The “Occupy” movement is like a box of Lucky Charms, although instead of “Pink Hearts, Orange Stars, Yellow Moons, Green Clovers, Blue Diamonds, and Purple Horseshoes,” we have “Envious Hearts, Liberal Stars, Defecating Moons, Green (with Envy) Students, Blue States, and Purple Hair.” And now, instead of “Red Balloons” we have “Flag-burning Buffoons!” Magically delicious? Not quite:
Officers said they noticed the suspects lighting something on fire directly in front of the Occupy camp along Trade Street around 12:30 a.m. Friday morning.
Police swarmed the area, and detained the men while firefighters were called in to knock down the flames. About $30 worth of damage was caused to landscaping at the site.
It was only after the fire was out did officials figure out what was burning, the American flag. Police said the men claimed they were burning the flag in protest. Burning the flag is not illegal, however doing it outside of a fire pit, and within ten feet from flammable tents poses a problem.
Unlike some of my conservative friends, I don’t think burning the flag should be illegal. I almost always get teary-eyed when I see Rick Monday save the flag in one of the greatest baseball moments of all time… but I’m quite comfortable stating that flag-burning idiots should be allowed to be flag-burning idiots without the threat of imprisonment. While there are often patriotic Americans who are able to do the right thing (e.g., Rick Monday), when there aren’t, the act tells sane Americans everything they need to know about the perpetrators.
Have a beef with Wall Street? Fine. Have a beef with Washington, DC? Fine. Have issues because in a free and open society with almost limitless opportunity you wound up a loser? Fine. Take it up at the ballot box or run around in your stupid V for Vendetta masks, but don’t burn the flag, because you instantly join the ranks of misfits, malcontents, treasonous scum and the stupid stooges in the Middle East.
If the Occupy Charlotte movement wants to light things on fire and dance around flames like neanderthals, let them. While their New York brethren are pooing in public and screeching like chimpanzees, they can show registered voters that at least they’ve mastered fire. And when the 2012 election comes to pass, independents will remember which movement read the Federalist Papers and which movement had to read up on a good lawyer because rape and murder charges can be tricky without good representation.
