Flag Burning Amendment

Nazis burn books in Berlin in 1933

For books are not absolutely dead things, but... do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous Dragon's teeth; and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men. And yet on the other hand unless warriors be used, as good almost kill a Man a good Book; who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills Reason itself, kills the Image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the Earth; but a good Book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.

John Milton
Areopagitica

http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/burning/burning.html


Book Burning in the 21st Century

"Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings."
(German: "Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen.")
— Heinrich Heine, from his play Almansor (1821)


... Harvest Assembly of God Church in Penn Township ...

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bookburning/21stcentury/21stcentury.htm

On April 7, in the case of Virginia v. Black, the Supreme Court held that cross-burning with intent to intimidate is not protected by the First Amendment. However, such intent cannot be inferred from the act of cross-burning itself; it must be separately proven. <snip>
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20030417_chemerinsky.html

<snip>
Hundreds of napalm bombs were shipped into Iraq and dozens were dropped on numerous sites. The official website of the U.S.M.C. reported on 2-3-03 that napalm bombs were offloaded into Kuwait for the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing ready for use whenever 3rd MAW needs them.
<snip>
The third Protocol of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) bans and restricts the use of incendiary weapons. Protocol III prohibits the use of napalm on civilians (by any means), on military targets within civilian areas (by air), and on military targets not sufficiently separated from civilian areas (by land). It is not, therefore, a complete ban. <snip>
The US ratified the CCW (minus Protocol III) in 1995, saying it must retain its right to use napalm against biological and chemical weapons facilities even when they're within civilian areas.
<snip>
Note: the full title of the CCW = "Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects" and the title of Protocol III = "Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the use of Incendiary Weapons."
<snip>
http://www.hopedance.org/archive/41/articles/60.html

Gen. Richard Myers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, leads a Memorial Day rally in Washington. In 1968, anti-war leader Abbie Hoffman was jailed on a desecration charge for wearing just such a shirt.

<snip> A poll sponsored by the Citizens Flag Alliance and conducted last week indicates 75 percent of 1,004 adults surveyed nationwide either strongly favor or somewhat favor a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to enact laws to protect the U.S. flag.
A poll sponsored by the Freedom Forum indicates 63 percent of the people sampled said the Constitution "should not be amended to prohibit burning or desecrating the American flag." The poll of 1,003 adults nationwide was conducted May 13-23. <snip>
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/0605/21natflag.html

Blazing flags not a burning problem
By Eric Heyl
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 22, 2005

<snip> Determining just how prevalent the problem is throughout Allegheny County's 130 municipalities, including Pittsburgh, proved daunting. The drawers of the county police department aren't exactly crammed with reports of vandalism of flags.
"I can't even remember anything like that ever happening," Sgt. Richard Mullen said. "It's certainly not a big thing around here." <snip>
National numbers were a bit easier to track, thanks to the Citizens Flag Alliance. The Indianapolis-based organization is intent on getting a flag-protecting constitutional amendment passed.
The alliance, which monitors such matters, has uncovered two instances of flag-burning this year. In the entire country. <snip>
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/opinion/columnists/heyl/s_346353.html

<snip> Richard Humphreys happened to get into a harmless barroom discussion with a truck driver near Sioux Falls, SD. A bartender who overheard the conversation realized that George W. Bush was scheduled to visit the city the next day, and he told police that Humphreys—who was actually making a joke with a Biblical reference—had talked about a "burning Bush" and the possibility of someone pouring a flammable liquid on Bush and lighting it. Humphreys was arrested for threatening the president.

"I said God might speak to the world through a burning Bush," he testified during his trial. "I had said that before and I thought it was funny." Nevertheless, he was found guilty and sentenced to more than three years in prison. He decided to appeal, on the basis that his comment was a prophecy, protected under his right to freedom of speech. <snip>

http://www.hightimes.com/ht/news/content.php?bid=133&aid=2

12.23.03
ST. LOUIS — A delusional, self-proclaimed prophet from Oregon who claimed he meant nothing by suggesting that he or one of his followers would set President Bush ablaze was correctly sentenced to three years in federal custody, a U.S. appeals court ruled yesterday. <snip>
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=12391

... the American Legion and Boy Scouts burn thousands of flags every year ... http://www.esquilax.com/flag/

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