Centerfield

Too true, Mathew. (Hey, that ryhmes!) I'll have to read Red State more often.

Here's what I don't get....

Not a single liberal or Democrat that I personally know is for this amendment. Apparently there's a pretty hefty slew of conservatives against it as well.

So how has it got so much support?

Red State is pretty boring. It is just too dry most of the time. I like Daily Kos better, maybe because it is funny (thought not on purpose).

Well, carla, I think it's because the thoughtful, principled legislators are always going to be outnumbered by the folks who think "Hey, free vote!!" (Since the SCOTUS usually strikes down any flag burning law anyway.)

BJ,

The Supreme Court can’t overturn a constitutional amendment. That’s the issue here.

I know that, and you know that, but do the legislators who think "Hey, free vote!!!" know that?

I don’t think congressmen are that dumb.

They're not dumb, they're savvy. And venal. And opportunistic. This is a case where, for me, the idea of not attributing to malice what can be explained by stupidity fails the sniff test. Stupidity doesn't explain it. Narrowly construed self -interest does.

It's a matter of convenience. It still has to pass in 37 of 50 states. I'd hazard a guess that Massachusetts is smart enough to reject this. All we need is 13 more non-idiotarian states. I'll toss in Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, and New York. Anyone want to step up for their part of the country, or is it a walkoff for simplified patriotism in your area? I'm going to guess Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, and California would go thumbs down too. That leaves us needing only 5 more hold-outs. Missouri. Michigan. Ohio. Pennsylvania. Washington. Maybe Arizona. I think we're safe.

BK, You can cross MO, OH, PA, and AZ off of that list but add HI, RI, NJ & maybe DE or MD.

While I don’t support this amendment (I’d rather see an amendment to kill Kelo), I do find it odd that the Koran gets more protection than our flag.

I do find it odd that the Koran gets more protection than our flag

Are you telling me I can't find koran toilet paper and a duraflame in arabic on the internet?

Try burning a copy of the American flag in a public place. You will encounter no resistance because it is constitutionally protected speech.

Now try burning a copy of the Koran in a public forum. The cops would cart you off in handcuffs for inciting violence and in some states you could be charged with a hate crime.

So which item gets more protection, the flag or the Koran?

Thank you, Brian, you took the words right out of my mouth.

Those who are voting for the flag amendment aren't doing so because they're too dumb to know the law; they're voting for it because they see a quick way to score political points. They think the amendment will be defeated by someone, sometime, somewhere else down the line, just as the SCOTUS scuttled previous flag burning laws. In the meantime, by voting for the amendment, they get an easy way to look patriotic and armor themselves against charges from future opponents.

Why throw yourself in front of a moving train when it's going to be derailed down the line anyway?

By the way, Alf, I can think of lots of public places in both Missouri and Kansas where you can burn the Quran without getting arrested for it. There are lots of places where you can burn the American flag without getting arrested for it too, but who wants to spend time in the intensive care ward? ;-)

My point is that burning the flag is constitutionally protected speech while it is a hate crime to burn the Koran. I am referring to the law here. You are discussing what happens when people take the law into their own hands. That’s throwing in oranges when I’m talking about apples. My statement is still true in context; under the law the Koran gets more protection than the flag.

In the US, the flag represents more people than the Koran.

If someone burnt a flag in front of me, as an American, that would affect me... if someone burnt a Koran in front of me, as a nonmuslim, I'd probably think they were asking for trouble, shake my head, and deny ever knowing them...

I assume the same law that protects the Koran also protects the Bible, the Talmud or any major religious work? I've no problem with it, then. Frankly, burning the Koran *would* be a hate crime.

--I'm about to get points!!!-- and besides, do we *really* want to start turning ourselves into Nazis by burning books?

Exactly, Ryan...lol...

Maybe to avoid the whole book burning ban, we could talk about political groups who burn, say, W or Bill Clinton in effigy. It would be in bad taste, yes, but it would be protected speech because they are political figures rather than religious ones.
Now imagine the reaction if some group burned, say, Pope Benedict in effigy, especially if they did it in front of a Catholic's house. It would be equally in bad taste, but not equally protected speech, because it would be interperted as an insult to Catholics in general and to that individual Catholic in particular.

Republican primaries.

Having a flag-burning amendment will help get far-right voters to the polls in the republican primary elections.

Doesn't matter that the amendmendment won't pass, if it will help elect far-right republicans in the meantime.