Does the First Amendment give us the right to desecrate the American flag?
Or is the flag a sacred symbol of our nation, deserving protection by law?
Tough call? "The Solution" for those who want to light Old Glory on fire, stomp
all over it, or spit on it to make some sort of "statement," I say let them
do it. But under one condition: they MUST get permission from three sponsors.
Written by Tom Adkins
First, you need permission of a war veteran.
Perhaps a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima? The American flag was raised over
Mount Surabachi upon the bodies of thousands of dead buddies. Each night
spent on Iwo Jima meant half of everyone you knew would be dead tomorrow, a
coin flip away from a bloody end upon a patch of sand your mother couldn't
find on a map. Or maybe ask a Vietnam vet who spent years tortured in a
small, filthy cell unfit for a dog. Or a Korean War soldier who helped rescue
half a nation from Communism, or a Desert Storm warrior who repulsed a bloody
dictator from raping and pillaging an innocent country. That flag represented
your mother and father, your sister and brother, your friends, neighbors, and
everyone at home. I wonder what they would say if someone asked them permission to burn the American flag?
Second, you need a signature from an immigrant.
Their brothers and sisters may still languish in their native land, often
under tyranny, poverty and misery. Or maybe they died on the way here, never
to touch our shores. Some have seen friends and family get tortured and
murdered by their own government for daring to do things we take for granted
every day. For those who risked everything simply for the chance to become an
American, what kind of feelings do they have for the flag when they Pledge
Allegiance the first time? Go to a naturalization ceremony and see for
yourself, the tears of pride, the thanks, the love and respect of this
nation, as they finally embrace the American flag as their own. Ask one of
them if it would be OK to burn the flag or spit on it.
Third, you should get the signature of a mother.
Not just any mother. You need a mother of someone who gave their life for
America. It doesn't even have to be from a war. It could be a cop. Or a
fireman. Maybe a Secret Service or NSA agent. Then again, it could be a
common foot soldier as well. When that son or daughter is laid to rest, their
family is given one gift by the American people; an American flag. Go on. I
dare you. Ask that mother if you can spit on her flag. Away from family, away
from the precious shores of home, in the face of overwhelming odds and often
in the face of death, the American flag inspires those who believe in the
American dream, the American promise, the American vision...
Americans who don't appreciate the flag don't appreciate this nation. And
those who appreciate this nation appreciate the American flag. So if you want
to desecrate the American flag, before you spit on it or before you burn it,
I have a simple request. Just ask permission. Not from the Constitution. Not
from some obscure law. Not from the politicians or the pundits. Instead, ask
those who have defended our nation so that we may be free today. Ask those
who struggled to reach our shores so that they may join us in the American
dream.
And then, please ask permission from those who died wishing they could, just once ... or once again...see, touch or kiss the flag that stands for our nation, the United States of America...the greatest nation on earth.