Support for a flag-burning amendment is quite a telling barometer on the public's evaluation of free speech versus its sense of patriotism.

Anyone who's fought for the country (and there's a lot of people who have, the US has been in a lot of conflicts since world war 2) would eagerly stand up and punch you in the face for desecrating the symbol of the nation they've put their life on the line for. But exactly the same people would sit right back down, knowing that your ability to so flagrantly object to the nation's behavior and projected values is precisely what they fought to protect.

I, too, am proud that our legislature has once again done the right thing, by continuing to protect the values that make our nation great -- even if it was by a frighteningly slim margin.

However, I'm very worried that the balance has tipped so far. We're on a cusp, where people are placing less value in their more philosophical liberties and more on luxuries. After all, If you've got an SUV parked in the driveway and four feet of high-def plasma hanging on your wall, you don't want to lay your life on the line for stupid useless little things like freedom of speech, or the fostering of democracy. You want to watch TV, and enjoy your comfortable ride to work, and feel good about living the very life that God wants you to lead and you have more of the same waiting for you in the afterlife, only with better programming and lower gas prices.

*points to sig, as a final thought*