i was reading the ny times today at it seems that the senate in america is going to have a vote to make flag burning illegal
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/washington/27cnd-flag.html?ex=1309060800&en=47e975cc61cf1de3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
they want to insert the following into the consitution
"the Congress shall have the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States"
now this is a tricky subject but it's one that i have a strange affinity to
firstly i'm not american i'm irish so i can only talk about my flag
in ireland we have no laws governing how to use the flag and what and cannot be done with it
the department of the taoiseach has a set of guidelines detailing the correct protocol to respect the flag but cannot inforce them as law.
the flag is a symbol of our nation, our heritage, who we are and what we as a people stand for.
many have fought and died with honour under the flag and some have brought shame on themselves, our nation and the flag
i think that in all cases the flag and derivatives of it should be used with respect. whether it is flying over government buildings or being carried by football supporters to a match (which in most cases breaches the guidelines).
the flag should never be allowed hit the ground
it shouldn't be displayed when it's old and dirty
and
you should never ever disrespect yourself while carrying, wearing or representing the flag and therefore our nation. and that includes eveybody.
yes you!
if you are going to drape a flag over your shoulders to go to a rugby game fine
but don't then pass out drunk with it wrapped around you
it's important
it devalues who we are
and i would even go so far as to say
supporters when following irish teams are all representing the flag, should act that way
and should never boo the opposition
so what about burning the flag
it's an interesting one
if we carry the flag with respect as a symbol of our nation and who we are
then surely it is disrespectful to destroy it?
in my opinion
no
if you carry your flag with respect and endevour to do right by it and your nation
and feel that
your nation and therefore you are not living up to the standards and ideals expected
then burning the flag symbolically to say
that the flag has been disrespected and therefore means nothing to the people you are protesting about is a valid action
you don't burn it because you don't like a person because no one person represents the flag
but if a nation or government of a nation in your opinion is not representing the nation with integrety than
by burning the flag you are stating that the flag is devalued by those leaders.
so what about the us vote
it's petty and a waste of time
if people feel so strongly about their cause that they are willing to burn their flag
i doubt if they will care too much about whether it is against the law.
personally i would care a lot more about companies using the flag and it's derivatives ie red, white and blue or star and stripes imagery, for commercial means
on a side note: a couple of years ago guinness made thousands of irish flags with the guinness name on them as part of a promotion around the world cup. the president asked them to remove them from circulation as it was direspectful and they promptly did
if you want to read the protocols for the irish flag
http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/upload/publications/1104.pdf
i know this was a very serious post but
as i said
for some strange reason
the flag is important to me
