A canary in the coal mines of democracy

[Makhno]

A very interesting development down south. The US House of Representatives yesterday overwhelmingly backed a constitutional ban on burning the American flag. This ban, which strikes to the very heart of the American’s cherished constitutional right to free speech, now goes to the Senate, where the influx of Republicans after the last election could help it pass when it is considered sometime after July 4.

The amendment is like the canary that coal miners took with them into the pits to detect deadly gases. Its passage will be an early sign that the US has taken a major step towards becoming an even more repressive, protectionist and jingoistic society than it has become since 9/11.

If America does pass the ban, it will join an elite group of world democracies that already have such a ban in place - China, North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Cuba.

Ironically, the US Flag Code provides the following protocol for destroying old and tattered flags:

(k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

 

[chiefwiggum]

Scary....

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/22/congress.flagburning.ap/index.html

Brought this back to mind....

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

Some of it is a bit of a stretch, but most of it rings very true....

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

Not sure i get the whole canary-coalmine analogy.
What would this law be an early warning of?
Not being able to burn a flag has nothing to do with 'free speech', but perhaps more with freedom of expression.
So if enough Americans value that freedom of expression and feel this is a threat to it, then I guess they could pool their resources at this early stage and assert that freedom of expression to the powers-that-be in protest.
I guess in that sense the canary-coalmine analogy fits.
But I honestly do not see this, if it was to become a law, jeapordizing peoples freedoms. So ya can't burn a flag. So don't. You can't burn down your neighbors house either. Actually, theres alot of things you simply are not allowed to burn....
...what would the penalty be if caught burning a flag? Beheading?

 

[georgebushmoron]

Part of protecting your freedoms is by protecting the flag. Desecration of the symbol of freedom should be banned. Such expression of so-called "free" speech is unpatriotic! No-one would spit on the Cross yet it gives life to all, so why should Americans desecrate the very freedom that makes them Americans and truly truly truly be the freest people in the world?? Only in Canada would you people think it was wrong... cuz you don't really know what it means to be free. Can you buy guns in Canada? NO. We can buy lots of guns and even kill. I love freedom.

 

[Herb_The_Perb]

...what would the penalty be if caught burning a flag? Beheading?

Sodomization by "Dick" Cheney.

 

[hornydude]

Finally

Part of protecting your freedoms is by protecting the flag. Desecration of the symbol of freedom should be banned. Such expression of so-called "free" speech is unpatriotic! No-one would spit on the Cross yet it gives life to all, so why should Americans desecrate the very freedom that makes them Americans and truly truly truly be the freest people in the world?? Only in Canada would you people think it was wrong... cuz you don't really know what it means to be free. Can you buy guns in Canada? NO. We can buy lots of guns and even kill. I love freedom.

Someone makes some fuckin' sense....yeeee-hah!

 

[Venuschic]

Freedom is...

Since when does freedom = killing is freedom...pull your head out of the sand and give it a shake man. I (wonder) where you get that ideal from?

Where is it you have feedom? In your own democracy---yayeah!

Freedom in the world IS freedom, I believe.

VC

 

[georgebushmoron]

Freedom in the world IS freedom, I believe.

What?? That sounds like that extreme left psycho babble politically correct stuff , like "Who is not the observer is but the observed". Get outta yer Birkenstocks and take a bath hippie!

Guns = Freedom.
Stars & Stripes = Freedom.
Freedom = Good.
Jesus = Good.
Satan = Bad.
Terrorists = Bad.

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

No Guns ??????????

Just had to respond to this;

Who told you (GBM) that we can't buy guns in Canada?
Like VenusChic said......get you're friggin head out of the sand !!

Must have been to much time spent in other countries covered in sand !!

Oh well, maybe don't give you're head a shake the sand will fall out and the daylight will show through you're ears !!!!!!!!!

.................QM'r

 

[georgebushmoron]

Who told you (GBM) that we can't buy guns in Canada?

Can you buy an M16 in Canada? No.

Can I bring my M16 into Canada? No.

Maybe you can buy pellet guns, but I think you even need a license for that. I can buy a grenade launcher in my home town!

 

[LonelyGhost]

Can you buy an M16 in Canada? No.

Can I bring my M16 into Canada? No.

... but you CAN burn the American Flag here!

now THAT'S freedom!

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

No, we don't need a license to buy a "pellet gun"

But like someone once said you can have my "pellet gun"
when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

We do have to write a test to get a PAL, (purchase and acquisitions license)
to be able to purchase ammunition, restricted and non restricted weapons, being handguns, semiautomatic, rifles and shotguns, etc.

We are not allowed as "civilians" to own or possess "fully automatic" firearms or grenade launchers !!!!!!

But you can buy "those type of weapons" if you know the wrong people.

 

[georgebushmoron]

Thanks for being informative Quarter Mler!

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

My pleasure, mister pres !!!

...............QM'r

Now back to pooning and a review I have to write.....g'day.

 

[smackyo]

Part of protecting your freedoms is by protecting the flag. Desecration of the symbol of freedom should be banned. Such expression of so-called "free" speech is unpatriotic! No-one would spit on the Cross yet it gives life to all, so why should Americans desecrate the very freedom that makes them Americans and truly truly truly be the freest people in the world?? Only in Canada would you people think it was wrong... cuz you don't really know what it means to be free. Can you buy guns in Canada? NO. We can buy lots of guns and even kill. I love freedom.

possibly the dumbest thing i've ever heard. not sure if you are being the character you sometimes write as or not and just joking around. if you are then bravo. if you are being serious then yikes. if the u.s. is so free how come you guys gotta come up here to fuck our sp's? why do you guy's have to come here to smoke weed and not be sent to jail for 20 years? why did so many have to come here to find the freedom that they weren't givin when they were forcefully drafted to fight a war that they didn't believe in. there's some freedom of choice for ya. hmmmmm i think this war isn't good i don't want to fight in it.............. too bad kid you've been drafted.

oh yeah despite the claim that the u.s. has never lost a war, you lost one to vietnam and one to canada. also, we burnt down your white house. check the lyrics to the star spangled banner, it talks about when that happened.

 

[smackyo]

Can you buy an M16 in Canada? No.

Can I bring my M16 into Canada? No.

Maybe you can buy pellet guns, but I think you even need a license for that. I can buy a grenade launcher in my home town!

congratulations on the grenade launcher. i'm sure that will make all of your citizens safer. or maybe not................... could be why you have the highest gun death number in the world. also to let you know, per capita, there are as many guns in canada per person as there are in the u.s. and we are not offing eachother in record numbers.

and of course you can't bring a fucking a gun into a different country, what the fuck are you on?????? can i bring my gun into yours????? holy shit. i used to think you were funny, now i just think your a brain dead yank, just like the other 50% of ya down there.

 

[georgebushmoron]

oh yeah despite the claim that the u.s. has never lost a war, you lost one to vietnam and one to canada. also, we burnt down your white house. check the lyrics to the star spangled banner, it talks about when that happened.

We didn't lose to Charlie... we pulled out.


OK smarty pants, let's clarify another bunch of Canadians myths/lies about the USA.
1. You burnt down the White House? HA HA HA HA gimme a break!
2. Where is it in Old Glory huh?

Its lies from people like you all that is the reason why we Americans are so beleaguered when we travel. Hell we even have to pretend we're hosers when we go to Europe! How undignified!

 

[georgebushmoron]

congratulations on the grenade launcher.

Thank you. Please also congratulate me when I get an RPG!

i'm sure that will make all of your citizens safer. or maybe not................... could be why you have the highest gun death number in the world.

Its not guns that kill people, its people. That's why we put people in jail, not guns.

and of course you can't bring a fucking a gun into a different country, what the fuck are you on?????? can i bring my gun into yours????? holy shit.

The streets of Vancouver are dangerous. There are cracked out harlots, weed-smoking freaks and a whole town (you call Surrey) of people dressed like terrorists. I should be allowed to protect myself anywhere I go. Its my right, in my Constitution.

i used to think you were funny, now i just think your a brain dead yank, just like the other 50% of ya down there.

Please don't slander Americans. We are your big brother.

 

[BYSON]

and another thing Brother you're beer sucks too, pussy drinkers

 

[smackyo]

alright so you "pulled out of vietnam" well if you were winning why didn't you stay and see it through? with that logic any sports team could just stop playing at the half and that way claim they never lost as well. good strategy, hope it works for ya in iraq.

"and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave through to the night but our flag was still there." this line is describing the sack of washington and the razing of the white house by canadian troops during the war of 1812 in which the u.s. invaded canada and we were outnumbered 12 to 1 and still sent you packing and sacked detriot while we were at it on the way to washington. the lines from that song describe the razing of the white house and the artillery going off hench "the bombs bursting in air" line, "but our flag was still there" this line is from the yanks still seeing the flag on top of a bunch of burning rubble that used to be the white house. stupid as they were, they saw symbolism in that. look it up, yanks are not taught about that war cause YOU LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! learning about it would go against your brainwashing you all get in school.

oh yeah the u.s. also tried to invade canada before the war of 1812, bennidict arnold led the charge for the yanks at the battle of quebec and again sent packing. good thing he came to his senses and defected back to the brits during the american revolution. also spare me this "well we could invade ya now and there's nothing you could do about it."

you would have another vietnam/iraq on your hands. do you think us, let alone the world would stand for it???? don't forget we are a common wealth. canada may not be a nuclear power(by choice) but england is, and i'm pretty sure they would not like to see a common wealth country invaded by the likes of you, despite what tony blair says to bush.

also, if you don't like vancouver then stay the fuck out!!!!!!! nobody asked you come here anyway. as for my fellow citizens in surrey you call terrorists, your a bigoted fuck. the people that i'm assuming you are talking about are sikh not muslim and even if they were muslim that doesn't make them terrorists.

also congratulations on locking all the people up. great job. you have the highest murder rate in the world by guns and you also have the highest imprisonment rate of any industrialized nation in the world. your three strikes rule is a joke. imprisonment and jails are big business down there and your country is slowly well i guess not slowly anymore, making its way to being a policed state. such a shame for a country born out of such noble ideals.

your constitution gives you the right to protect yourself in your own country, you cross that border and your in a different one, don't forget that you arrogant bastard. leave your guns at home for fuck sakes we don't want them here.