Top GOPers: Sorry Trump, Flag Burning's Protected By The First Amendment

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo

By MATT SHUHAM Published NOVEMBER 29, 2016, 10:00 AM EDT

Elected Republicans early Tuesday swatted down Donald Trump's notion that people who burn the American flag should "perhaps" lose their citizenship or spend a year in jail.

“Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!” Trump tweeted. The response from some Republican congressional leaders was swift.

"People like that pose little harm to our country. But tinkering with our First Amendment might,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, according to CNN’s Phil Mattingly. Mattingly noted that McConnell was one of three Senate Republicans to vote against a constitutional amendment to ban desecrating the flag in 2006.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), asked about the tweet on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” had a more tepid response but affirmed that Americans’ right to burn the flag was “what the court upheld.”

-snip-



Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/republican-leaders-disagree-trump-flag-burning

[Moostache]

1. What happens if you plaster a flag with dollar bills first?

Since money is speech according to these amoral asshats, then technically shouldn't burning money also be a protected act under the First Amendment?

[leftyladyfrommo]

2. I hate to admit this but

I'm starting to like McConnell.more. he just tells Trump no way.

He did that with the term limits deal. Sorry. Not going there.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

3. Why is this a thing?

Maybe I lost it in all the other noise, but did one person burn a flag somewhere?

I hate to see what he'll tweet when someone blows up one of his hotels overseas. "Mumbai full of terrorists, need to send nukes to wipe them out."

[Sunlei]

4. 'It's a thing' because now trump idiot-'brown shirts' will attack 'flag burners'

[IrishEyes]

5. Yes, Trump.

because the prisons aren't overcrowded as it is. Let's put some nonviolent flag burners in there for a year. What a sensible way of spending the taxpayers money. The man really does want to blow his nose with the constitution.

[Sunlei]

6. Repubs will put about 2 million undocumented in prisons fairly quickly, always room for protestors.

Those undocumented will have to wait-rot many years in prison for their turn in front of a Federal Court to get deported or not.
America also has 250,000 children and woman rotting in prisons because refugees from central America are considered as "border jumpers' by Republicans.

Our courts are about 3 years behind now because so many judges are STILL waiting to be appointed.

All the prisons (detention camps) are "for profit" so the stocks should shoot up .

[BigDemVoter]

7. What a disgusting piece of SHIT.

When, oh when, oh when will America wake up?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

8. Just a diversion

The real issue is Tom Price who wants to end Obamacare and Medicare.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. It's a good thing TPM didn't do a simple google search on our candidate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/washington/28hillary.html

Trump is basically saying he'd sign Hillary's co-sponsored legislation.
We should all be paying a little more attention to all of our candidate's civil rights records.

[louis-t]

10. Repug hero Scalia said this about that:

He said flag burning is "the main kind of speech that tyrants would seek to suppress." He's talking about YOU drumpee.

[Raine]

11. What a "burning" issue. I'm so sick and tired of continually

seeing flags burned on every street corner 24/7.

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. Stop burning American flags

If you really want to get under their skin and send a message, burn Confederate flags.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

13. I think people who don't pay their taxes ought to get that treatment.

And people who grab pussies uninvited, and people who defraud others out of their money, and who run fake foundations. Flag burners, by comparison, look like patriots and saints to me.

[AngryAmish]

14. Anyone proposing criminalizing flag burning hates America.

[keithbvadu2]

15. The flag they burn

?1434891904

[keithbvadu2]

16. The flag they respect

?1434818045

[Behind the Aegis]

17. And once again, "The Simpsons" calls it...at least partially...so far!

I'm an Amendment to Be
I'm an Amendment to Be
And I am hoping they will ratify me.
There's a lot of flag burners
Who have got too much freedom
I wanna make it legal for policemen to beat'em
Because there are limits to our liberties
At least, I hope and pray there are
Because those liberal freaks go too far....

[duncang]

18. It's a piece of cloth

And that's it. When you pledge allegiance to the flag. It always struck me as warped. It's just a piece of cloth. A societal norm. The pledge should say that they pledge allegiance to the U.S. not a battle standard. And I think of the basic meaning should be the pledge of allegiance should be to support the common good of the people of the U.S.. I am not religious but doing that smacks of idolatry worship.

Also think about it how many flags are just tossed in the trash to end up in the dump being run over by a bulldozer? Or is it really showing respect for the flag to wear it as some kind of fashion statement? What really shows respect for the ideals behind the U.S.? Respect should be shown to the people who work for the common good.