i've tried to post this 3X now, but i keep getting sidetracked with all this work...all this work is getting in the way. i need an endowment or grant so i can keep posting and still feed my family. she has every right to do this.. i have every right to criticize her.. i do think her actions are a bit self-serving. i do think they come at the expense of her team. as i understand it, there has been some real tension among teammates regarding this...and it certainly makes every crowd on a road game into an extremely hostile one. i think this has become more about her and less about her teammates. there's a time and place for everything. i disagree with her point...and i disagree with her method of making that point. i'm not, however, saying she doesn't have the right to do so.
Just in case anyone has forgotten exactly what that flag stands for: <i>We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; <b>or abridging the freedom of speech</b>, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. </i>
I never thought about this until today, but the anthem seems appropriate at sporting events because you have two rival cities or towns doing battle against each other. I think the anthem reminds us that we are part of the same team no matter the outcome of this battle.
Dear johnheath, Please add my "classic": "No rhetoric is beneath you." to you wonderful compilation in your signature. Or else my feelings will really be hurt.
Holy melodrama Batman!!! (the real superhero, not the guy who called me a twerp) Nobody in this thread gave you this impression. I have just as much right to turn my back on that silly little girl as she does to offend the majority of Americans by turning on the flag.
Haven't you ever heard of civil discourse? Do you agree with every single thing the governement does? Do you agree with everything we, as a country, do? If you don't agree, do you simply keep your mouth shut and salute? This argument makes absolutely no sense.
She has a right to do this. That is what makes America great. She can do whatever she wants to....tell her to try the same stunt in Iraq. DD
"In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that since burning the American flag is a form of speech, no state can prohibit citizens from expressing themselves in this way. A member of...the American Legion, went on the Today show to explain why many patriotic people like himself thought the Supreme Court was wrong, and government should ban flag burning. The flag is a symbol of the nation, he said, and government should prevent people from defacing it. When Jane Pauley pushed him to explain what the flaq symbolizes and why government should protect it, he replied: 'It stands for the fact that this is a country where we have a right to do what we want.'' - Deborah Stone, Policy Paradox
What exactly does "if she doesn't love living here she should get the **** out" mean? Talk about silly melodrama.
i admittedly have not read every post in this thread...but i don't think anyone is talking about proposing legislation to make her acts illegal. we have every much right to criticize her as she does to turn her back on the flag.
In my estimation, more misery has been created by reformers than by any other force in human history. Show me someone who says, "Something must be done!" and I will show you a head full of vicious intentions that have no other outlet. What we must strive for always! is to find the natural flow and go with it. --The Reverent Mother Taraza, Conversational Record, BG File GSXXMAT9
I'm not saying you don't have a right to criticize. Of course you do. I'm saying that calling her un-American is ridiculous.
LMAO! "Word to your mother"? Nice touch. I am honored to appear with your other detractors. Thank you, thank you.
No it did not make the news because it was offensive. It made the news cause she was ASSAULTED. That's right. A man trespassed on the basketball court and ran at her with an American flag. She's been turning her back on the flag all season. College basketball season starts in November if you do not know.
My WHOLE GIANT point in this matter is what a lot of people have already said: This country is founded on the right to speak your mind no matter how un-popular or bizarre or crazy it may be. Denying ANYONE that right or making the claim that any person who does is un-American or should simply leave the country goes against everything we stand for as Americans. Just as she has a right to do what she does, we all have a right to disagree and say we think she is nuts. So, in essense, I agree with most of you on the substance of protest. See, isn't that nicer.
sigh. the first post was about relating my own life experiences, I have done the same thing this girl is doing, and I too caught flack for it.. just because I gave my reason doesn't mean it's a party politics issue. the 2nd post is why I empathize with her reasoning for her actions.. she doesn't feel represented by the government.. the government is comprised of both Republican and Democrats.. and I disagree with both on numerous occassions. 3rd post. Bill O'Reilly is a talk show host, not a political figure. 4th post. I guess you don't keep up with current events, otherwise you'd know that Ashcroft has stated on numerous occassions that actions of dissent like this will be investigated and people may be detained for such things. 5th post. I was comparing her actions and how much heat she's getting to Bush and his actions, and how much heat HE is taking. Driving home my point that no matter who you are, your voice counts.
