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Letter: Flag burning is free speech

With all this flag burning drama going on, let me say this.

The 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in the Texas v. Johnson case ruled federal and state laws against flag desecration as unconstitutional; conservative, stalwart, Justice Antonin Scalia voted with the majority, ruling flag burning as protected speech.

Justice Scalia personally didn't like it. He actually once said in regards to Texas v. Johnson, "I hate it," while also calling Johnson a "bearded weirdo" and saying that "I would send that guy to jail so fast if I were king," but he ultimately sided on the side of the Constitution because the United States is not a monarchy or dictatorship. He put his personal opinion aside saying "it's the justices' job to interpret the Constitution, not to pass moral judgment."

My fellow Conservatives and Republicans that think flag burning should be illegal, please do as Justice Scalia did; put your moral judgment aside and side with the Constitution.

By the way, Hillary Clinton supports jailing flag burners as does Kim Jong-un and other haters of free speech.

Abe Alassaf is a resident of Athens county and is the vice chair of Athens County Republican Party

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