Free Speech Does Not Mean Free Insolence

This week in the language arts honors classes, we have started our debate unit. Specifically, whether or not an ammendment should be added to the constitution prohibiting the burning of our American flag. The answer to this question is yes.The American flag represents everything that our country stands for: past, present, and future. Defacing this national symbol not only slams the country as it is today, but how it was intended to be as well as all of the people who have sacrificed their lives for America. Just because you disagree with what is happening in the country today, does not mean you should be allowed to destroy a symbol of the country as a whole.

Most people opposing this arguement were stating, "I don't want to burn the flag, I just want the right to."
Okay, that is a hypocritical statement within itself. You are literally agreeing that flag burning is morally wrong, yet you want to protect the right to do this? Some stated that it was a "peaceful protest." No, I'm sorry there is nothing peaceful about flag burning. People who wish to burn the flag are not peaceful people. There are many other ways to protest the government other than anhilating such an iconic symbol.

The flag represents what gave you the right to free speech in the first place. You would be burning the symbol that protects your right to free speech, in the name of free speech. A classmate informed me that  in America it used to be considered morally wrong to have an interracial marriage, therefore the flag also represents that view point if what I was saying is true. Uh no, as a country we realized the error in that way of thinking and fixed that law, ammended that law. Laws are meant to be changed and transformed and to grow with the country.

Additionally, a "snowball effect" was proposed to happen, claiming that if we prohibit this what else will the government ban. That arguement goes both ways, if we allow flag burning what else will we allow? People cannot have total reign to speak out in any way possible. If this were allowed, chaos would ensue and those truly against our country could cause serious harm.

If you do not have enough pride in our country to feel angered and insulted when somebody burns our national symbol, then maybe you should reflect upon yourself and consider living in a more "free" country that allows defemation of their national symbol.  Good luck finding a place that gives you as many rights that we have here and when that fails maybe you will realize that America protects freedom of speech to an extremely high level of degree.