Burning Mad About Flag Burning

 Philly Daily ran my On Crime column about flag burning.

You can read the column via the link below or the following text: 

 Paul Davis: Burning mad about flag burning – Philly Daily

 I’m a proud American and a proud Navy veteran and I believe the America Flag is a sacred symbol of our great nation. The American Flag waves proudly in front of my house.

So, it burned me up when pro-Palestinian protestors burned the American Flag as we were celebrating the nation’s 250^th birthday here in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American freedom.

According to the Philadelphia Police, a group of 20 or more congregated near Washington Square in Center City. They were holding signs that called the United States an empire and they were waving the Palestinian Flag.

“During the protest, one of the individuals in the group placed an American flag on the sidewalk and doused it with a large amount of accelerant,” a Philadelphia Police spokesperson stated.

Police officers on the scene attempted to use a fire extinguisher as the protestors stood in the way of the officers. Six protestors were arrested for failing to obey the police officers’ order to disperse.

Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford stated, "A handful of arrests were made. We're still working out and sorting through that, but that type of behavior absolutely cannot be tolerated."

Burning the American flag is a legal form of free speech according to the U.S. Supreme Court, but burning a flag on a public street in Philadelphia is prohibited, citing safety concerns.

Sharing the concerns of many Americans about the burning of the flag, President Trump issued last year Executive Order 14341 - Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag.

The Executive Order stated, “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  Our great American Flag is the most sacred and cherished symbol of the United States of America, and of American freedom, identity, and strength.  Over nearly two-and-a-half centuries, many thousands of American patriots have fought, bled, and died to keep the Stars and Stripes waving proudly.  The American Flag is a special symbol in our national life that should unite and represent all Americans of every background and walk of life.  Desecrating it is uniquely offensive and provocative.  It is a statement of contempt, hostility, and violence against our Nation — the clearest possible expression of opposition to the political union that preserves our rights, liberty, and security.  Burning this representation of America may incite violence and riot.  American Flag burning is also used by groups of foreign nationals as a calculated act to intimidate and threaten violence against Americans because of their nationality and place of birth.

Notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s rulings on First Amendment protections, the Court has never held that American Flag desecration conducted in a manner that is likely to incite imminent lawless action or that is an action amounting to “fighting words” is constitutionally protected.  See Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, 408-10 (1989).

My Administration will act to restore respect and sanctity to the American Flag and prosecute those who incite violence or otherwise violate our laws while desecrating this symbol of our country, to the fullest extent permissible under any available authority.”

You can read the rest of the Executive Order via the link below:

DCPD-202500868.pdf

I don’t believe that burning the American flag should be protected free speech. But as the Supreme Court as so ruled, President Trump’s Executive Order is most welcome.

Paul Davis’s On Crime Column appears here each week. He is also a contributor to Broad + Liberty and Counterterrorism Magazine. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com. 

Note: The above image is of Jasper John's Three Flags.