If I torture your kitty because I am angry at you, should I be charged for animal abuse?
When I hear a flag meow or purr, I'll consider that point. In the meantime, the flag is just a symbol.
When people feel so strongly about something and are just beside themselves with concern, they act out in ways that illustrate how extreme their concerns are. What they do is extreme for the sake of being extreme. The relevance of the apparent object of the act to the issue at hand is secondary. For instance, people hurt themselves. They cut themselves or even kill themselves. Right up there with the flag burners are those who self immolate. They don't do that because they hate themselves. They are trying to communicate the magnitude of their concern, to get attention on the intensity of their feelings, not necessarily to act against the object of their concern. These people are hurting and they want you to know how strongly they feel so they do something outrageous enough to demonstrate that. When they blow up things or burn things like crosses or flags or cars or shout profanities or strip naked, they are demonstrating the intensity of their feelings, not necessarily the object.
None of which means that they shouldn't be prosecuted for any crimes they commit in the process, only that the motive for the crime is not typical for that crime and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with cats.
Since you brought up cats, as an animal lover, in my heart of hearts, I'd like to see people who kill a family pet tried for murder. A family member is a family member, IMO. But we can't do that. All we can get them on is destruction of property. If the flag that gets burned belongs to someone else, that the burner can be charged with destruction of property. The affection we may have for the cat or the flag isn't a factor. |
