Kinja reply list

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NicoBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:04pm
Irrelevant because the police had no right or reason to step in, but I legitimately do not understand burning the American flag to protest the Republican party.
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  RollinDoobiesUpNico
  7/21/16 2:08pm
  Burning a symbol that racists hide behind seems reasonable.
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  frtndwnthhihwyNico
  7/21/16 2:09pm
  I feel the same way.
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OMG!PONIES!Brendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:02pm
Would a Phil Robertson burn a copy of the Qu’ran wrapped in the American flag?
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  MBCockOMG!PONIES!
  7/21/16 2:03pm
  Things you can do in Cleveland during the RNC: carry an AR-15
  Things you can’t do: burn the flag?
  
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  Ned FreyMBCock
  7/21/16 2:04pm
  Why are you in the grays? Did gawker demote you lately or something?
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EatTheCheeseNicholsonBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:04pm
Police said he accidentally set himself on fire

Police said he accidentally shot himself. Police said he accidentally put his hands up. Police said he accidentally looked foreign. Police said he accidentally liked Transformers 3.
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  pre-emptive sighEatTheCheeseNicholson
  7/21/16 2:07pm
  Police said he accidentally liked Transformers 3.
  
  Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
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  Armytrixter85EatTheCheeseNicholson
  7/21/16 2:07pm
  Let’s be honest, that last one may be grounds for being shot....
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The Noble RenardBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:05pm
Johnson had not yet been released from police custody at the time of this writing.

Aaaand yep, there we go. Real purpose of the action.

Realistically, the Cleveland PD is well aware that what they did was unconstitutional, that charges will not stick and that Johnson will likely sue. In the end however, it’s my opinion that they made a calculated decision to eat around $150,000-$250,000 in legal fees and settlement costs in order to get Johnson off of the streets because they (1) they didn’t want him there agitating and (2) they hated the idea of photographs showing protesters burning an American flag while Cleveland cops looked on without doing anything.

Pretty fucking atrocious.
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  1llamarampage will write againThe Noble Renard
  7/21/16 2:14pm
  When you put it that way, I begin feeling like I should go to Cleveland, burn a flag, get arrested, and get myself a six-figure payday. It’d be scummy, but I don’t have a job right now and it’s either this or winning big on Jeopardy.
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  Fruskyany1llamarampage will write again
  7/21/16 2:31pm
  Better than jumping into traffic in Beverly Hills. Lexus or better, my motto!
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AuntEggmaBlowtorchBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:41pm
I’m not a reactionary.

But if Trump actually wins, I will reserve the right to burn the flag, repeatedly and publicly. Because A) it will truly be the only way to effectively voice my anger and outrage, B) it will be a symbol of grief at what has happened to the causes the flag represents, and C) nothing else will so seriously piss off Trump supporters.

It will quickly become illegal, no question. But that doesn’t really matter. I will get my ass kicked either way. Fine.

I’ve never been a fan of burning the flag to make a statement, generally. There are exceptions, but it’s an extreme thing to do. But neither does it cause great wells of emotion in me. I get that military people have fought under that flag, and it means a lot to people. But we really, truly have to start realizing that symbols are symbols, and they’re not sacred. You can’t celebrate free speech—a core freedom—and want to ban flag burning at the same time. That’s just nonsensical.
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  urnotverysmartAuntEggmaBlowtorch
  7/21/16 2:55pm
  One of the causes the flag is supposed to represent is democracy. If the people elect Trump, would you support an undemocratic coup to install Clinton as President in order to protect the other values the flag is supposed to stand for?
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  SLOWDOWNBROOOAuntEggmaBlowtorch
  7/21/16 3:03pm
  THATS DEEP BRO!!
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bassguitarheroBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:54pm
This shows one of the most massive failures of our system of law-and-order and democracy. Something can be proven to be unconstitutional, enforcing it can be unconstitutional, but the police can still arrest you for it, throw you in jail, and you will have to wait and work your way through the system in a process that will take YEARS (if not decades) in order for the original officers to be proven wrong, which will have little to no lasting effect on the situation that caused you to be unconstitutionally arrested in the first place.

As a result, police can often engage in these illegal tactics and get away with them when they’re time-based, and there isn’t really a method of holding them accountable. Yes, this guy can win his case, but it will take another decade and no one will be held responsible.
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  YouBlinkedbassguitarhero
  7/21/16 3:09pm
  The guy started a fire in a crowd. Doesn't matter what he set alight. Putting out a fire that was lit amongst a packed street is the right thing to do. Waiting for someone to accidentally get burned is not.
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  bassguitarheroYouBlinked
  7/21/16 3:24pm
  it’s constitutionally protected speech affirmed by the supreme court. any other concerns fail in the face of constitutionally protected speech.
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Hollow_LogBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:12pm
Fun fact:

Abraham Lincoln came up with the color combination of red, white and blue to render people constipated so they couldn’t shit on the flag.

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pre-emptive sighBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:02pm
“That will be determined in court.”

We’ll figure out why we locked you up later. For now, sit in jail and contemplate why whatever reason we come up with in the future was wrong, and why you deserve to be punished.
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ToasterBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:02pm
So in situations like these, do you think that the police don’t know that the law allows flags to be burned? or are they intentionally just stomping on their constitutional rights to protest?
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  ThisGuyToaster
  7/21/16 2:21pm
  I understand and appreciate that he has a right to burn the flag, but does he have a right to start a fire in the middle of a crowd like that?
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  ScalfinToaster
  7/21/16 2:21pm
  There are two halves there. Destroying the flag is protected speech, but lighting a fire can be public endangerment.
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JVBaseballSuperstarBrendan O'Connor
7/21/16 2:20pm
My coworker who spent all day yesterday complaining about that Milo idiot getting suspended from Twitter mass emailed this video out today and captioned it, “should have let this guy burn. Respect the flag. This should be a crime.”

What should I explain to him first, the concept of irony or the 1st Amendment?
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  TheresNoCheeksLikeMoCheeksJVBaseballSuperstar
  7/21/16 2:24pm
  Neither. Let him continue breathing exclusively out of his mouth and go about your day in happiness.
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  ThisGuyJVBaseballSuperstar
  7/21/16 2:24pm
  I’d start with shapes and colors, then move on to the more complex concepts.
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