man burns the American flag and gets detained

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6. Don't Fear Freedom - or Flag Burning, Former POW Offers Lesson To Those Who Would Ban Flag Burning

Hello everybody! I am new here. This will be my fourth post.

Here are excerpts of an article about an American POW during the Viet Nam War. I am not posting the non-working link. The article was originally posted on July 14, 1989.

Written by James H. Warner, the article is his first-person account of an experience he had while a POW.

Here is an excerpt:

"In March of 1973, when we were released from a prisoner-of-war camp in North Vietnam, we were flown to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. As I stepped out of the aircraft I looked up and saw the flag. I caught my breath, then, as tears filled my eyes, I saluted it.

Because the mere sight of the flag meant so much to me when I saw it for the first time after 5 1/2 years, it hurts me to see other Americans willfully desecrate it. But I have been in a communist prison where I looked into the pit of hell. I cannot compromise on freedom. It hurts to see the flag burned, but I part company with those who want to punish the flag burners.

Marxists believe that ideas are merely the product of material conditions; change those material conditions, and one will change the ideas they produce. They tried to ''re-educate'' us. If we could show them that we would not abandon our belief in fundamental principles, then we could prove the falseness of their doctrine. We could subvert them by teaching them about freedom through our example. We could show them the power of ideas.

I did not appreciate this power before I was a prisoner of war. I remember one interrogation where I was shown a photograph of Americans protesting the war by burning a flag.

''There,'' the officer said. ''People in your country protest against your cause. That proves that you are wrong.''

''No,'' I said. ''That proves that I am right. In my country we are not afraid of freedom, even if it means that people disagree with us.''

"The officer was on his feet in an instant, his face purple with rage. He smashed his fist onto the table and screamed at me to shut up. While he was ranting I was astonished to see pain, compounded by fear, in his eyes. I have never forgotten that look, nor have I forgotten the satisfaction I felt at using his tool, the picture of the burning flag, against him."

Thanks for reading. :¬) Webhead USA