This is a sort of “two-fer” deal in terms of posts:
- The House of Representatives voted for an amendment to ban flag burning. Two thoughts:
- Isn’t it interesting, during a news cycle where we are learning that Bush’s war in Iraq is going quite badly and where poll numbers indicate that most Americans now thing this is a bad idea, that the Republicans try a diversion like the whole flag burning thing?
- My favorite commentary on flag burning came years and years ago from Miss Manners. This had to be at least 15 years ago when I was living in Richmond and regularly reading The Washington Post. Miss Manners pointed out that the issue with burning the flag has nothing to do with it being legal or not. It’s just rude, and, as Miss Manners pointed out, sometimes people do all sorts of things that are rude just to make a point.
When I was in high school (and this will again show my youthful age) during Desert Storm, my friend and I were going to burn a flag at the 4th of July parade. My parents finaly stopped us though… not because they thought it was wrong, but because we would’ve gotten our asses kicked: two small kids with a burning flag in Plymouth , it would’ve been a mess. I’m glad they talked us out of it, but I’ve always wanted to do it.