Well, duh. Activism through music has existed since, I dunno, forever. Look no further than the sixties. Music is the medium that connects everyone and breaks language barriers.
As for ol’ Merle, he’s been spouting crap like this since Okie from Muskogee, so I don’t find it much of a shocker.
Guess one must always watch their words when there’s a lawyer present. The collective people of NYC, San Francisco, and Portland pay out more in taxes (in NYC, both to the state and the federal government - don’t know about the others) than they receive back.
No, coerced prayers led by school officials are forbidden. Kids are still free to pray, but kids are also free not to share the school system’s faith.
Oh my God! They hate freedom of speech! They hate freedom of religion! They hate our freedoms! These must be the terrorists Dubya was telling us about!
Yeah, but what if He was? I mean, what if He was just a stranger on a bus? Like, He might just be trying to make His way home; and stuff. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Flag burning-meaning, privately, a flag I OWN, should be protected free speech. What good is it to turn a SYMBOL, like the flag, into a fucking ICON? The flag should not become a religious relic of worship.
As for prayer in schools being forbidden, that’s horseshit and you bloody well know it, Bricker. What is forbidden is SCHOOL SPONSORED PRAYER, basically having everyone sit and listen to a pray spoken over the speakers, or by the teacher, whether they’re Christian or not. Any student can pray in school on his or her own. Just as long as they’re not disruptive or neglecting school work.
[QUOTE=Bricker burning the American flag is protected free speech[/quote]
So what? It’s also considered extremely offensive to do so. The song intimates that there’s something “politically uncorrect” about being “for the flag” (whatever the fuck that means). Just because burning a flag is protected free speech (as it damn well should be) doesn’t mean that it’s fashionable to do so or that people who don’t like are being persecuted.
That’s absolutely false and you know better than that.
Then Haggard is a retard and a self-contradictory one at that. He can’t be “for the flag” and simultaneously oppose endorsing the Constitution.
We’re not baffled by what the lyrics are referring to, we’re just amazed that anyone could be stupid enough to believe them.
I was, of course, referring to school-sponsored prayer. I used the short-hand phrase “prayer in school” to make that reference. Obviously that was confusing.
So to be utterly clear: when I said prayer in school above, I meant SCHOOL-SPONSORED PRAYER.
Obviously you know the difference - but at least it appears that a lot of people really do believe that prayer in school is forbidden. It’s not a good idea to reinforce that belief.
I’d guess that Mr. Haggard doesn’t believe that flag burning should be considered protected speech under the first amendment, and that teacher led prayer shouldn’t be considered an inpermissable enganglement of church and state under the same amendment.
You know, it is possible for someone to have different beliefs than you without being a “retard and a self-contradictory one at that”.
Then he’s a retard. It doesn’t matter waht he thinks the First Amendment SHOULD say and he can’t claim he’s “for the flag” as long as he hates the First Amendment.
Nonsense. It’s far from self-evident that the First Amendment protects flag-burning.
The dissent in Texas v. Johnson included Rehnquist, White, O’Connor, and Stevens. It was a 5-4 decision. Did Justices Rehnquist, White, O’Connor, and Stevens all hate the First Amendment, Diogenes?
Dude, I so totally know where you’re coming from. That’s, like, just what I’m thinking. Like, we’ve got some kind of… mental… connection. Hey, quit hogging!
He doesn’t hate the First Amendment. He just disagrees that a prohibition against flag burning violates the First Amendment. I like the Constitution…I’m for the Constitution, but that doesn’t mean I agree with every current Supreme Court decision. I think some are wrongly decided. I’m sure you do too.
The idea that flagburning is protected by the first amendment isn’t an uncontroversial issue. The case was decided 5-4, and there are good arguments both for and against it.