On the Issue of Flag Burning.

For the past week in class, we have analyzed the issue of flag burning as a way to protest and whether or not it should be allowed in the United States.  The issue goes all the way back to the Texas v. Johnson case of 1989, where a man was prosecuted for burning the flag as a protest of the re-nomination of Ronald Reagan.  One side says, Americans should be able to burn the flag because there is no specific law in the Constitution stating that it is prohibited.  Others say that the American Flag is a symbol of freedom embodied in America, and to burn the flag is an invitation to violence.  Today, it is not prohibited to burn the flag.

As terrible as burning the American flag is, I believe that yes, if somebody for some reason wants to burn an American flag, they can go ahead and do it.  Now, I'm not promoting the burning of the flag, I'm saying that people should not get in trouble for it.  There are already consequences to burning the flag.  If someone in your neighborhood were burning an American flag as a way to protest, most people will think of him/her as a twisted person and avoid him/her.  So, go nuts, burn the flag if you'd like, but it will probably be more of a detriment than a benefit and people will have negative opinions of you.