Dram group disqualified for cutting flag

[zakur]

Story (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/7839068.htm) Students performing a play about the dangers of mindless political indoctrination were disqualified from a Broward County theater competition after cutting up an American flag, as judges questioned the legality and offensiveness of that act.

The troupe from Archbishop McCarthy High was performing a 1963 James Clavell play called The Children's Story. In the play, a class of U.S. third-graders cut up the flag after the country is defeated by a powerful enemy and their new teacher tells them that if the flag is so good, everyone should get a piece.

Judges at the Florida State Thespians District 13 one-act play competition said cutting up the flag broke Florida laws, and disqualified the group representing the Southwest Ranches school from the competition earlier this week.

[...]

''What's especially ironic is that this is a pro-democracy, anti-totalitarianism play, and yet they're punished for using the flag as an example of what shouldn't be done in a totalitarian society,'' Rogow said.WTF?

[Mr Manifesto]

When will knee-jerk conservatives learn that context is so important in situations like these?

[Tony]

Originally posted by Mr Manifesto
When will knee-jerk conservatives learn that context is so important in situations like these?

Around the same time Australians will learn they are ruled by an authoritarian and paternalists state. :p ;)

[Goshawk]

Well, hindsight being 20/20 and all, I'd tend to blame the teacher/advisor in charge, who probably should have realized that just because a play calls for the performance of an illegal act doesn't make it permissible to perform that act on stage. If the script had called for someone smoking marijuana, I doubt whether they'd have had someone actually light up a joint on stage. So I suppose that someone just didn't "think" about cutting up a flag being against the law.

I'd have had the kids use a prop flag made by someone's mom. Easy to stitch together a token representation of the Stars and Stripes, no sweat about cutting it up.

So, bad bummer for the kids, I agree, to work so hard on it and then be disqualified. If the adults involved had been less "knee-jerk" and more compassionate, some kind of compromise could have been worked out.

[Earthborn]

I'd have had the kids use a prop flag made by someone's mom. Easy to stitch together a token representation of the Stars and Stripes, no sweat about cutting it up.That doesn't make it any less illegal. Check out the definition of a flag (http://www.esquilax.com/flag/define.html)..."Wait a second!" you're probably saying to yourself. "Any number of stars? Any part or parts of either? On any substance? Or a picture or representation?"
You bet. Burning a photo of a drawing of a 3-starred red, white and blue 4-striped flag would land you in jail for a year.

I'm not making this up.

[LibraryFox]

Last I checked, mistreating a flag was still protected as free speech in the United States. Nor, was their action even in violation of the questionable Florida law.
The judges at the acting competition were just plain in error.
-LF

[Zero]

Cutting up and burning flags is a hobby of mine!:D

[shanek]

Originally posted by Earthborn
That doesn't make it any less illegal. Check out the definition of a flag (http://www.esquilax.com/flag/define.html)...

Sorry, but the US Constitution trumps the US Code.

[Luke T.]

They could have avoided the whole problem by using a fictional flag from a fictional country.

[Checkmite]

When old flags are retired (destroyed by burning), nearly every ceremony I can think of, including the one we use, involves cutting the flag - quartering it, to be specific in our case, although some call for the seperation of all the stripes as well. The pieces are then burned.

They could've used an old flag, declared it "slated for retirement", and retired it immediately after the play, or as soon as practical anyway. Since the local American Legion post and Boy Scout troops do the same thing, the act's legality would not be in question.

[shanek]

Originally posted by Luke T.
They could have avoided the whole problem by using a fictional flag from a fictional country.

They could have taken the Tim Slagle approach: Burn a flag with only 49 stars and 12 stripes. Of course, doing that still got Slagle banned from a lot of clubs...

[Zero]

The real question in my mind is this: should we allow people to deface the flag, or should we allow people to deface the 1st Amendment? Burning or cutting a flag doesn't actually hurt anyone. Changing the Constitution to protect idolatry IS harmful.

[Charlie Monoxide]

Perhaps we should only allowed flags to be made from fire proof material that can't be torn or cut. Something like an asbestos tyvek, with steel fibres.

Charlie (old glory toilet paper (http://www.boycottusa.com/shopping.html) ) Monoxide

[Zero]

Originally posted by Charlie Monoxide
Perhaps we should only allowed flags to be made from fire proof material that can't be torn or cut. Something like an asbestos tyvek, with steel fibres.

Charlie (old glory toilet paper (http://www.boycottusa.com/shopping.html) ) Monoxide Nah, because they will still fade over time, and then how do you get rid of them?

[Tony]

Originally posted by Charlie Monoxide
Charlie (old glory toilet paper (http://www.boycottusa.com/shopping.html) ) Monoxide


That site looks (and is written) like it is run by a 5 year old.