lakers
10-06-02, 07:01 PM
> 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.
> 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 ask those who
> clutch a flag in place of their sacrificed sons and daughters, given to
> this nation so that others may be free. For we cannot 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.
> Go ahead. Ask. I dare you!
>
> Michael J. Cannell
__________________
> 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.
> 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 ask those who
> clutch a flag in place of their sacrificed sons and daughters, given to
> this nation so that others may be free. For we cannot 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.
> Go ahead. Ask. I dare you!
>
> Michael J. Cannell
__________________