It Ain't the Flag That's Burning, It's Rome

In the midst of our troubles, when the military is short recruits; when the borders are overrun by hordes of Central American and Mexican peasants; when we have schools that don't work; when we have a pension system that's imploding; and are spending the national fiscal inheritance of the Heir and his friends like drunken sailors; and destroying our economy letting in gimcrack imports from Asia manufactured by Chinese prison labor, it's good to know we can rely on the House of Representatives to come to our rescue with salutary legislation like a constitutional amendment stating that Congress can outlaw flag burning. Favorable consideration by the Senate is widely expected, so no doubt this worthy legislation will soon form a part of the Constitution.

Well, maybe not, at this point, it doesn't look like the Senate could pass a bill acknowledging that the Sun rises in the east. Still, who cares ?

Don't get me wrong. I despise flag-burners; if I were Emperor of America instead of head of my own nefarious and vast criminal empire, I'd have flag-burners and their ilk drawn and quartered, and then my goombas could get started on some serious persecuting. Dick Durbin, Illinois's poor excuse for a Senator, would think that Guantanamo was a resort by comparison. But this is Terri Schiavo again. Congress is grandstanding with fluff that, however worthy, is not their proper concern, rather than earning their paychecks. I'd much rather see Congress get serious about the war, the borders and the treasury.

This is Republican control of government ? Nonsense -- nobody's in charge. Part of this is the consequence of Bush being a lame duck: he's not running for re-election, so nobody has to be afraid of him being around past 2008. Part of this is the consequence of a constitutional system that is in these polarized times increasingly difficult to operate, because the built-in checks and balances operate as a bias against the production of real legislation under the best of conditions. Most of the paralysis bedeviling Washington is the product of a unified Democratic Party, which stands for nothing but the word "No !" shouted loudly, product of its sour grapes over losing the last several elections; and its desire to in effect punish the President (and us for voting for him) by sending us all to bed without our suppers.

Since nothing of significance can be accomplished, we can kill trees by outlawing flag-burning. Wise readers will immediately buy stock in flag-manufacturing companies, who stand to do well when all the Leftie Yahoos go buy flags to perform their gallant and heroic acts of civil disobedience.