tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11871879.post111956013881162977..comments2023-06-08T07:55:06.778-04:00Comments on PHREADOM: on flag burningJStressmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093511297065444266noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11871879.post-1119756614167045002005-06-25T23:30:00.000-04:002005-06-25T23:30:00.000-04:00you don't burn a bible inside the church because i...you don't burn a bible inside the church because it's a fire hazard, not to mention that you're on private property etc.<BR/><BR/>just because burning a flag WILL piss people off, doesn't mean that's a valid reason to make it illegal. the same as the fact that there is NO valid reason to make it illegal to stand on the street corner and say "I would like to fuck my girlfriends pretty mouth.". period. free is no longer free the moment you start putting restrictions on it. then you are permitted to do some things, not free to do as you will.<BR/><BR/>as for moving to a different country, I think that's a matter of deep seated patriotism and indoctrination. we really do "love our country" for whatever reasons. we really do believe we're the best country on earth. couple that with the fear and ignorance of what it actually entails to try to become an actual citizen of another country. do you get branded as a traitor to your country? do you get in trouble? do you have to learn a whole new way of life? are things really bad enough to reject your country and leave friends and family behind to move to another country?<BR/><BR/>I've actually considered a lot of these things... and it still feels to me like I'd rather fix the problems here than revoke my rights as a citizen of the United States etc... for a lot of the reasons I stated above and probably a host of others that I simply haven't been perceptive and introspective and self-ware enough to really see and/or understand.<BR/><BR/>say it's like a mother loving a child... even when that child gets addicted to drugs and steals from her... she loves that child... that child is a part of her... and she will probably never be able to stop loving that child as her own... and wishing for the best in them... and trying to help if she can to "fix" them.<BR/><BR/>loving someone or something doesn't always mean you're happy with it or them. it's means you love it or them and just want the best for it or them.JStressmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11093511297065444266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11871879.post-1119668428966988012005-06-24T23:00:00.000-04:002005-06-24T23:00:00.000-04:00lisa, unfortunately our country has been and will ...lisa, unfortunately our country has been and will stay wishy washy, I believe, for some time to come. and it's not just the way we talk to each other, in foreign politics as well. always trying to please and to comply to other countries, especially the US... <BR/><BR/>as for the flag burning, I find it is quite telling that the us won't let their citizens express their dissatisfaction with - the symbol, the government, the policies, whatever the flag is for them- it tells that they have a reason to believe that their citizens have reason to be unhappy with it, so just force silence on the people... on this issue, at least.Françoisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12513142735429023201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11871879.post-1119566145209443142005-06-23T18:35:00.000-04:002005-06-23T18:35:00.000-04:00historically the only area to which it did not ext...historically the only area to which it did not extend was in such cases as yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, which was likely to cause phsyical harm etc. or specifically calling for the death or harm of another person.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech" REL="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Speech</A><BR/><BR/>a little more specifically.<BR/><BR/>although in the case of preserving "Morals", I'd have to say that I don't agree with that aim. if I want to speak out for gay sex, many could and probably would argue that I was being immoral. because they don't agree and don't want to hear it, and because it goes against their religious beliefs, am I to be prevented from saying it?<BR/><BR/>it's obvious that our "freedoms" in the United States are not even REMOTELY unfettered freedoms. we are not very free at all when it comes down it... just more free than a lot of other countries etc.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_test" REL="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_test</A><BR/><BR/>I think we can go into a long discussion about this. I hold out for the preservation of the right to speak my mind rather than censoring someone for the sake of trying to prevent someone simply being offended. I would hope that this isn't hard to understand.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment" REL="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment</A><BR/><BR/><I>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.</I><BR/><BR/>well, obviously the government didn't give a shit about not establishing religion... "In god we trust", "one nation under god"... so why should they care about making no law abridging the freedom of speech? of course they're going to pussy foot around the issue and say that including god in our national motto and pledge of allegiance isn't <I>REALLY</I> establishing a religion... and that prohibiting a whole slew of different types of speech isn't really prohibiting free speech in general.<BR/><BR/>yeah. of course.<BR/><BR/>sorry, but I think I don't agree with slowly letting our rights be pissed away... eroded away... while people continually numb to the loss until the point where nothing really phases them anymore. like thinking the <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_act" REL="nofollow">USA PATRIOT Act</A> is actually a good thing, and worth giving up essential rights and liberties for. because of the implied threat that we are all in imminent danger... so we have to allow searches into our homes without our notification, without real judicial oversight, allow ourselves to be locked up without charges or access to legal representation... to allow video camera into every nook and cranny of our lives... because this is supposed to prevent things like 9/11. even thought in reality we have a better chance of being attacked by a shark than being the victim of a terrorist attack. and because the 9/11 hijackers were caught on film and it didn't stop them.<BR/><BR/>the government has created a climate of fear and used that as justification to give us a reason to willfully give up our rights and freedoms. rally around the flag! rally around god! or you must not be a patriot! if you don't love god and the flag and our president you must be a terrorist! etc...<BR/><BR/>there is a very dangerous mindset at work here.<BR/><BR/>like I said... people need to take a lesson from history.JStressmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11093511297065444266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11871879.post-1119563662845214212005-06-23T17:54:00.000-04:002005-06-23T17:54:00.000-04:00"Does anyone have the slightest concept of what ou..."Does anyone have the slightest concept of what our founding fathers wrote down?"<BR/><BR/>Well for starters, they didn't really give you the absolute right to free speech.<BR/>CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com