Free Republic

It’s your feel-good video of the day. The Supreme Court may rule that flag burning is protected expression under the First Amendment, but that doesn’t mean that it is acceptable to endanger ordinary citizens, who also have rights to express themselves. In this case, with a fire extinguisher.

Last week, president-elect Trump sent a tweet that ought to alarm the majority of Americans who voted for another candidate as well as most of those who voted for him. Here’s what Trump wrote: “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or a year in jail!” The very last thing we need in America is more activism meant to punish people for thinking the wrong things. Our college campuses are awash in left-wing thought control, whereby students who say or write anything that hypersensitive students...

Well, look what’s back: the instantly compelling and ultimately confounding parlor game of “What do we do about flag burning?” Dormant for years, largely because this is something virtually no one ever does, the flag burning issue is back. You could hear it knocking lightly when several idiotic pro athletes decided to lodge their concerns over policing issues by showing public disdain for the flag that is a symbol of the nation that has made them free and wealthy. Throw in the Donald Trump victory, which has dredged up some of the most hateful and juvenile reactions in election history,...

Members of the “NYC Revolution Club” burned American flags outside Trump Tower last night. This is a perfect example of the sort of left wing radicals who were silent during eight years of Obama but will be suddenly active again for the next four to eight years while Trump is president. A group of far left activists set the American flag ablaze outside the Trump Tower after President-Elect’s tweet saying flag-burners should lose citizenship or even face jail. ‘Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship...

I'll be sure to let all the Christian bakeries know that the left once again gives a crap about the First Amendment. I'm sure they'll consider that to be very exciting news It’s a bad idea. It’s also an unconstitutional idea. Finally, it’s an impossible idea. Maybe that’s why Trump tweeted it. Given his cabinet choices and his early policy priorities, Trump is shaping up like a guy who governs as a fairly mainstream conservative but thunders rhetorically like the populist who proved everyone wrong and won the presidency. No, you can’t jail flag-burners. But if you’d like to tweet...

Donald Trump would appear to have done something very controversial (again) on Twitter Tuesday morning, registering his support for making flag-burning a crime punishable by as much as a year in jail or even the revoking of one's citizenship. As our Philip Bump notes, it's not the first time Trump has pitted himself against things that have been defined by the Supreme Court as First Amendment rights — nor will it likely be the last. And as Bump also notes, Trump's decision to stand against flag-burning is likely to pit defenders of the practice “against the patriotism of people who find...

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened loss of citizenship or jail for those who burn the American flag, saying such protests — which the Supreme Court has declared to be free speech — should carry “consequences.” Trump offered his thoughts in an early-morning post on Twitter, saying, “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag.”

Seem Mr. Trump correctly pointed out that folks in this country who feel the need to disrespect our flag in any form or fashion need to refrain from doing so, at least publicly. He is correct. Countries garner respect for defending their territory, their culture and their language, all of which make a country a country. We seem to be failing on all counts. In Mexico, if you trash their flag in public, you will be beaten and/or killed by the public who sees you doing so BEFORE the police can even get there. Or, in Thailand, do something to...

With snowflakes everywhere across America seemingly content to burn the Stars & Stripes to protest democracy's decision to elect what they have been told is a racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, sexist, tax-fraud as president... ... President-elect Donald Trump has put his foot down in this seemingly most unpatriotic of endeavors: 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 Of course, there is the small issue of changing the Constitution as flag burning remains protected speech...

While president-elect Donald Trump has taken flack from civil libertarians for his sudden resurrection of the flag-burning issue, it’s worth noting that his former general election opponent Hillary Clinton once came under fire from liberal allies for sponsoring a bill that aimed to throw those who burned the flag in prison. Clinton’s stance on flag-burning is complicated to say the least. In theory, she has consistently opposed a flag-burning amendment, and voted against it when it came up for a vote in 2006. But a year earlier, she sponsored a bill that was widely seen as a runaround the Supreme...

Donald Trump came under heavy criticism Tuesday after calling for the criminalization of burning the American flag, with critics gasping that the president-elect’s words represent a threat to the First Amendment. However, Trump’s suggestions are similar to a bill pushed in the Senate in 2005 that would criminalize flag burning – a bill that was co-sponsored by then-Sen. Hillary Clinton. Trump tweeted that there should be “consequences” for the burning of the flag -- including a year in jail or a loss of citizenship -- which is seen by many as an act of desecration. Nobody should be allowed to...

President Elect Donald Trump put out an interesting tweet this morning: "Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!" Maybe some 4-D chess going on? I also found this, Trump's Tweet coupled with a "Flag Protection Act" bill that none other than Crooked Hillary Clinton introduced to the senate floor in 2005. Anyway, this should provoke some interesting discussion as well as another meltdown from the Left.

Hampshire College in Massachusetts has announced that it will no longer fly the U.S. flag at all in response to an incident where the flag was taken down and burned. The president of the college says that by getting rid of the flag the school will be able to focus on other issues like halting Islamophobia and promoting gay rights. The mess for Hampshire College started a week and a half ago, after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. The school responded to Trump’s victory by keeping the U.S. flag at half-staff, as if in mourning, which upset...

With all the recent late-August talk of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand and salute to the National Anthem which caused a fierce debate on social media and the press, we all know that some folks in this country loves to burn the U.S. flag. Although it is constitutional, what would you do if someone near/in front of you burned the U.S. flag? I remember some communists burning the U.S. flag near a park in NYC last year. What would you do?

A Hillary Clinton supporter was arrested outside the Democratic nominee's rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday for attacking an elderly man. Joshua Sturman, 23, walked over to a group of protesters holding Donald Trump signs across the street from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and attempted to light an American flag on fire before tackling a man to the ground according to the criminal complaint in the case. He was apprehended by police on the scene soon after and is now facing charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct, causing or risking catastrophe and recklessly endangering another person.

Protesters at the Democratic National Convention grew even rowdier than on previous nights and a U.S. flag was lit on fire — and a protester attempting to dance on the burning flag ended up on fire. The graphic video can be seen below. Police and protesters attempted to treat the injuries and worked together to carry off the burned protester.

In what was perhaps one of the most violent clashes yet between police and protesters outside the Republican National Convention, a protester accidentally set himself on fire trying to be a bad ass and burn an American flag. While protesters were yelling “Burn that rag!” a Cleveland police officer reportedly began shouting, “You’re on fire! You’re on fire, stupid!” at the protester whipping around the burning flag that had to be extinguished by firefighters before more people caught on fire. (Watch the video at link)

CLEVELAND (CBSNewYork/AP) — Police arrested 17 people Wednesday after a melee broke out during a flag-burning in the streets outside the Republican National Convention.(snip)Among those arrested was Gregory “Joey” Johnson, whose torching of the flag at a GOP convention three decades ago led to the landmark 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said flag-burning is speech protected by the First Amendment.Moments after the flag was set on fire, officers charged in to put it out with an extinguishing spray that some in the crowd thought was pepper spray because of similarities in the design of the canisters and the eye...

<p>CLAYTON (KCBS/AP) — An East Bay man has been arrested on suspicion of a hate crime after a rainbow flag was burned at a Clayton church.</p> <p>The flag was burned at the Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church. Church officials believe this was the latest act of recent vandalism surrounding the flag.</p>

Milwaukee police officers are respectful of the American flag because of the liberty it represents. Black Lives Matter protesters just want the freedom, and couldn't care less about the flag - or the country that affords it. Democratic State Sen. Lena Taylor posted several photos of protesters outside the Milwaukee Theatre where the Republican presidential debate was taking place last night, including one of a protester standing on an American flag and pointing at it.