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Indybay Feature
Wed Jul 1 2009 (Updated 07/05/09)
"5th Annual Old Time American Flag Burn" Sparks a Reaction
"Flag Burning means 'U.S. Out!' not 'what a lovely First Amendment'"
For the 5th year running, the burning of American flags took place on July 3rd at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. Organizers say they raise the burning flag up as a sacred symbol representing their highest ideals as Americans, and that the "American Flag is so great a symbol that it represents the right to burn it." imc_photo.gif Photos

Robert Norse comments, "Burning a flag in solidarity with the Honduran people on July 4th makes more sense to me than burning a flag as a celebration of the First Amendment. Divorcing flag-burning from its visceral ('Yanqui, go home!') content is a way of stripping the action of its force. Using constitutional arguments and hailing the First Amendment seems to me to be an attempt to dampen reactionary knee-jerk jingoism ('see, it's not so threatening'). But the point of a flag-burning in countries occupied by the U.S. or profiteering international corporations closely tied to U.S. guns and money IS to threaten ('get the fuck out!').

"Burn a flag on the 4th in front of the Honduran consulate in protest of continued U.S. support for the Honduran coup-sters. That's a real way of using the First Amendment in more than an empty symbolic way. Divorcing U.S. flag-burning from what it traditionally means is a way of concealing or ignoring important history."

previous coverage of flag-burnings: 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | 2008
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