Why Flag Burning Should Be Banned

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Freedom of speech and expression is a right given to all Americans in the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is a difficult concept to embrace when individuals are faced with ideas they oppose. In this kind of situation, the protection guaranteed to American citizens becomes even more important. The First Amendment was designed not only to protect the freedom to express ideas and sentiments with which one agrees but also the ideas and sentiments with which one disagrees. It is for precisely this reason that the government should maintain the right of individuals to express their dissatisfaction with the policies of the government through the act of flag burning and not amend the Constitution to make such an act illegal. The first reason Simply by applying this definition of treason to the act of flag burning, unless an amendment were added to the Constitution to redefine treason, flag burning would not qualify as a treasonous act and should therefore remain a legal means of expressing dissatisfaction with the government. A final reason why flag burning should not be banned is that it is an act that allows marginalized or minority groups a means of expression—and the right for even those in the minority to be heard is a fundamental American principle. Freedom of speech is an important right guaranteed to all Americans. The difficulty in protecting freedom of speech is not in protecting the speech with which one agrees but protecting the speech with which one does not. This is why it is vital that freedom of speech is protected for all speech. The dissident voice can help maintain the balance of power by expressing the sentiments of the minority. Critics claim that expressing sentiments in this way is somehow unpatriotic. This is an unfair statement. It has been argued by some, including those in Congress, that protecting the right of Americans to burn the flag is in fact an act of patriotism (Paul, 2003). Patriotism is defined as the love of

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