I don't think it needs to be said how despicable I find flag-burning. I think it is the highest form of disrespect to our nation and the ideals we espouse. But it is the very fact that flag-burning is not illegal that makes this country what it is. The fact that someone can burn a flag here without facing penalty is exactly what makes it unnecessary to use flag-burning as protest. It is its very legality that sets our country apart.
I understand why people are trying to change that. For those who have dedicated their lives to public service, especially those who have come from military backgrounds, fighting for that flag, it has to be appalling to see people desecrate it. But the flag is simply a symbol of deeper things. Nobody fights for a flag, they fight for ideals. One of the chief ideals is the continuing freedom of people in the US and around the world. And the fact that flag desecration is legal means that desecration of the flag is an exercise in futility. Protecting and furthering freedom includes the freedom to be unpopular.
Can you summarize that better? Nail that to the church door! I'm ready to defend that thesis now, thanks to The Unrepentant Individual's perspicacity.
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