The more you read about what the American flag stands for and the rules that surround it, you realize how little Americans know about their own history and laws. Then again, anyone who understands an ounce of history or political savvy know that most facts the normal citizen know about the flag is complete nonsense. No, burning the flag is covered by the 1st amendment and shouldn't be illegal because it is a form of free speech. No, there is no federal law, resolution or executive order exists stating why the flag colors are Red, White and Blue. The Pledge of Allegiance hasn't been recited in governmental bodies or Congress on a daily level, it just started being recited in 1999. Guess what! All those Merican people who wear red, white and blue shirts, or those red, white and blue shorts, are actually frowned upon under the only U.S. Flag Code. So for all the people who love Merica and wants those flag burning people put in jail, but are wearing those Flags on their bodies in all different forms. They are the ones actually undereducated on what is frowned upon in this country.
1. Red, White and Blue
As stated in the opening paragraph, there is literally no law, or resolution stating why the flag is Red, White and Blue. The closest explanation there is, are from the words of Charles Thomson, the secretary of Continental Congress, who was instrumental in the design of the Great Seal of the United States. Charles Thomson's report to Congress on the June 20, 1782, the day the seal was approved, contained a description of the colors, the same as those in the flag "White signifies purity and innocence, Red hardiness and valor, Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance an justice. Ronald Reagan marking 1986 as the "Year of the Flag" also used the same reasoning as Thomson's reasoning. But officially speaking, there is no reasoning of what the colors official imprimatur mean. Speaking from common sense standpoint, chances are we use the red, white and blue because it was the Continental Colors, but then before that. The Union Jack of England, which is where most of our founding fathers came from.
2. The Pledge of Allegiance isn't sang since the beginning
In Sept. 13 1988 during the presidential race the House of Representatives for the first time, Republican members of the House, who were in the minority offered a resolution to that effect, and it was accepted by Speaker Jim Wright, a Democrat. After that ruling by Jim Wright, the house would say the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each business day in the house. The Senate on the other hand, didn't start reciting it until Late June, 1999. Since then, the pledge has become part of opening rituals of nearly all states and local government bodies. This shows that the long honored tradition of saying the Pledge of Allegiance isn't old and honoree at all, it is extremely new in our government to do so and should still be looked at with skepticism since it could create a nationalistic epitome.
3. The burning of the American Flag is Constitutional, while wearing the flag is frowned upon
The burning of the flag was illegal until 1989. The first laws for flag burning were put in place in 1968 under the National Flag-Desecration Law, this law was aimed directly at the people who were protesting the Vietnam War and used flag burning as a form of it. In 1984 at the Republican National Convention a member of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, burned a flag during a protest, he was later convicted of violating Texas's flag desecration law and fined $2,000 and sentenced to a year in jail. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the conviction, ruling that Johnson was exercising his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. It went to the Supreme court as Texas v. Johnson and the court ruled 5 to 4 in Johnson's favor which in turn, invalidated a 1968 national flag desecration law, as well as similar laws in 48 states (except Wyoming and Alaska). In response Congress passed the Flag Protection Act, which was challenged and then wound up in the Supreme Court, which in 1990 ruled essentially affirming there earlier position and stated that any law banning flag burning violated free speech. Since this day, nothing has changed. There is also many movements to make it illegal to burn a flag and take the protection out of the constitution, but that will do much greater harm to political dissent and public display, then to actually stop flag burning.
4. Wearing American Flag gear is Patriotic
There is such a statue called the U.S. Flag Code, it literally frowns upon the flag being used as "advertising purposes". It goes on to warn against the sale or display of any "article of merchandise upon which shall have been printed, painted, attached, or otherwise placed a representation of the flag to advertise, call attention to, decorate, mark, or distinguish the article or substance on which so placed." In other words, when you were your Mercian start spangled banner shirt, or sitting on the Flag beach towel, or wearing that flag hat, or flag bikini, or flag cup holder, you're violating the U.S. Flag Code which was established in Washington in 1923, and is part of the law of the land. It is not enforced, nor is it enforceable, but it is a guideline to being how to treat our national trademark and symbol.
All in all, it just shows yet again, the idiocy of America, where burning a flag in protest against a war that is killing innocent people for nothing other then money and greed for the few, and imperialist power for the country. But it's frowned upon under the guidance of our U.S. Flag Code to wear any form of the Flag or use it in any advertised way, and it is actually not patriotic at all to do so.
So for anyone on the 4th of July who says that wearing the flag is being patriotic, and that burning the flag should put someone in jail. Should understand that burning a flag is as American as it gets since you are using your freedom of speech to disagree with your government on a issue you are concerned about. But wearing the flag in any form is actually un-patriotic and should be ashamed about that because of the fact that this is disrespecting the flag in a way that does nothing but flag desecration.
Happy 4th of July, have fun watching people have no idea what American values stand for today and have a complete misunderstanding of basic principles of this country.