Free Speech Lovers Rejoice! Trump To Ban Flag Burning, Meet Anyone Protesting His Parade 'With Extreme Force'
On the bright side, they can now use slurs without fear of losing their social media profiles.
One of the most deeply irritating narratives of the last decade has been people squawking that “the old ‘civil liberties Left’ is being pushed Right by censorious millennials doing cancel culture to people who just want to use racial slurs without social consequence!” This is not just because I don’t especially want to spend all of my free time on a social media site that has turned into a rhetorical cesspool obsessed with “white genocide,” but because it was always, always bullshit. The idea that the only way to protect free speech is for people (who are not the government) to tolerate and platform cruelty and ignorance on a personal level is patently ridiculous.
This week, in particular, has already been a real bonanza for free speech — what with the United States government dispatching the National Guard and the Marines to suppress the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and all. But yesterday, Donald Trump kicked it up a notch by announcing his plans to make it illegal to burn the American flag while also promising to use “extreme force” on any protesters who dare to show up at the military parade or the bouncy house for this 79th birthday party.
The flag thing isn’t exactly new. He’s been calling for it since his first term, and said he wanted a constitutional amendment banning it during his campaign last year. However, during his speech yesterday at Fort Bragg — where he also shared that seven military bases would once again be named for Confederate generals — he announced that he was moving forward on the flag burning nonsense with the assistance of US Senator Josh Hawley. Hawley, you may recall, was so proud of the fist pump he gave January 6 insurrectionists that he literally sold coffee mugs featuring the image.
Which is weird, because we all saw him turn tail and flee from those same patriots some few hundred minutes later.
So, just so we’re clear here — exercising your First Amendment rights by burning a flag in a protest is bad and treasonous. Trying to overthrow the government because you don’t like the results of an election? Patriotism! Declaring war on your own country because you’re afraid they will take your slaves away? Such an incredibly beautiful and patriotic act that we want our soldiers to be inspired by it when they go to work every day.
The Supreme Court has previously held, most emphatically in 1989’s Texas v. Johnson, that burning the American flag is covered by the First Amendment. Even Antonin Scalia agreed!
The only one of the “I used to be a liberal but am now MAGA because of how much they love and cherish free speech” contingent that has even mentioned the flag burning was Glenn Greenwald, and all he could get it together to say was that, 20 years ago in 2005, Hillary Clinton had previously tried to pass legislation that would have made it a crime to burn the American flag. So there!
That is absolutely true. It was a terrible piece of legislation that was sponsored by several Democrats who were desperately trying to distance themselves from the anti-war Left while the Iraq War was going on. They were, in fact, doing exactly what many have been demanding Democrats do now, which was “moderating on cultural issues in order to appeal to the Right or at least scare them less.”
I’m sorry, but as shitty as that legislation was, I just don’t think that people who literally make a living pandering to the Right have any business criticizing anyone else for pandering to the Right. There is absolutely zero difference to me between Democrats then who were trying to jump on the Iraq War/“Let’s Violate People’s Civil Liberties, Because Patriotism!” train and people now who want to see Democrats capitulate to the Right on issues like immigration and trans rights. In either case you are advocating for the oppression of an historically disadvantaged people in order to appease people who are never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, going to vote for you.
As you may have heard, there will be protests all over the country on Saturday, July 14 (I will be at the one in Chicago!), as Trump celebrates his birthday with a full-on dictator-chic military parade. However, he proclaimed yesterday that any protesters who dare to spoil the majesty of it all “will be met with extreme force.”
You know, because he loves the First Amendment, but not on his special day!
Speaking of the Iraq War, I’m now getting flashbacks to when they used to only allow Bush supporters to line up near his motorcade so that he only saw people loving on him and not the protesters who hated his guts. So fragile, these big, tough, manly Republicans.
Trump also celebrated free speech this week by saying he wanted to imprison Gavin Newsom for having run for Governor of California …
And he also threatened to cancel his former “First Buddy’s” government contracts if Musk kept criticizing him. Clearly, Musk believed him because he apologized for the error of his ways in the middle of the night last night.
There is a bright side for all of those “freeze peach” fans, though! Even if the government starts rounding up and arresting people for their opinions or for protesting Donald Trump on his special day, they can at least take solace in the fact that they won’t get kicked off of Twitter for using the R word! And isn’t that what really matters?
PREVIOUSLY ON WONKETTE!
I don't think it should be outlawed, but just in case I'll burn the Confederate flag instead
The people who buy Chinese-made stars & stripes undies at Walmart also believe it's a crime to burn the flag.