Hows this for a flash mob (Hippie tries to burn flag)

Another angle.
Even worse language.

Here is the statement by Benjamin Haas.

"I initially began this flag burning protest to define due process for students and suspected terrorists alike, to call on LSU and universities across the country to defend basic human rights and avoid putting students into the criminal justice system when it can be taken care of internally," the pre-written text of Haas's speech read. "In the name of peace, there will be no flag burning today. This country and the flag that flies over it stands for freedom, democracy, love, peace and the ability to question our government."

From the LSU campus newspaper.

www.lsureveille.com...

I have watched both videos that are within this thread.

This is what I see-

A whole bunch of flags

quite a few people

many cameras

several cops

a few horses


This is what I do not see-

a spark

any flames

fire

smoke

 

 

It is nice though, to see the cops not breaking out the tear gas, and the mace to disarm all of the rioters of their deadly weapons people of their cameras.

Originally posted by BlackOps719

Sorry but you have to be one dumb sack of excrement to try and burn an American flag in the state of Louisiana in front of a crowd of riled up rednecks......that sort of thing is hazardous to your health.

Best to keep that sort of thing for places like Berkeley where people are less likely to hit you with rocks.

So free speech should only be practiced in front of people who agree with you?

I normally agree with what you have to say, but I have to digress here. There's no excuse for violence over expression of free speech, even if it is disagreeable. I would have been angry to see someone burn the flag as well, but I would not have let it damage my judgement to the point where I became violent. There is no excuse for that sort of barbarism.

Originally posted by iamhobo

The thing I found most impressive second to that of the giant crowd was the fact that [color=gold]there were so many huge a** flags being carried around.

Gosh I need sleep, or there is some punctuation missing. I spent 5 minutes trying to figure out what an 'a** flag' was. Then I realized the emphasis was on 'huge-a**'

Apparently someone _had_ burned a flag previously and gotten arrested. The person attempting to burn a flag in the videos is his friend and was protesting the arrest.

Originally posted by drwizardphd

Originally posted by BlackOps719

Sorry but you have to be one dumb sack of excrement to try and burn an American flag in the state of Louisiana in front of a crowd of riled up rednecks......that sort of thing is hazardous to your health.

Best to keep that sort of thing for places like Berkeley where people are less likely to hit you with rocks.

So free speech should only be practiced in front of people who agree with you?

I normally agree with what you have to say, but I have to digress here. There's no excuse for violence over expression of free speech, even if it is disagreeable. I would have been angry to see someone burn the flag as well, but I would not have let it damage my judgement to the point where I became violent. There is no excuse for that sort of barbarism.

Well if you feel so strongly about freedom of speech I would urge you to go down to your local predominately African American university, find a gathering place where there are 20 or 30 people standing around, then climb up on the closest table available and start yelling the "N" word as loud as you please. It is likely to illicit the same response as burining an American flag would in front of a gang of riled up Louisiana rednecks.

My point is, sure ....you can do it....and it aint illegal....but some things are just a bad idea to begin with.

Hope that makes sense

Originally posted by BlackOps719
Well if you feel so strongly about freedom of speech I would urge you to go down to your local predominately African American university,

Depends if it's a PRIVATE university.

Freedom of speech should just that, freedom of speech in public places. There should be no excuses.

I really hate to say it but this video presents an extremely frightening and ugly picture on both sides. The violence evident in the shouts of "get him" and the entire concept of wanting to burn a flag to begin with it just all looks like a bunch of angry, ignorant, poor, 3rd world people turning to animals over the expression of an opinion with the use of a symbol.

Was that flag made in China or the Mariana Islands by any chance?

reply to post by davidgrouchy


I'm just a little curious here. what brought on the label of Hippy, if I may ask? I know what a Hippy looks like, having been there when they were all the rage, and I must say that guy did not look like a Hippy, or a Yippy.

Originally posted by iamhobo
I'm just as American as the next....American, but does anyone else randomly carry giant flags with them in case of a rally 'cause I sure don't.

The thing I found most impressive second to that of the giant crowd was the fact that there were so many huge a** flags being carried around.

edit on 12-5-2011 by iamhobo because: (no reason given)

Its the Southern US. Its Louisiana. We like our flag.

Some people keep them in their trucks and others fly them in the front yard. They are at businesses, churches, etc. So they are plentiful.

Its the last place you want to try to burn one.

Originally posted by autowrench

I'm just a little curious here. what brought on the label of Hippy, if I may ask? I know what a Hippy looks like, having been there when they were all the rage, and I must say that guy did not look like a Hippy, or a Yippy.

Ah, that's the way it was reported to me.
So I just passed the headline/thread title along unaltered.


David Grouchy

Sorry but the people chanting USA mindlessly are far more scary to me then the guy with the lighter.

And I'm an American...unfortunately.

I love that there's not a single piece of any evidence of anyone trying to talk rationally with the other side.
Just mob mentality, and little actual political, or human interaction.

"Lynch him (or "push him into the street!"), he's a "hippy" (apparently) and believes things than are different to what we believe (or have been told)." Nobody made an effort to ask what was actually going on.

This is American. The right to free speech, and to a differing opinion.
I don't particularly find flag burning to be at all socially acceptable, but I find mobs of ill informed people less palatable.

Strangely, the "hippy" (apparently) was exercising a right to free speech. The irony was lost on the mob that was chanting "USA, USA, USA etc." They were exercising their right too, but at the expense of the free speech of others. Free speech for all - except those who disagree with me...
Pathetic.

Originally posted by Badgered1
I love that there's not a single piece of any evidence of anyone trying to talk rationally with the other side.
Just mob mentality, and little actual political, or human interaction.

To further emphasise your point.
Timestop 0:20 you can barely hear one girl trying to argue for his right to be heard.
The croud is surly and too carried away to give ear.

I didn't post this before, cause I didn't want to spam up the thread with videos.


David Grouchy

what amazes me other than the obvious reason not to send your kids to college

is that the majority of the time those people are the flag burner kind and now all of the sudden its not ok to burn a flag.

i just wish flag makers would start making flags out of nomex or something.

it would be funny as hell watching idiots try to burn them.

So here's what I got from the videos (as a non-American):


Flag fetishes and the dogmatic idol worship of cotton weaved into three different colours is apparently quite rampant in places like Louisiana.

Short-haired plaid shirt wearing hippies in Dockers shorts are not liked in places like Louisiana.

Shouting the letters "U" and "S" and "A" all together to form a sentence dispenses a huge message to the world and is not to be taken lightly.

Free speech in an area designated for free speech is not allowed in places like Louisiana.


Okay, got it.
Thanks for the heads up.

Well, there goes the remnants of our Republic T_T
Freedom of speech is a fancy catch phrase now. It is owned and licensed by The Corporation of The United States of America, The Corporation may change the Rights and Responsibilities at any time and the changes will become effective omni-actively.
Welcome to The Business.

Originally posted by iamhobo
I'm just as American as the next....American, but does anyone else randomly carry giant flags with them in case of a rally 'cause I sure don't.

The thing I found most impressive second to that of the giant crowd was the fact that there were so many huge a** flags being carried around.

edit on 12-5-2011 by iamhobo because: (no reason given)

It was probably staged by the Koch Brothers or similar group. Astroturf patriotism at its finest. Well that's all the extreme right can muster to make the fringe appear mainstream. I wonder how much the flag wavers got paid?

I don't care where the hippie chose to burn the flag, as that is not an excuse to incite violence. And hearing the mob leads me to believe that their "counter-protest" was done out of stupidity. As long as he wasn't breaking any laws, he can do whatever he wants, wherever he wants, and shouldn't suffer any consequences for that.

No one should have to ever worry about being injured while peacefully protesting, and anyone who would even think about injuring them is a fool and probably deserves worse than whatever comes to them.