Should burning the American flag be a criminal offense?

[msc545]

Yes, it should be a crime

No, it should remain not criminal

[slatyb]

The flag is a symbol of the United States. What unites the United States? The Constitution. If someone wants to buy and burn the flag, it doesn't affect me at all. What affects me? People who want to destroy the Constitution and the rule of law.

[abc3643]

It can't be. Such a statute would be a clear unjustifiable violation of the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause.

Here's a history of it.

https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/flag-desecration/

[Breanna_nonbinary]

Nope. Burning an American flag is the greatest freedom a person can have. It’s protected under the constitution to do so and the point of the bill of rights.

[midnightmoon05]

That would be nice..

more needs to be done. But who am I to say…

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes, it should be a crime.

[msc545]

That would violate the First Amendment.

[MisterWack]

It is a low hanging fruit of all protests from all backgrounds. It should remain non criminal.
After all, when your old US flag was dirty…. Most people throw them out / burn it so, making it a criminal offense outright would make it difficult to dispose of.

Now, since most protests burn a US flag as a sign of freedom of speech it should be allowed. Infact wouldn’t flying the flag upside down be a sign of disrespect for a strong symbol of this nation? No… It is freedom of speech. Idc.

[BetaBucks]

Not if you own the flag and do it in a safe manner. But I'll still call them morons. If you hate a country to that level, it makes no sense to stick around. Like those people that are miserable at their jobs but refuse to find another one. Basically masochists.

[Sevenpointfive]

you haven't looked into what it takes to leave the country. around $25,000. 13k of which goes straight to the government

[BetaBucks]

I don't think you're getting accurate information.

[Sevenpointfive]

that's probably right. i don't think they'll let me leave

[BetaBucks]

Ah, you're on probation/parole. I remember having to sign the probation documents saying I couldn't move.

But now that I'm free, I can leave as long as I pay income tax for the time I was working here. My company got relocated out of the US, and we were all heavily pressured into leaving the US. I almost did, so I've looked into this a bit. My colleagues all left except two of us, and we were threatened with termination but they were all talk. Now, all my US buddies are living in Canada, Mexico, UAE and Estonia. But they just had to pay taxes for their earned income. But if you leave before a certain time of the year, I think you don't even have to pay those taxes.

[Sevenpointfive]

i'm not military so i don't know. i do know the exit tax is $10,000, plus the passport

[BetaBucks]

I'm letting you know that whoever told you that was lying to you. I don't know why, but I'm guessing they didn't have your best interests in mind. There is no exit tax. It's just that you would still have to pay income tax for the money you earned here. But you have to pay that anyway. If you're broke and unemployed it's 100% free to leave.

[midnightmoon05]

I know those who want to leave will do anything to leave. And have left because they know they can do more and better else where.

Those who are happy will be happy anywhere and make the best out of their situations.
Those who bitches and whine will do so regardless of where they are.

The difference- the US will let you bitch however you wish… almost!
Other countries not so much.

I would love to see the US deport the lazy bitchy and disrespect morons to some island lol and let them set up their own system to govern!

[Sevenpointfive]

why would the media lie to me?

[BetaBucks]

Maybe to keep people from leaving. Maybe to cause outrage.

[Sevenpointfive]

perhaps this will clear something up? maybe not? but giving up citizenship is what the article was about. now, working in a foreign land doesn't require that, so perhaps you confused the two things?

[BetaBucks]

Yeah, that makes sense about where the disconnect came from. But bou don't need to officially renounce citizenship to permanently leave the united states. The article was intentionally misleading you to make you feel that way. The only reason you would spend money (less than what they quoted though) to go through the renunciation process is to make some sort of statement. And you screw yourself over because you can't return. It makes absolutely no sense to do it when you can just leave and not return.

[Sevenpointfive]

it's curious for sure. like why can't we have citizenship in as many countries as we want? i know people that have properties in lots of foreign lands. china is buying up American soil near military bases.

anyway. i just want the option to move and be happy. i'm not quite ready yet, but soon. i don't understand how anyone here can survive this political turmoil and be okay with it.

[BetaBucks]

Honestly bro, the way to survive is to just fucking ignore it. I know you can never completely get away from all of it. But you can ignore so much of it that it barely becomes a burden. I've not watched the news in maybe 13 or 14 years. I read political news maybe once a month, but it's when I need clarification about what other people are yapping about.

I know how stressful this stuff can be and I know how much it can dig at our mental health. But we don't have to let the rulers get under our skin like that. They want us angry and they want us fighting each other. Don't let those psychopaths win.

Oh, but on the topic, hell yeah we should be able to hold citizenship wherever we want (except elected officials), and the people I know that have dual citizenship just do it and never get caught. There's no punishment for doing it, even though you're technically not supposed to. I wouldn't pick any sanctioned country though. That might get some of the wrong people watching your house.

[Sevenpointfive]

the government has made living a burden. it seems you watch the news or you don't. i prefer not to buy into the politics of society but i dabble on here. because it's so fucking stupid that people believe this crap!

give me a tent (i already have one) and a river. that's really all i need.

[BetaBucks]

Amen bro. That's how we're supposed to live anyway. In nature, not cubicles...

[exitseven]

it really is a First Amendment argument. I do not approve of the act but I approve in their right to do so. I would like to see one of these maggots accidently set them self on fire. That would be funnier than when the little pampered puke that was pulling down a statue only to have the statue fall on him, crushing him to death, Maybe Karma exists after all.

[Guacamole409]

I saw this on FOX, and the panel discussed it. But then out of the blue, a brilliant woman on the panel said: "Burn all the American flags you want, as long as they're YOUR flags." Brilliant. That put a smile on my face.

The asker and I are like the cartoon: Itchy and Scratchy, and we spar all the time. But if he's talking about the American pro-terrorist-Hamas group, they didn't burn their own flags. They are criminals.

[nolabels]

Although the improper use or abuse of the U. S. flag in an act of disrespect is despicable, by doing so, our enemies clearly identify themselves by such acts, thereby losing their anonymity.

I would classify such acts as being those of an immature nature, not to be wholly disregarded, but not very intelligent actions by those who would do such things.

It's similar to a spy going around announcing that they are spies.
They tend to not stay long in the spy business.

[DryGermanGuy]

2,5 million people are in American jails and prisons, 2,5 million more in the parole / probation system… how many more do you want to add in „the greatest, freest country of the world“?

[BoopBoopBeep]

As long as I can burn a Palestinian flag or an Israeli flag or a BLM flag, sure, but soon as you talk about charging me with hate speech... good for the goose, good for the gander...

[Skinhead-1979]

It's just a flag... a piece of cloth.

(I am not American; but I simply do not care about Nations and Borders)

[Drewtate]

Better to ignore it, it loses its power that way just like kneeling for the national anthem.

[Anonymous]

if you own it. you bought it. it belongs to you, then it should be fine to do whatever you want with it. IF you take it from someone else, that's theft. That IS and should be a crime. IF you take it from someone and then burn it that should be a hate crime, just as it is for flags of Mexico and other "protected groups". That's all there is to it.

[animesenpai]

The flag belongs to all Americans you should be able to do with it as you wish to express yourself. Prohibiting other people's speech is a snowflake thing to do

[Chazmatazz269]

Not if it’s your own flag and your own property. Burning someone else’s flag should be a crime. Starting any kind of fire on someone else’s property should be a crime.

[Dargil]

Oh Nooo!!! I'm a criminal. I have retired tattered American Flags. The SOP is to burn them in a container, not on the round. I used a metal fire pit. Ex military, I saluted it after I lit it.

[Curmudgeon]

Well, if some mob desecrates a flag *they do not own*, as has happened at some state capitals, then why not get them on vandalism and destruction of property?

[purplepoppy]

I thought that was the correct way of disposal of old damaged flags.

However it should be illegal if the intent is to stir up hatred, cause excessive offence, or leads to public disorder.

[exitseven]

It is. The local VFW has a box at the dump. You put your old flags in the box and they will dispose of them properly. They have a ceremony and burn them.

[handsomelad70]

No, it's a non-violent, if off-putting protest.

[Kelley1]

It depends on if you or someone else owns it.

[Staximus]

I remember the 4th of July in 1989, some dipshit around the corner was burning an American flag. My neighbor went over there with an AR-15 and made him put it out with his own garden hose.

[Twalli]

We burned a flag in boy scouts to retire it. We had a new one that was already flying. The one we retired was falling apart and thr red was extremely washed out.

[andreasderjuengere]

Yes of course..
It's an unnecessary contribution to raised CO2 levels.

[Brady]

No unless it's someone else's flag you're burnin. Othr than that it's just a piece of cloth.

[MikeyObrien]

Not as long as burning any other flag isn't. including the rainbow or blm flag

[MikeyObrien]

And obviously as long as it's your own property

[MysteriousDarkness]

Burning it just to do it or from a place of hatred should be a crime.

[Pterodon]

As a vet yes it should be. If you hate the country that much then get the fuck out

[Cheerfull009]

Not only American, burning of all countries', is a crime

[Guacamole409]

Yes. Try that in Singapore.

[Agape93]

Nope. I've burned like 3 before

[paledreams]

I'm not American and I voted B

[DrPepper12]

Its protected speech. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be against it.

[ArianaGrandee]

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