Trump Thinks Flag Burners Should Lose Citizenship, be Jailed

[InTheLight]

Here's his tweet for this morning:



What kind of a president sits up at 4 o'clock in the morning and thinks of ways to take away 1st amendment rights?

This flag burning question has been settled by the Supreme Court a couple of times. It's fully legal to burn the American flag as guaranteed by the First Amendment. It's "settled law".

Trump has said he won't try to reverse gay marriage because it's "settled law". Yet he wants to revisit the settled law of flag burning. So I see an inconsistency.

I suspect that Trump is tweeting out something controversial from left field because he's planning on doing something today that will roil his base, something like appointing Mitt Romney to be Secretary of State.

 

[TCassidy]

Or perhaps he is just not aware of Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989)?

I see a lot of similar opinions expressed on Facebook regarding flag burners, or those who walk on it or wipe their feet on it. Not everyone is aware of these SCOTUS decisions. And a lot of Christians keep posting the following meme not realizing it was an Arkansas State law and had no force outside the state of Arkansas, and that it was over turned by the Supreme Court way back in 1989, but that does not stop people from posting it and saying "Ah hah! See? It's illegal. Arrest them! Arrest them!"

 

[Baptist Believer]

Or perhaps he is just not aware of Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989)?

I agree that our President-elect is probably just ignorant of basic Constitutional principles and decisions. That's a frightening thought, especially when he is bypassing advisors (who might actually understand the basics of the Constitution) and floating poor ideas out to the American people in the middle of the night.

 

[Revmitchell]

He is not trying to roil his base and neither is he ignorant and you guys already know that. Trying to accuse of of either is as wrong as anything you guys are accusing him of. He is welcome to share his views on flag burning even though he already knows it has been decided on by the SC or how it may roil someone.

I'm not sure in my own mind what should happen to flag burners but I do believe it is unAmerican and childish.

 

[InTheLight]

He is not trying to roil his base and neither is he ignorant and you guys already know that. Trying to accuse of of either is as wrong as anything you guys are accusing him of. He is welcome to share his views on flag burning even though he already knows it has been decided on by the SC or how it may roil someone.

His tweet about flag burning is meant to placate his base, not roil them. Get the news media all in a huff, start the news cycle talking about flag burning tweets. Then, later today when he announces Romney as Sec. of State his loyal base will still be talking about the news media attacking him on the flag burning issue and not so much focused on the Romney appointment (or whatever else he may do or say that would anger his base). Classic diversion technique.

"He is welcome to share his views..." Yes, of course he is. Should he? Probably not. I mean, what motivates the President-elect of the United States to offer his opinion on flag burning, an issue that is not in the news whatsoever, at 4 o'clock in the morning? What's the point?

I'm not sure in my own mind what should happen to flag burners but I do believe it is unAmerican and childish.

They should be shamed and disgraced.

 

[Revmitchell]

His tweet about flag burning is meant to placate his base. Get the news media all in a huff, start the news cycle talking about flag burning tweets. Then, later today when he announces Romney as Sec. of State his loyal base will still be talking about the news media attacking him on the flag burning issue. Classic diversion technique.

"He is welcome to share his views..." Yes, of course he is. Should he? Probably not. I mean, what motivates the President-elect of the United States to offer his opinion on flag burning, an issue that is not in the news whatsoever, at 4 o'clock in the morning? What's the point?




They should be shamed and disgraced.

Don't apply your own habits of being in bed at 4 AM to him. This non issue of his position on flag burning will not distract anyone from anything and I have no reason to believe Trump thinks so either.

 

[Baptist Believer]

He is not trying to roil his base and neither is he ignorant and you guys already know that.

No, I think the President-elect is ignorant of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. That's one of the primary reasons I did not vote for him. He has not given me any reason to change my opinion.

He is welcome to share his views on flag burning even though he already knows it has been decided on by the SC or how it may roil someone

If he were simply a private citizen, then that would be fine. But he is the incoming President of the United States and should understand that whatever he says/writes publicly represents policy positions for the Executive Branch.

I'm not sure in my own mind what should happen to flag burners but I do believe it is unAmerican and childish.

It is reprehensible to burn the flag as a political statement. As the flag is a symbol of our nation and principles, it represents the desire to destroy those institutions. However, one of our founding principles is freedom of speech and expression, and speech that most of us find reprehensible is protected. As such, claiming a right to burn the flag as a political protest on American soil is self-contradictory and only shows the depth of ignorance of the burner(s).

 

[Revmitchell]

No, I think the President-elect is ignorant of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. That's one of the primary reasons I did not vote for him. He has not given me any reason to change my opinion.

No that is what you want to say just so you can say the worst possible thing about him.

If he were simply a private citizen, then that would be fine. But he is the incoming President of the United States and should understand that whatever he says/writes publicly represents policy positions for the Executive Branch.

There is nothing about this that is true.

It is reprehensible to burn the flag as a political statement. As the flag is a symbol of our nation and principles, it represents the desire to destroy those institutions. However, one of our founding principles is freedom of speech and expression, and speech that most of us find reprehensible is protected. As such, claiming a right to burn the flag as a political protest on American soil is self-contradictory and only shows the depth of ignorance of the burner(s).

On that we agree

 

[Bro. Curtis]

They should be shamed and disgraced.

They should be ignored.

 

[InTheLight]

They should be ignored.

Hey, Bro. Curtis, good to see you again.

Ignoring them would work too, the less attention paid to them, the better. Unless they were doing it in front of me, then I'd have to say something.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

The loudmouths always get the media. How else would a 1-10 quarterback be a household name ?

 

[carpro]

Here's his tweet for this morning:

View attachment 1091

What kind of a president sits up at 4 o'clock in the morning and thinks of ways to take away 1st amendment rights?

This flag burning question has been settled by the Supreme Court a couple of times. It's fully legal to burn the American flag as guaranteed by the First Amendment. It's "settled law".

Just because Trump thinks there should be a penalty for desecration of the flag doesn't mean he is ignorant of Court decisions on the subject.

Lot's of people feel the same way. Me included.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

You feel someone should lose citizenship for burning a flag ?