All the more praise for the kids in L.A. who walked-out en masse with little incident ... and for the half-million or more in our Grande Marcha who protested uber-peacefully.

I think that School Superindent in Phoenix is the one throwing fuel on the fire now. That ban on flag-image clothing is just going to escalate the tensions. Frankly, as bad as flag-burning is, I would have played down the entire incident with little more than a wrist-slap for all participants under these tense circumstances.




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Hmmm... posted at 7:34 p.m. Friday, edited at 6:14 a.m. Saturday. I wonder what needed to be changed 11 hours after-the-fact?

"Frankly, bad as flag-burning is" vs. Frankly, as bad as flag-burning is"

I just added an "as." I thought it was a typo, but I know see the sentence sort of reads correctly either way.


99% of my edits are to correct grammar or NotAfraid-style typographical errors.


I do not use my vast moderator editing powers to change history.

Party Pooper.

A little more info on the Mexican flag burning incident. For the purposes of clarification, the whole event took place with the flag pole in front of the ROTC building at the high school.

I honestly cannot believe this, but the kid (only 16) who burned the flag is being charged with felony arson as an adult. Misdeamor mischief I could buy. But felony arson? I am flabbergasted. If convicted, he will never vote, and will not be permitted to serve in the US military, his goal after graduation.

I am hoping that this is just a ploy by whomever decided to charge him with this to get him to plead to a much lesser offense, such as a misdemeanor. I hope the judge throws this case out should it go to court this way. I am no lawyer, so I suppose I don't know what makes felony arson.

While I was not able to go to the protest organized on Monday, I have contributed to his legal defense fund.

Lotsa felonies are committed by otherwise decent people caught up in the heat of the moment. Most of them don't benefit from a public outpouring of support. This kid's lucky -- the notoriety of his case will prevent him from getting railroaded into being a convicted felon. A hand-slap misdemeanor is in his future. Which, imo, is all the punishment his actions warrant.

While I don't agree with the severity of the charge, I can hardly be supportive of someone's goal to join the military if they - heat of the moment or not - see fit to burn another nation's flag.


Oh, I have no illusions it's not the miscreant, xenophobic haters who are attracted to military service, but I have no qualms about eliminating their eligibility - one a a time, if necessary.

I think a felony charge is harsh. But I also don't know what kind of arson qualifies for a felony charge. Was there potential for it to get out of hand and cause widespread damgage etc.

I'm thinking that if someone burned an American flag lots of people would want that person charged with a felony.

Scaeagles, would you have contributed to his defense fund if it was the American flag he burned? Just curious.

Still, I agree that it's very unlikely he'll get more than a misdemeanor charge at the end of this.

I suppose if he was in another country and burned that country's flag I could agree with you. Running the flag of another country up the flagpole is very symbolic to that country conquering the other.