The topic today is free speech
Well, we get one right
Leaving aside that the one case of flag burning in recent years that I know of was a drunk frat boy...
It pisses me the hell off to think of someone burning the flag. That flag is the pretty looking symbol of the nation I fight for. I swore my allegiance to this country in front of the flag, I serve beside it, and should I die, I will be buried underneath it. However, I support 100% the right of someone to express themselves by burning it.
The thing that worries me is that I see this vote as a symbol of the attitude of Congress right now. Even though the flag vote failed, it doesn't mean we won't have another on gay marriage, or abortion, or any number of other issues. These things should be decided already. These things ARE decided already. I want Congress to spend their energy on things that matter, thing that need discussion. Things like lowering the national debt, stemming illegal immigration, and abolishing the IRS.
And one wrong
Did something about "ongoing, legal terror investigation" scream WE MUST MAKE SURE AL QAEDA KNOWS ABOUT THIS" to the NY Times? Obviously, we have freedom of press and freedom of speech in this country. No one is saying you shouldn't run a story about the government investigating finacial ties to terrorists. However, a lot of people are saying that you shouldn't do so in the middle of said investigation. Reporting it changes nothing for those who might have their records looked at (perfectly legally, I might add), whereas it stands to change quite a bit for the bad guys.
By doing so, the Times threatens the very basis for the freedoms they claim. By forcing the issue of freedom of press in such a touchy area, I feel that the media risks undermining their freedoms with respect to sensitive government material. Don't get me wrong- I support those freedoms 100%. Hell, I'm ready to die for them. However, it's a long step from having freedom to using that freedom when all common sense says not to. I see this as nothing less than a media institution with an axe to grind, providing aid and comfort to terrorists, and threatening the very basis of their freedom to do so.
Here's what the co-chair of the 9/11 commission has to say about the NY Times
Leaving aside that the one case of flag burning in recent years that I know of was a drunk frat boy...
It pisses me the hell off to think of someone burning the flag. That flag is the pretty looking symbol of the nation I fight for. I swore my allegiance to this country in front of the flag, I serve beside it, and should I die, I will be buried underneath it. However, I support 100% the right of someone to express themselves by burning it.
The thing that worries me is that I see this vote as a symbol of the attitude of Congress right now. Even though the flag vote failed, it doesn't mean we won't have another on gay marriage, or abortion, or any number of other issues. These things should be decided already. These things ARE decided already. I want Congress to spend their energy on things that matter, thing that need discussion. Things like lowering the national debt, stemming illegal immigration, and abolishing the IRS.
And one wrong
Did something about "ongoing, legal terror investigation" scream WE MUST MAKE SURE AL QAEDA KNOWS ABOUT THIS" to the NY Times? Obviously, we have freedom of press and freedom of speech in this country. No one is saying you shouldn't run a story about the government investigating finacial ties to terrorists. However, a lot of people are saying that you shouldn't do so in the middle of said investigation. Reporting it changes nothing for those who might have their records looked at (perfectly legally, I might add), whereas it stands to change quite a bit for the bad guys.
By doing so, the Times threatens the very basis for the freedoms they claim. By forcing the issue of freedom of press in such a touchy area, I feel that the media risks undermining their freedoms with respect to sensitive government material. Don't get me wrong- I support those freedoms 100%. Hell, I'm ready to die for them. However, it's a long step from having freedom to using that freedom when all common sense says not to. I see this as nothing less than a media institution with an axe to grind, providing aid and comfort to terrorists, and threatening the very basis of their freedom to do so.
Here's what the co-chair of the 9/11 commission has to say about the NY Times