Legally right to burn a American flag; right to destroying other American symbolism?

What Trump said I totally agree.

"Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016


I was having a argument with my friend, I'm absolute disgusted with people burning our American Flag. I totally agree with Trump, get rid of these people, they don't respect or appreciate our country hell with em. My friend Keeps telling me the same repeated broken argument even reading on here, they have the right of freedom of speech.

Yes, you as a American have a right contest against whatever the govt is doing. They're burning our American flag, thus rejecting our principals & freedoms of the constitution by burning that flag. If someone has the legal right to burn the American flag, then any American has the right to kill a Bald Eagle, Destroy statues, or anything that related to American symbolism. Freedom of Speech can both ways.

 

If you buy an American flag with your own money it is quite a bit different than killing a wild bird or defacing a monument.

 

SCOTUS allowing American's to burn the US flag was because they had a right to free speech not buying it with their own money. Still the fact is those are American symbols. By allowing to burn it expressing "Freedom of Speech" opens the justification of destroying other American symbolism.

 

If you burn my flag, I could essentially have you arrested for destruction of my property. The act of destruction, not what was destroyed, is the key in this part. Another example would be protesting - you can protest, but if you start destroying property you will be arrested for that action.

 

I agree with your friend. When you begin jailing people for their beliefs and removing their freedoms you have done more to attack the flag than burning it will ever do. In the U.S. it is legal to be a scumbag flag burner. If we remove their rights whos stopping the next guy from removing my right to call the protestors pure scum? The attack on the 2nd is already bad enough and if the 1st is whittled at the second will become non existent. Nope we need to give people the freedom of speech and never touch it. You can solve the flag burning problem by using your free speech to tell them what scum they are and stop funding people like the college here in ma refusing to fly it. We can handle flag burners ourselves. We dont need to remove our freedoms to do so. For example you are free to make racist comments at work, you cant be jailed, You can however be fired on the spot for violating your companies policy. Same with flag burning...burn away but come monday..clean your desk out.

 

Do you totally agree with Trump? Do you think solely US citizens should (could!) have their citizenship revoked, rendering them stateless?

Do you have any actual counter to that argument?

How do you know? Aren’t their countless different reasons for burning an American flag (even if we overlook the ignored possibilities of accident, mental illness or legitimate disposal)? How is the simple act of burning a flag, separated from any social or political motive, automatically rejecting any principles at all?

 

I'm with you and Trump on this issue.