Science Denier said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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Science Denier said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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usmcbrooks said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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japantiger said:

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This is good Trump. People are being arrested and charged with hate crimes for burning pride flags and leaving skid marks on rainbow crosswalks. If that can be a crime, so can burning the American flag. Either both are crimes or neither are crimes. It can't be both ways . This is the first noy way to get the Supreme Court to sort this out ...

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People are being arrested and charged with hate crimes for burning pride flags that don't belong to them and leaving skid market on rainbow crosswalks that are public property. You can argue whether municipalities should be painting rainbows in crosswalks. But it's their property. You mess it up, you're going to pay.

Buy and burn all the LGBTQLMNOP flags you want. Burn someone's flag that doesn't belong to you, now we have a problem.

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A simple google search proves you wrong.

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Then cite your source. Don't play hide the football.

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Here is one
Did an Iowa Man Get 16 Years in Prison for Burning an LGBT Rainbow Flag? | Snopes.com

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What's True
The act of setting fire to an LGBT rainbow flag in Ames, Iowa, in June 2019 did ultimately result in Adolfo Martinez receiving a total sentence of 16 years in prison.

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Keep reading.

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Adolfo Martinez, 30, stole the flag from United Church of Christ in Ames, Iowa, because he hated gay people before burning it outside Dangerous Curves lap dancing club...

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It was classified as a hate crime. Stealing a flag is petty theft.

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Here's an idea. Don't steal. If he bought his own pride flag and burned it there would be zero legal issues. At least until the next big government liberal uses Trump's big government liberal precedent to make that illegal.

Would taking a flag and using it to beat a policeman senseless be considered desecrating it?

Good Trump, you weird freedom worshippers are something else.

We are actually able as a country to acknowledge such things as "good" and "bad" and the law should reflect as such.

How about let idiots burn the flag, but also let anyone defend the flag by beating the hell outta the burner?

Average Joe said:

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It's ironic considering the flag represents your freedom to burn the flag.

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Like raiaiaiiiiiin on your wedding day.

And this is bad precedent.

bad trump

Still think it's bad but some clarification. The EO basically says IF another crime is committed while burning the flag, the flag does not give you cover.

A lawyer used the scenario where somebody is strangled using an American flag…the flag doesn't protect the perp from being guilty of strangulation.

Or

If there is a local burn ban, the burning of an American flag does not get you out of ignoring the burn ban.

BusterAg said:

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There is no crime against hate.

There are enhanced penalties for committing a crime due to hate.

I dislike hate crime BS, but there is a distinction.

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If someone burning a pride flag can be a hate crime, then someone burning an American flag can be a hate crime too. Both should be protected by the Constitution, whether you agree with one or not.

Neither are crimes.

HTownAg98 said:

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Neither are crimes.

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Pride is bad, the country is good.

This is the same line of thinking that says if you want to ban porn you have to also ban the Bible.

It's idiotic

Listening more, I think Trump made is trying to make it a crime if you burn it during the commission of another crime. This feels more and more like Trump Grade A trolling.

this is the correct answer

Neither is the correct answer. If he was going to do anything, he should have gone the other direction and made it illegal to charge people with hate crimes for non-violent offenses. Instead we are fighting liberalism with more liberalism.

annie88 said:

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In general, I understand this sentiment. But I don't agree with it. I personally would have no problem with someone getting punched in the face for trying to do it, but let them be an idiot.

But, I also don't like it when people who burn LGBTQ flags or burn rubber over a rainbow drawing on the road get a charged with hate crimes either. It has to be consistent.

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Apparently it's OK to hate your country, but not people based on sexual orientation or race. I don't have a problem with that (so much).

But two people saying the same word (you know the word), where one is just "being real" and the other is at least close to doing a hate crime is absolutely wrong.

There I totally agree with you - everyone needs to be held to the same standard of conduct.

Farmer_J said:

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Yep

When every single city, state, and federal jurisdiction which investigated or charged or imprisoned someone for burning or defacing or giving a dirty look to a rainbow flag admits wrongdoing and pays restitution to its victims, we can have a discussion about whether burning an… pic.twitter.com/bkzNaR2fL8

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 25, 2025

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More gay.

TresPuertas said:

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this is the correct answer

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More gay stuff.

Quo Vadis? said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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Neither are crimes.

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Pride is bad, the country is good.

This is the same line of thinking that says if you want to ban porn you have to also ban the Bible.

It's idiotic

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How about we don't ban either?
This isn't difficult; I don't know why people want to make it so complicated. Burn your own flag, it doesn't matter what is on it. It is free speech. Steal someone's property and burn it, and it's a crime.

J. Walter Weatherman said:

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Neither is the correct answer. If he was going to do anything, he should have gone the other direction and made it illegal to charge people with hate crimes for non-violent offenses. Instead we are fighting liberalism with more liberalism.

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There is absolutely nothing liberal about banning flag burning. You can tell, because we were a much more conservative nation before flag burning was decriminalized nationally.

That's like arguing that banning child porn is liberal.

Does he really or does he want it only in connection to and/or commission of a crime?

People are saying different things.

Is this just a lot of false outrage over something that is more nuanced?

HTownAg98 said:

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Quo Vadis? said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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Neither are crimes.

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Pride is bad, the country is good.

This is the same line of thinking that says if you want to ban porn you have to also ban the Bible.

It's idiotic

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How about we don't ban either?
This isn't difficult; I don't know why people want to make it so complicated. Burn your own flag, it doesn't matter what is on it. It is free speech. Steal someone's property and burn it, and it's a crime.

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It wasn't considered free speech until a 5-4 Supreme Court decision less than 40 years ago.

ETFan said:

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Trump doesn't give two iota about the principles defining this nation, more at 11.

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Somebody doesn't understand how Trump works.

In fact, lots on both sides here don't understand.

Jason C., all the way back on the front page, does understand. Go back and read what he posted.

We have our first arrest!

BREAKING: A veteran has been arrested for burning an American flag outside the White House, hours after Trump signed an executive order mandating one year in prison for flag burning.
pic.twitter.com/pk4mRNQOPN

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 25, 2025

If the charge is burning in public, that's not unconstitutional.


If the charge is desecrating the flag, that's unconstitutional

1) Obviously Free Speech is to protect unpopular speech including flag burning

2) This is bait. He's using their psychotic need to do the opposite of whatever he says. SM is now going to be filled with Leftists burning flags and even if it's free speech it's going to make Independents disgusted with them and not want to vote for them.

Jason C. said:

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Trump now forcing Dems to defend burning the flag and public flag burnings which will certainly spike in response to this

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Trump is keeping the Democrats scrambling and disorganized. He knows that as long as he keeps prodding them with minor BS, they will focus on them instead of what really matters.

He keeps playing chess and the Democrats checkers.

As with many on here, I think this is bad Trump, HOWEVER, my right to put out that fire (as part of my free speech) with whatever substance is available should not be infringed either.

Commie behavior from 47

AggieVictor10 said:

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Commie behavior from 47

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Similar to commie……*checks notes* William Rehnquist

What I find most enlightening in these threads is that there are plenty of MAGA / conservatives that openly voice their disagreement with Trump views / actions - you see "good Trump / bad Trump" as a standard callout when various conservative posters don't agree with his latest ideas. ie this isn't the echo chamber that all the libs claim it is.

Show me any threads of criticisms of Bidens dumbass policies/ EOs where any of the hardcore lib trolls ever post anything other than repeating the party talking points. The real echo chamber has been 95% on the left with the MSM / Social platforms all carrying the water and the useful "over educated" idiots accepting it without any critical thought.

HTownAg98 said:

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usmcbrooks said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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usmcbrooks said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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japantiger said:

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This is good Trump. People are being arrested and charged with hate crimes for burning pride flags and leaving skid marks on rainbow crosswalks. If that can be a crime, so can burning the American flag. Either both are crimes or neither are crimes. It can't be both ways . This is the first noy way to get the Supreme Court to sort this out ...

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People are being arrested and charged with hate crimes for burning pride flags that don't belong to them and leaving skid market on rainbow crosswalks that are public property. You can argue whether municipalities should be painting rainbows in crosswalks. But it's their property. You mess it up, you're going to pay.

Buy and burn all the LGBTQLMNOP flags you want. Burn someone's flag that doesn't belong to you, now we have a problem.

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A simple google search proves you wrong.

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Then cite your source. Don't play hide the football.

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It's there for people to see. The individuals are charged with literal hate crimes. They aren't charged with trespassing, theft or destruction of personal property...They are charged with HATE CRIMES.

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They absolutely are being charged with all those things in addition to the hate crime. Otherwise, there's no crime. Hating certain groups in and of itself is not a crime. In certain places, committing some other crime because you hate a certain group gets a hate crime charge tacked on. Personally, I think hate crime laws are bs.

You are free to stand on the corner and yell "I HATE HOMOS!" to your heart's content. You won't be arrested.

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You can yell I hate HOMOS on the corner and not get arrested. The next day, if you get into a fight with a homosexual guy for some reason, you are likely to get the maximum penalty for any and all assault type charges the DA can throw at you.

If you yell I HATE MAGA on the corner, and some guy punches you, no extra punishment.

It's not that you are not allowed to hate people. You are only not allowed to hate SOME types of people. Straights white guys always are, and always will be, fair game.

Upset about Trump’s flag burning crackdown? Don’t forget liberals jailed teens for pride flag scooter marks. Guess only some symbols are sacred 🤷🏻‍♂️

— Matt Gambone (@Matt_Gambone) August 26, 2025

J. Walter Weatherman said:

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Neither is the correct answer. If he was going to do anything, he should have gone the other direction and made it illegal to charge people with hate crimes for non-violent offenses. Instead we are fighting liberalism with more liberalism.

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Welcome to Trumpsylvania.

You can’t blame her, at the time she was as a young bright eyed 55 year old https://t.co/isbUveBMBA

— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) August 26, 2025

BusterAg said:

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Freedom of speech is also freedom to be an ******* publicly.

I'm not cool with banning any form of non-threatening political speech.

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Flag burning is NOT speech.

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people PEACEABLY to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

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There's nothing, regardless of USSC interpretation (see Scott, Plessy, Roe, and other overturned cases), in the First Amendment regarding actions, other than the free exercise of religion, PEACEABLY assemble (which leaves out flag burning by definition), and the petition of the government. Printed words on t-shirts or signs is one thing; setting something on fire is completely different.

Can I ram my car into public or even private property to make a statement, even if I agree to compensate or reimburse the owner of the property for the damage? Of course not. At the least, there's no constitutional restriction on making such an act illegal without worrying about a first amendment challenge. (If you don't like that example, come up with one of your own -- the point is, government can reasonably restrict actions while they may not be able to restrict words).

Now, I don't have an issue with someone burning a flag privately in their back yard. If you want to split the difference and restrict "public" acts, that's fine with me. Keep in mind that, like narrow and justified speech restrictions (inciting, slander, etc.), there are also reasonable restrictions on being an ******* in public.

As a veteran I have always been opposed to flag burning and kneeling for the National Anthem. Its almost visceral for me to see people do that after all the flag draped coffins I prayed over and the many memorial services and funerals I attended for fallen service members.

But I also took an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States," and last time I checked, flag burning and kneeling for the National Anthem - as much as I abhor both - are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution.

You can't fix stupid, and those who feel they are accomplishing something meaningful by burning our nation's flag are truly stupid in my book. But as stupid as they are, they have a right do that under our Constitution, and that Constitutional right should not be infringed upon, in my opinion.