I think I've figured out the flag-burning thing.

[friesianrider]

To Republicans, the flag is just that...a flag, used at certain opportunities to boost your approval rating or illicit support for a misguided war/unfair legislation, etc. To them, a flag is just something you wrap yourself in to get what you want and claim to be "more American" than your political opponent.

I think they don't realize is that it is what the flag stands for (or at least, what it used to stand for) that must be protected at all costs - NOT THE FLAG ITSELF. What the American flag stands for is something that can never be taken away - at least not if I have something to do with it. Go ahead and burn my flag, but what Americastands for won't go up in smoke with it. They just don't get it.

The Republicans in Congress are busy protecting scraps of cloth, but it is what our flag stands for - tolerance, justice, honor, integrity, pride, prosperity, diversity, freedom, democracy - that they need to be worried about.

[gumby]

1. The Flag Fight = The Michael Jackson Trial.

This crap is about much, much more, but that's a current summary in 7 words.

[Broken_Hero]

2. Its all word/visual propaganda...

Its easy why they do it most people associate, or think of something great, when they see the american flag, for example, i might see the american flag and remember the marines raising the flag at Iwo Gima, and then, someone says, people want to burn it. It makes people take a step back, its visual/word propaganda, its an easy formula. 1. Flag=good visualizations conjured up by each individual, or bad one for some. 2. Burning=Something bad, destructive. 3. Flag+Burning=Something dispecable....until you take a step back and realize, that burning the flag really isn't about that, but most people don't take a step back. They see the flag, see soemthing good, and then the word burn/destroy are thrown into the pot and then you get people upset over it cause they think someone is attacking one of their beliefs. What most people don't do, is take a step back and realize that their are more important things than a flag. This reminds me of one of my pet peeves with native americans.

My wife and i are native, we both went to native american colleges, and when i see native americans out ther in the spotlight, talking about mascots and how they hurt indians, it just makes me shake my head. Here, we are a nation of down trodden assimilated indians, and here are people, who proclaim to speak the miond of native america, and they are talking about the Braves chant, or the mascot from Florida St. What a waste, we got kids being born with FAS, crack babies, kids being born into poverty, we got the highest rates of unemployment, the highest rates of domestic abuse and alcholism, and here is some polished up Indian moron, talking about pointless mascots, it just chaps my hide. This flag burning thing is one of the same issues, its almost pointless. What i mentioned about natives is true about all culture groups, and both genders. We got high levels of poverty and a big slew of other social problems, but our nation has got their eye on protecting a damn flag, what a joke.

I don't mean any disrespect for the flag, i really don't but:
1. A piece of Cloth with our nations symbol on it vs. Poverty, the war in iraq, high rates of domestic abuse, high prices of gas, partisan divide, high cost of living etc etc...who wins the fight? is a flag worth more than the rest? to me, hell no. People mean more to me, than a piece of cloth. But again, I do respect it, i just don't respect it more than people, sorry.

[gumby]

3. One of the mantras that Rush Limbaugh

has pounded into his dittobot's heads is that us 'bad people' use "symbolism over substance."

However, you correctly observe that symbolism is being promoted (or as a diversion) over PEOPLE. The success of a nation is about how they treat their people, not about how they praise their symbols.