June 28, 2006
True patriots loathe flag-burners. But they LOVE Boy Scouts. So how can they (we) tolerate ritualistic, pagan Boy Scout flag-burning? (Although, does the woman above maybe look like Cindy Sheehan cleverly disguised as a den mother? That would explain everything).
Well, Boy Scouts and pedophiles and insurgents alike can safely burn flags to their heart's content this 4th of July, no thanks to Congress. A proposed ammendment that would allow Congress to ban flag-burning forever failed by one vote yesterday. If I were feeling optimistic I'd use this as a jazzy plug for democracy, See what one vote can do! Just one! But since I'm feeling like myself, this just confirms for me that 2/3 of Congress minus one are a-holes.
If you ask me, this particular ammendment just wasn't specific enough--you have to take into consideration the sentiment in which the flag is burned. What is the flag-burner thinking about at the time of burning? Is the burner American-born, are they in a relationship with the flag at the time of burning? What is the flag's sexual history?
Well, Boy Scouts and pedophiles and insurgents alike can safely burn flags to their heart's content this 4th of July, no thanks to Congress. A proposed ammendment that would allow Congress to ban flag-burning forever failed by one vote yesterday. If I were feeling optimistic I'd use this as a jazzy plug for democracy, See what one vote can do! Just one! But since I'm feeling like myself, this just confirms for me that 2/3 of Congress minus one are a-holes.
If you ask me, this particular ammendment just wasn't specific enough--you have to take into consideration the sentiment in which the flag is burned. What is the flag-burner thinking about at the time of burning? Is the burner American-born, are they in a relationship with the flag at the time of burning? What is the flag's sexual history?
Orrin Hatch (Utah, R), the ammendment's chief backer, made this compelling pre-vote plea: "Nobody loses a thing by voting for this, and we gain a great deal by supporting our troops, our veterans." Yeah right! Nobody loses, except the 3 to 4 people responsible for the 3 to 4 flag burnings that take place each year. If Congress really wanted to support our troops, you'd think they'd direct some of this energy toward financing Cher and Operation Helmet.
Jessie
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