Should cross burning be protected as free speech?

[rainstorm]

i personally will never burn a cross, but if i do it on my property i see nothing wrong with it

I would not do it either, but I agree with the idea that burning a cross on your own property should not be considered a violation of free speech, or a punishable crime. You aren't likely to win "Neighbor of the Month" for doing this, but it should not get you arrested.

Of course, burning a cross on someone else's property is definitely a crime!

absolutely!! thats my point. it would be a crime if i set fire to anything on someone else's property. hate has nothing to do with it.

[ColdFront77]

Burning a cross has no reason to be protected by free speech. If it is, then flag burning should be okay, which it obviously shouldn't be.

[JQ Public]

if you commit a crime because you hate a specific group of people the you should be prosecuted for the CRIME, not your thoughts. everyone should be wary of the govt making peoples thoughts a crime.

so hitler was just killing random people? no hate crime atall? i think calling it what it is detracts people from doing it again...at least on a subconscious level, because it makes people look even worse.

[Stephanie]

Burning a cross has no reason to be protected by free speech. If it is, then flag burning should be okay, which it obviously shouldn't be.

Flag burning is protected under "freedom of speech". I wouldn't do either, but they should be protected.

I like the above comments about how if you want to burn a cross, do it on your own property, not others.

[ColdFront77]

To make my opinion clear. Flag burning and cross burning are wrong. Why would someone think it is okay to do either one?

[the_master]

i voted "no". I think it's very disrespectful to the country that the flag is being burned. I don't like it :\

[ColdFront77]

The issue in this thread is dealing with "cross burning," not "flag burning," the_master -- I just brough up "flag burning" as part of the discussion.

I may not have voted appropriately when I did so, a little confused on the wording, happens to all of us at one time or another.

[sunny shine]

Stephanie I believe I know what you are saying. IMO flag burning should be declared unconstitutional as is the cross burning. It seems that our Supreme Court justices are being a bit double standard in their decisions.

Burning the flag IMO is not and should not be declared as free speech, but a hit on the United States of America and what she stands for.

[Stephanie]

The concern then is where do you stop telling people what they can or cannot say or do? No matter how abhorrent (sp?) these two actions are, if we start to put limits on what people can say or do, that's a loss of our freedoms and liberties.

[StormCrazyIowan]

I wanted to vote "Hell no!", but it wasn't an option so I voted no.

My thoughts exactly!

[JetMaxx]

I voted yes..

Please allow me to preface that by saying freedom of expression is allowed--but within limits.

Peaceful protests on public sidewalks are lawful....but blocking traffic and impeding pedestrians is not. Neither are protests on private property. I cannot parade back and forth in protest across Marshall's lawn ; nor can I destroy his mailbox in the name of freedom of expression.

Freedom of speech allows me to say anything about anyone...but within reason. If I call someone a liar or thief and they aren't, there are legal provisions to seek damages against me for slander. Freedom of speech doesn't give me the right to yell fire inside a theatre...or anything else that threatens public safety. I can be arrested for disturbing the peace if I yell like a banshee outside someone's home at 3 a.m. I can be put behind bars for threatening to kill someone or blow their home up--because I'm making a terroristic threat.

I consider both flag burning and cross burning sick, and those that do it as disgusting. I'm ashamed and outraged that hate groups commit their treachery and scream their racist vulgarities under a banner (confederate flag) my great-great grandfather fought under, was critically injured under while only a teenage boy.

Speaking of freedom vs sickening --check the search engines tonight...I surfed across a web blog in England a couple hours ago that was so offensive it was beyond belief. It referred to Pfc Jessica Lynch as two names I cannot repeat on this board, as well as a coward It was a vulgar, hate filled site...the motivation being anti-war, and hatred of President Bush.

According to my dad, Neal Boortz has recieved some horrid emails calling the brave young lady a fraud...others that said Jessica "got what she deserved"

As saddening as that sounds....as sick as burning crosses is--if we make it illegal...once we start sliding down the slippery slope of what is and isn't offensive, we're in danger of losing all our freedoms.

Case in point...I'm sure there are sickos out there tonight that think a website in honor of the brave little country girl from West Virginia is offensive and should be banned. I know of at least one....and there are probably quite a few more

Just my thoughts...

God Bless,
Perry

[JetMaxx]

One more point I'd like to make..

All the sickos and sadists are not in Iraq. I'm a fan of Britney Spears....so is my baby sister. I've tried to help her find good Britney fan sites on the internet, sites safe for a teenage girl to chat and post at.

I've run across websites and boards regarding Britney Spears (also Faith Hill & Trisha Yearwood...I'm a fan of both) so vile and disgusting they are, in all honesty, very frightening.

Sites that are hate filled, forums where sickos post messages of what sadistic tortures they'd love to inflict on Britney, on Faith, Trisha....three gracious southern ladies I doubt have ever harmed anything larger than a horsefly.

I shudder to even think of the sicko sites will soon come online "in hatred" of Pfc Jessica Lynch

PW

[vbhoutex]

Very good points on the "hate crime" issue Rainstorm!!! The government should not try to legislate our thoughts!! However, I do not consider cross burning or flag burning a thought, but a act that should be punished by law!

Thank you StreetSoldier for your absolutely correct post concerning the confederate flag! My children are direct descendants of Jefferson Davis as he was their Greatx4 Grandfather. My wifes Grandmother's maiden name was Davis. I get absolutely livid when uninformed people say that the Stars and Bars are a racist symbol. They are a symbol of people fighting for their freedom just as you and Arizwx stated.

[streetsoldier]

Thanks, vbhoutex and all; perhaps I should also point out that Capt. Benjamin was the brother of Judah Philip Benjamin, Confederate Secretary of State, War and Treasury (at various times), former Congressman and Senator from Louisiana, and a celebrated jurist whose treatises on maritime commerce law are still seen as hallmarks of international jurisprudence.

The Union often referred to Judah as the "evil genius" of the Confederate Cabinet, and spared no pains in trying to capture and implicate him (unjustly) in the assassination of President Lincoln.

JetMaxx, as to those unspeakable comments you found re: PFC Lynch; remember that the very moment someone becomes a "celebrity", they attract the worst sort of wackos, whose motives are best left imagined than described.

Any young woman is particularly vulnerable to such unwanted "interest", even if she is only displayed but once on the tube. This is pandemic, and should be recognized as an example of the illness that pervades the small segment of the viewing public who would dare to insinuate themselves into her life.