August 16, 2001

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My shift key is sorta broken, which stinks. It still works, but it doesn't always spring back up, so typing with it is sorta weird. Guess that's what I get for typing so much so fast.

For those of yall who haven't heard, CNN's Headline News is being revamped to make it attract younger viewers. This is one of the many many effects that the AOL/Time Warner merger is having. Well in typical Onion style, they decided to make an inforgraphic of how to really get young viewers. The last one is the best imho.

Now for a political rant. A bill has passed the House and is now up for debate in the Senate that would prohibit the desecration of the American flag. Specifically it is S.J.RES.7. Now while I personally don't burn any flags, I at the same believe that we should have the right to free speech, and that the burning of an American flag is free speech. Free speech covers even that with which we don't agree or particulary like, but part of the value of the flag is that we have the freedom to say bad things about our country without fear of persecution. This bill would change that.

I originally became interested in this topic after doing a report on Texas v. Johnson, and discovering that every year someone tries to put in an admendment that would basically overturn the Supreme Court's decision and make a bill that bans the burning of the flag constitutional. So what I'm asking of you is to think about what freedom really is, and to write your two state senators urging them to vote against this bill. You can find a list of the Senator's here and they will each have contact information on their website. It doesn't take long to send an email, and it's statistically said that for every one piece mail they get, there are 100 others who feel the same way. So you're one mail can count as a 100. If you want some arguments to use in your letter, or you are still not convinced that this bill is wrong, check out the ACLU's flag burning page and read some of the quotes on there. The last time this went to the Senate, it was only narrowlly defeated (63 yeas to 37 nays, and you only need 68 yeas to pass), so each and every voice counts.

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