Donald Trump wants to impose stiff penalties for flag burners, despite the Supreme Court having legalized the activity as a form of personal expression, the Daily Mail reported.
“Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag,” the president-elect tweeted on Tuesday. “If they do, there must be consequences, perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!”
Trump needs a constitutional amendment to override the Supreme Court’s 1989 ruling that flag desecration is a type of free speech. Two-third of all the senators and representatives would have to vote for the amendment. Though the House has approved such a measure on multiple occasions, the Senate continues to reject it. In 2006, senators came within a single vote of passing the “Flag Desecration Amendment.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The New York Times pointed out that since 9/11, several lawmakers have vowed to introduce legislation revoking flag burners’ citizenship. The efforts failed to gain traction because of the overwhelming odds against their success.
ADVERTISEMENT
Even Hillary Clinton has called for outlawing flag desecration. As a U.S. senator, she co-sponsored a bill that would have penalized citizens who burn flags to “’incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace.” The measure stated: “Destruction of the flag of the United States can be intended to incite a violent response rather than make a political statement, and such conduct is outside the protections afforded by the First Amendment.” Violators would have been subject to one-year jail sentences and fines up to $100,000. The legislation failed to pass.
Source: MailOnline
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
ADVERTISEMENT
TRUMP’S PROPOSES TO BAN FLAG-BURNING
No comments:
Post a Comment