Essay Example on In the United States of America people are given unique Opportunities

In the United States of America people are given unique opportunities that other countries might not give Some of these opportunities include the Freedom of Speech the Freedom of Expression and the Freedom of Religion Today our country is facing a little uprise in the amount of police brutality political scandals and political feuds this ultimately results in protests around the country some are peaceful and others some of the time can get a bit violent or out of control sometimes you can see smoke at these protests from the rare molotov cocktail or of an American flag burning while one of these is a threat to the safety of bystanders or other party goers the other is the desecration of a national symbol The Flag Desecration Amendment also known as the Flag burning Amendment states that The congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States Under this law it would give the government the power to punish those who burn or otherwise destroy the American flag As waving a flag from your porch or from the back of your truck sends a message so does burning the flag Burning the flag of the United States in protest is a common practice which has been legal and protected by the 1st amendment ever since 1990 so to create a law prohibiting the burning of a national symbol would be unconstitutional as it goes against your right of expression and speech However you can still be found guilty of misdemeanor for starting a fire without a permit There are those who would want to see this law passed and others who think that it should continue to be legal 

Over the years congress has attempted to overrule the Supreme Court decision regarding flag burning but have thus far been unsuccessful In 1984 Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag outside of a convention center in Dallas Texas where the Republican National Convention was being held He was arrested and charged with violating a Texas statute that prevented the desecration of exalted objects the American flag being one of them Believing what he did was a symbolic speech which would be protected by the first amendment the Supreme Court decided to hear his case In a 5 4 decision the supreme court ruled in favor of Johnson It wasn't long after the Texas vs Johnson case of 1989 that the Supreme Court reaffirmed that flag burning is legal after the case of U S vs Eichman 1990 Some of the people that might that are against this amendment are some of the ones protecting the constitution Veterans Against Flag Burning Amendment a report with numerous US veterans that support flag burning Colin Powell a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is well decorated for his bravery in combat says in a letter to Sen Patrick Leahy that The First Amendment exists to insure that freedom of speech and expression applies not just to that with which we agree or disagree but also that which we find outrageous I would not amend that greatshield of democracy to hammer a few miscreants The flag will still be flying proudly long after they have slunk away this goes to show that he may not necessarily agree with flag burning but he does believe that flag burning is protected under the First Amendment At a testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee in 1999 Former Senator John Chaffee stated that 

 The American flag is a powerful symbol and has been here since the inception of the country to burn this symbol sends a message to governments saying that the people do not like what they are doing whether it be on local state level government or even the federal government This type of message is really strong way to support your idea that something that they are doing shouldn't be happening and should be done better So to create a law prohibiting the people of this country to express their opinion freely takes away the country's first amendment in the Bill of Rights which is there to protect and ensure that the people will be voiced and not be oppressed To take away that freedom would be treason not to the government but to the people of this country