Boo Barrow!!!
Shame on you Representative Barrow for voting in favor of the flag burning amendment.
Let’s recite together shall we?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
What part of Congress shall make no law do you not freaking get here, Mr. Barrow?
You and your fellow representatives are merely wasting our time when you could have been doing something constructive like shaking babies and kissing old hands. The prevailing case law, Texas v. Johnson, has already held that flag burning is protected speech. If this passes the Senate, it WILL go to the Supreme Court and it WILL be struck down. All of which could have been prevented by not voting to infringe upon the rights of Americans in the first place. The Constitution and its amendments are to define the limits of federal authority, not to enact criminal code. It’s apparent to me that it’s been quite a long time since you’ve read that document, serves as better toilet paper does it?
I doubt I will bother contacting Chambliss or Isaakson over this. They are such well-known GOP lapdogs my complaints will be ignored.
Personally, I have never burned a flag, and until now, have never been tempted to. Anyone got a match?
October 15th, 2005 at 4:40 am
We’ve started a burning argument with John Barrow . . .
So we visited his legislative aides to let them know how we feel about his vote and they did a story in the Athens Banner-Herald, which I’ve attached it at the end . . .
John Barrow responded to the story in a letter to the Banner Herald October 10th as follows:
http://onlineathens.com/stories/101005/let_20051010002.shtml
An “In the Loop” item appearing in the Oct. 2 edition of the Athens Banner-Herald describes a meeting between a local rock band and members of my staff in Washington (”Athens rock band has burning questions for John Barrow”). Because my office was not contacted to give anyone an opportunity to verify the story, the item includes two statements attributed to my staff that are inaccurate.
First, the item claims my vote in favor of a constitutional amendment authorizing a ban on flag burning was in response to the state legislature’s redrawing of my congressional district. That’s not true. My position on this issue was taken, in writing, in August 2004. This was months before the voters of the 12th District elected me to Congress, and even more before the Republican state legislature redrew congressional district lines.
Second, the item claims members of the band were “promised” a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol. That’s not what they were promised, and that’s not what they are going to get.
During their meeting with my staff, the members of the band submitted a written request for a U.S. flag that had been flown over the Capitol. Presenting these flags is a service that all members of Congress offer their constituents. Since taking office, I’ve provided dozens of flags to honor local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, senior centers, birthday celebrations and retirements. When this group left, they were promised their written request would be processed in the ordinary course of the business of the office.
After the band left, when we reviewed their flag request, we read they wanted this flag with the inscription, “Burn a Flag for Freedom.” This request was unreasonable and tasteless, and we treated it as such. I have never knowingly presented a flag to any group or individual who intended to desecrate it, nor would I ever. They are not going to get a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol. Not from me, at any rate.
U.S. Rep. John Barrow
D-Athens
The original article follows:
http://onlineathens.com/stories/100205/new_20051002029.shtml
Oct. 1, 2005
Athens rock band has burning questions for John Barrow
By Blake Aued
The ’60s are long gone, but protest music still is alive in Athens.
A local rock band, the Visitations, recently recorded a pro-flag-burning song, titled, creatively, “Burn a Flag.” Band members paid a visit to Washington last month to play the song for U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Athens, who in June voted in favor of a Constitutional amendment banning burning the American flag, to the consternation of many of his local supporters.
Not all the song’s lyrics are printable in a family newspaper, but the cleaner ones say:
“I checked the Boy Scout Handbook despite their hateful ways.
I had to learn to burn a flag in the proper way.
I found to my delight, you can flame it if you please;
just be sure the flag has been soiled thoroughly.
It’s been soiled thoroughly.
So burn a flag for freedom, burn a flag, it’s your right,
burn a flag for freedom. Every day and the fourth of July,
Every day and 4 July.”
The Visitations have an obvious left-wing political bent: other songs include “Questionable Intelligence,” “Florida” and “Osama and Your SUV.”
According to the band, Barrow wasn’t in his office when they visited, but they spoke with a staffer who told them that the former Athens-Clarke commissioner took a stand in favor the amendment because Republican redistricting is making the 12th Congressional District more conservative.
Barrow’s assistant did, however, assure band members that the congressman wouldn’t be supporting a flat tax, and promised them a flag that had been flown above the U.S. Capitol.
The amendment passed the House of Representatives 286-130, but still needs a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate and the approval of 38 state legislatures.
I guess we’ll respond this week . . .