Freedom or Crime In the case Texas v. Johnson, Gregory Johnson was convicted of desecration of a venerated object, but the court ruled in favor of Johnson. The object he burned was an American flag. Many people were offended by this action, but others agreed that he had the right. This is a controversial topic, and the ruling in the supreme court was a close five to four vote.
First off, the American flag is a symbol of our country and what we stand for. One of the rights we have as Americans, is the freedom of speech. Johnson claimed that his action was “symbolic speech”, which is protected by the first amendment. The burning of an American flag in any case is usually an act of protest. People may be protesting the government, the president, or laws they don’t agree with. By burning the …show more content…
How then can we take an act of free speech and punish it as a crime? Destroying national monuments is, and should be a crime, but a flag is just a one in a billion copy. A flag is a symbol, and really just a piece of cloth.
By putting a ban on desecrating the flag just because the majority of the people vote for it, you are entering a gray area. If we ban flag burning, then why not ban movies or books that portray religious figures in an offensive way or other people considered to be sacred? Why not ban magazines, films, or groups that offend the beliefs of minority groups?
Johnson burned the flag in 1984 in front of the Dallas City Hall. It was the Republican National Convention, and Johnson did not agree with the Reagan administration. No one was put in danger, people were just offended by his actions. He was sentenced to one year in jail and assessed a $2,000 fine by Texas officials. After the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction, the case went to the Supreme Court. The first amendment protects actions that society may find offensive, but their disagreement is not enough to suppress the freedom of
First off, the American flag is a symbol of our country and what we stand for. One of the rights we have as Americans, is the freedom of speech. Johnson claimed that his action was “symbolic speech”, which is protected by the first amendment. The burning of an American flag in any case is usually an act of protest. People may be protesting the government, the president, or laws they don’t agree with. By burning the …show more content…
How then can we take an act of free speech and punish it as a crime? Destroying national monuments is, and should be a crime, but a flag is just a one in a billion copy. A flag is a symbol, and really just a piece of cloth.
By putting a ban on desecrating the flag just because the majority of the people vote for it, you are entering a gray area. If we ban flag burning, then why not ban movies or books that portray religious figures in an offensive way or other people considered to be sacred? Why not ban magazines, films, or groups that offend the beliefs of minority groups?
Johnson burned the flag in 1984 in front of the Dallas City Hall. It was the Republican National Convention, and Johnson did not agree with the Reagan administration. No one was put in danger, people were just offended by his actions. He was sentenced to one year in jail and assessed a $2,000 fine by Texas officials. After the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction, the case went to the Supreme Court. The first amendment protects actions that society may find offensive, but their disagreement is not enough to suppress the freedom of