We cannot upgrade your 60A fuse to 100A unless the tails are 25mm

I think we have to remember that destroying an enemy's flag is a common thing to do in war. Nowadays, some people burn flags to symbolize relatively mild political disagreement. Quite rightly, we are reluctant to enforce the laws against that. But the reason the laws exist is that destroying a flag can mean something much worse than just mild political disagreement.

Setting things on fire is arson, not speech.

John

or

to

I thought the gam e was called "Capture the Flag"...then display it as a trophy.

Does that make me liable for arson if I barbecue anything?

Does that make me liable for arson if I have a bonfire?

Does that make me liable for arson if I burn Osama bin Laden in effigy?

Does that make me liable for arson if I dispose of a worn-out American flag in a manner that I have often heard recommended? (For example last paragraph in

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

I see no reason why setting things on fire on public property shouldn't be illegal. Actually, it is in most places, except designated public barbeque pits.

John

or

Not always. I have a gas water heater, a fireplace, and a barbecue.

In article , John Larkin wrote:

Now, what if I burn a flag on my front lawn?

What if a university professor burns a flag on his university campus?

What if I burn a flag or a picture of Osama bin Laden in a municipality that has no ordinances regarding barbecue pits on public property? I would suspect that many such municipalities have no local ordinances against burning things and therefore burning either a flag or a picture of Osama bin Laden is no more against my state's laws against arson than is doing so in a public barbecue pit in the nearest municipality that has one. I do suspect that distinguishing of public barbecue pits is a municipal matter rather than a state one, and as a result I suspect that state laws against arson largely do not make illegal burning of anything that can be burned in a public barbecue pit. It does appear to me that most of the municipalities in the counties bordering Philadelphia PA do not even have public barbecue pits, so I suspect many or at least some of the municipalities of "Suburban Philadelphia" do not have any ordinances having to do with public barbecue pits and that some of these municipalities do not have ordinances against burning things outside the public barbecue pits that they do not have. Should I identify such a borough or township, I suspect this means that it is legal to burn a picture of Osama bin Laden in some reasonably safe manner somewhere between the sidewalk and the front door of the "municipal building" or "borough hall" or "township hall"! And if I can legally burn a picture of Osama bin Laden at a particular location in the USA, then it is constitutional free speech if I at the same location burn a pink triangle, a rainbow flag or flag of any nation including that of Iran, North Korea or USA!

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

I don't know. How are your steaks ?:-)

...Jim Thompson

That may be covered by local ordinance. You can't burn leaves in many places, so why flags? Their smoke may be more toxic.

Would he be allowed to burn a pile of rubbish? Would he be allowed to gather up all the copies of the Young Republican's campus newspaper and burn them? (actually, the answer to the last case is generally "yes.")

If burning stuff in a given location is illegal, then it's illegal. It doesn't matter, to me at least, what the stuff is. But just because it's a flag doesn't convert "burning" to "protected free speech."

Burning is not speech, and the Constitution gives us freedom of speech, not freedom of burning.

John

Army units who loose the regimental colors in battle on foreign soil are not supposed to return home until they locate and recover them, by tradition. A useless fact learned while teaching history.

Steve Roberts

No, that's only when you burn something that they don't _want_ burned.

I don't think there are any laws against destroying your own property. It's a piece of cloth, for heaven's sakes - treating it like some kind of religious icon kind of proves the point, doesn't it? (that we're supposed to be "the land of the free", not "the church of George II".)

Thanks! Rich

Just wait, Jim. It won't be too many years before you'll be in them yourself.

Good Luck! Rich

Teaching history by romantic novels?

On Mon, 15 May 2006 21:39:28 GMT, Joerg wrote in Msg.

Can't you just throw it in the trash?

robert

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You reside in southern California, right? You can't hardly burn anything without a permit. They have even banned charcoal lighter fluid.

How about a cross?

John

Hello Robert,

I guess that's what most people do but code says it just ain't right.

Regards, Joerg

Sometimes I wonder what sort of 'professional' these inspectors have to deal with. A few years ago, I wanted to put in a dock at my place. I got the permit requirements from the state and decided to take a shot at drawing the plans up myself. When I took the copies in to the fisheries dept., the inspector just stared at them for a while. I asked him, "Is anything wrong?". He replied, "These are some of the best drawings I've seen in a long time."

It made me wonder what sort of crap the 'professional' contractors were submitting.

Who is "they"?

If its your flag and you burn it in such a place and manner that burning in general is permitted, I don't see why not.

BTW, careful about that "George II" remark. There's a bumper sticker out now that says "This conversation may be monitored to ensure the quality of your patriotism".

What about the business end of the governor's cigar?