Agreed completely.

To a degree, I agree with you. But one should also recognize that the fundamentals that made this country great never changed even though the country itself has drifted away from them. Your analogy that the nation is similar to an organism isn't a bad start, but the organism representing our nation is significantly different today than it was 200 years ago - and that is where the analogy falls apart. It isn't that our nation is facing disease as much as it is trying to alter its nature to be something other than what it was created to be and those dichotomies and contradictions are proving to be terminal.

I'd rather say that our nation is like a giant building. In the beginning it was created with a solid foundation that as long as we built above the foundation, the building would remain strong. The problem is that we've not only built skyways and balconies of massive sizes, we've actually chiseled away at the foundations themselves, undermining the great strength that should have allowed for significant, measured expansion. Thus the building is horribly lop-sided and out-of-balance with weakened foundations similar to the Tower of Pisa. They have taken physical steps with that building to shore up the foundation because the ground it was built upon is liquefying under it and threatens to tip it completely. Our nation is in similar straits, but we have made little or no effort to shore up the foundations and none at all to eliminate the dead weight that threatens to topple it completely.

Yes, and the "crime" is expunged from your record, upon payment of the fine. Then, you can go right out and find another flag burner...

I like it!

Trump's Tweets are more often ridiculous than not, but I do agree with the sentiment that flag burning is about as disgraceful a way to practice the 1st Amendment as I can imagine. Perhaps the way to end the practice would be to pass laws making it a crime to burn ANYTHING in protest on public lands/streets. You know, for safety reasons... Don't want people having accidents with fire, so make it a significant crime to burn a flag, effigy, car, store, etc.

I took it as a tongue in cheek comment. Everyone is so politically correct sensitive, that they can't see the real comment there. This is the greatest country ever created in the world and every citizen should embrace that. Burning the flag provides nothing to this society.

There IS one existential threat to America - the National Debt.
Our economic collapse is not only inevitable, it is imminent.
Already gross manipulations have irrevocably altered our economic foundations.

Banks no longer loan out money held in depositor's accounts.
They now loan money borrowed directly from the Fed.

Why? Because who keeps money on deposit when a "high yield" savings account offers 0.95% interest.

Remember when "CASH" was one of the three pillars of your investment portfolio? When Money Market Funds were considered a valid option? When you maintained a mix of Stocks, Bonds and Cash?

That has changed in just the last 20 years and it will not come back. It cannot come back.

We have already passed the point where market forces could make us behave.
Years ago demand for the T-Bill softened to the point we had to start "creating" money to buy our own bonds.

But they cannot turn back. Only by manipulating interest rates to impossibly low levels can we continue to afford even the interest on that mountain of IOU's.

And no one, NO ONE, is talking about this.
Only a Balanced Budget Amendment has any hope of saving us, but no politician ever will ever curb his own spending.

I love America. But we are living at the end of the First American Experiment.
Oh, it will still be called America - but the Constitution as we know it will be gone. Set aside as a racist white-man's folly to be rebuilt in the modern Socialist Model.

The future is still bright. Wisdom learned will not be lost.
I am optimistic about the Big Picture Future. But not ours.
THIS America is lost.

Hello jbrenner,
I can't help but feel that the collectivists that burn the flag and treat it in other disrespectful ways are deserving of contempt. The action is an insult to many, ignores all the sacrifices and good of our nation the flag represents. It is pure provocation and foolish. Some protesters have legitimate concerns and should use their right to assemble and petition. There are so many other ways to protest that do not insult and outrage so many.
That said: It is not something we should criminalize. It is something we may find offensive and should use our first amendment right to denounce. "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," - "The Friends of Voltaire" (1906) written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing under the pseudonym S[tephen] G. Tallentyre.
The POTUS-elect is entitled to his opinion, but he should never be empowered to unilaterally enforce his view. It is only offensive speech that requires first amendment protection. Universally approved of speech has no need.
Regards,
O.A.

This is not the first example of Trump wanting to deny freedom of speech or individual rights. Whether or not he could ever make this law, he shows his ignorance by even suggesting it.

Flag burning, while a patriotic issue is not a substantive issue. Yes, it is protected speech. Yes it is despicable. But, with all the substantive issues to be dealt with that affect people's lives it can be discussed and dealt with after the first 100 days. However, it may get done sooner more as a symbol than anything else.

A Penn and Teller show represents a reasonable view on the flag burning issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukURt...

Making laws against burning or other flag desecration activity weakens us - creating more victimless "crimes".

I never heard him say this, and he can't do it. So move on to things of consequence. This is another snowflake issue.

Tuesday this week me dino heard Rush Limbaugh tell a caller that Trump is just blowing smoke about what he said about flag burners.
Paraphrasing. Don't recall his exact words.

Good point about his likely inability to enact his view. But as intellectuals, we should disavow his expression of such a horrendous viewpoint, even if we cannot see a path to him enforcing it just yet. Never fail to pronounce judgment.
I also an appalled that anyone should even suggest that citizenship should be revokable!

I suggest an alternative. Beating the crap out of a flag burner should be classified as a misdemeanor punishable by a $10.00 fine.

I am not for the idea of hate speech laws or the idea that the left has been pushing to make comments arguing things like global warming being a fraud as justification for fines and imprisonment.

But, to play devils advocate, if they want to push these kinds of speech regulation laws, I think they are opening the door for new arguments to classify flag burning as a form of hate speech as well. The previous supreme court rulings were before this new line a regulations against hate speech.

I think it would be funny if this blows up in their faces and they now will have to argue against the idea of these stupid hate speech regulations. Even better, if Trump pushed the issue, they sue, and the supreme court rules that the hate speech bs is unconstitutional and then throws it all out.

Not that I am in favor of flag burning and fully understand Trump's irritation at this action. But I think if it is your property and you want to burn it, then you should have that right - it's not really an issue of freedom of speech. It is a matter of personal property laws and the fact that I should be allowed to do with my property as I see fit.

Now, if these protesters take a flag from a poll somewhere, and it is not theirs - or there are open fire regulations in the area where they are, then get them for theft or open burning - but not simply because people don't like it.

People on the left have to get used to the idea of hearing things they don't like without trying to silence the other side, rioting and destroying other peoples property, etc... just as those who think this should be banned have to accept the same.

I think we're on the edge. We must immediately take serious steps to fight debt, reduce regulations, secure our borders. A Hillary victory, I was sure, would have probably damaged the country to a point that I'd never see it come back to what it was during my younger years. I've taken a breather from planning my escape. But, it's not off the agenda.

Very well said.

I think that America is a very robust and healthy organism that is not and has never been on a death bed. In it's 240 years of existence it has had a number of diseases from which it has recovered. It has had self inflicted wounds, which have healed and has the scars to show for it. When a mild virus like Obama causes gastronomic distress, the world seems dark and gloomy but that does not lead to death. Trump is like Kaopectate and will bring some relief for some but will cause other symptoms as he thrusts about trying "To Make America Great Again."

The strength of America is that our founders let the cat out of the bag and established a nation based o individual rights and it survived. It is not always on the right path in the short run but it will take a lot more than a blip here and there to divert the path of 320 million individuals. We do not always agree, nor do the right thing but there is little reason to believe that any of our little failures will lead to its demise, just like our planet is not going to die because we exhale co2 from our bodies and our machines.

Individual, adult life spans are short terms in the measure of events and like looking at a graph of your investments over time, there is a big difference in your mood when looking at the month, year, 5 year, 10 year and from inception trend lines. Sometimes when you are in an uncontrolled skid you can recover by taking your feet and hands off of the gas and wheel so the vehicle will self correct. To the degree that Trump is willing to do this we can unleash the force of the free market with pent up energy like we have never seen before but few are crazy enough to just let go. So far, The Donald looks like he might be wise enough to throw some chum in the water for the sharks to go unnoticed and cutting the ropes restraining the forces of recovery. In any case he can do no worse than the past 40 or so captains of this ship.

The link to a video on the CNN the Clinton news network is from a fraudulent news organization. The que of stories from Trumps visit with Obama to this hack job is 85% negative. Saying or giving his opinion about an issue is his right. If he acts with an executive order to punish flag burners I'm buying stock in flag makers as both coasts will light up like a bonfire and I will agree with you it would be an attack on freedom of expression. Creating a law through congress about flag
burning is likely a low priority.
Just like I suggest to my snowflake collectivist myopic bleeding heart apologist acquaintances Trump will only spend 1/2 his time promoting bigotry.(sarcasm).

I don't think America is finished . On wobbly knees and holding onto the ropes, but not down yet.

I don't think America is down. It is on wobbly knees holding onto the ropes but not down yet. She has survived other salamities and come back and I firmly believe she will this time.
Not sure she would have if the Hill had won. a third Obama term (or worse)would have put the USA on the mat. NOt sure it would have been a KO but it certainly would have been very bad and very close.

I have to wonder if he's goofing the left on this. He's getting them to argue for free speech. I find it kind of funny. (But, then again - I think America's probably finished anyway)

If he keeps tweeting, we are going to have to be careful to distinguish between tweets and actual legislative proposals. I note the media is currently considering his tweet about illegal votes as more worse than actual lawsuits for recounts. But then, it's the media.

What I like about Trump is that he is not afraid to say what he thinks. His failure to appreciate fundamental rights like freedom of speech and expression are what I don't like about him.

Trum just demonstrated why I voted for him. He says what he believes and is not shy about it. It is possible thaty with the new court with conservative justices that the ruling could be over turned. It is not the first time that a ruleing has been made and then overturned by a subsequent ruling (How about Dread Scott for example). Bad decisions have a way of being rectified as time passes.
BTW I'm not saying the two cases have the same leal merit but am saying both were bad decisions and needed to be changed.