecration of the flag as a 1st amendment right there is nothing in the constititution that says it is. Speech is speech and action is action. If I say I want to kill someone it is not necessarily illegal until I actually do it. If I say I want to burn the flag it is free speech. To do it is a travesty and actually illegal in most states. Let's not forget that the flag is more than just a piece of material. I have an American flag flying in front of our home but while the material may belong to my wife and I because we bought it, the symbol applied to the cloth belongs to the American people. To desecrate the flag in any manner is to desecrate the very idea that anyone can indeed be free and is a slap in the face to ALL patriotic Americans who fly it and who fought for it both past and present.
Then if it's illegal, they should be arrested. I thought it was legal. My views still stand. Wether I like what is said or not, we have free speech to a certain extent.
I looked it up and this is what I found. Is this right or wrong? It can't be that difficult. Legal or illegal? What Does It Mean to Desecrate the Flag? The US flag is sometimes burnt as a symbol of protest, often against the policies of the American government. The flag can also be used in other symbolic ways, such as wearing it in an offensive manner or, as in this case, displaying it upside-down. The US Supreme Court decided the First Amendment to the Constitution says it's unconstitutional for a government (whether federal, state or town) to prohibit the desecration of a flag, because it's seen as "symbolic speech." While burning a flag is actually an action, a non-verbal act makes a similar statement. And it is protected as symbolic speech under the First Amendment. I guess that's why no arrests. Again, if I am wrong please show me the right answer.