The US House of Representatives passed an amendment to the constitution banning flag burning.
While I understand that many find flag burning un-American, I can’t think of anything more un-American than this amendment. If we cannot protect the right of people to express opinions that we hate, then we have given up the core of American values. Freedom of expression is parmount to the ideals of the American way of life.
Shame on any house member who voted for this bill and either calls themself a conservative or a lover of freedom. For shame.
7:58 PM | 5 comments
June 22nd, 2005 at 10:48 PM
why is this not conservative? i’m curious… it strike me as not libertarian, but not not conservative…
June 22nd, 2005 at 10:57 PM
A conservative should be strict constructionist and avoid changing the constitution unless there is great wrong to right and certainly never to *limit* the freedoms.
The neocon/evangelical movement is not a conservative movement.
June 22nd, 2005 at 11:37 PM
it seems to me (and it has for some time) that conservative and liberal have lost their meaning… many mean “socially X” when they say liberal or conservative.
Then there’s the fact that so many “conservatives” are actually advocating liberal trade policies and so many “liberals” are actually advocating protectionist policies that are more in line with folks like Pat Buchanan and the like.
I know you know this, but I can’t help but pointing at it and going, WTF?
I’m also not sure that being a “strict constructionist” is necessarily the only way one can believe that we should “avoid changing the constitution unless there is a great wrong to right.” Most loose constructionists (what is the opposite or alternative to “strict constructionist”, anyway?) would agree with that standard for creating amendments…
June 23rd, 2005 at 9:38 AM
I’ll agree that many philosophies can come to the same conclusion.
It is so true that the meaning of conservative and liberal has been warped in the media. It has very little to do with fiscal policy anymore and more, it seems, with interference in the daily lives of Americans.
June 23rd, 2005 at 10:55 AM
Don’t think you have to be a strict constructionist to be a conservative, either…