OTHER COMMENTARY / EXCERPTS : Individualism Regnant

A society should be able to act out of self-respect, and respect for the deepest feelings of its citizenry. Consideration and manners are no slight values of civilization; they are of its essence. To burn the flag of the United States is a crime in a larger sense than any technical violation of the criminal code; it is an offense against civilized sensibilities. It should embarrass to have to explain such things to adults, but flags are not for burning, or tombstones for toppling, or churches for vandalizing. A society that has lost its respect for symbols is well on its way to losing the values they symbolize.