Grendel wrote on Oct 19^th, 2008 at 9:40pm:


If people wouldn't hung up on flags nobody would burn them after all they cost money to buy and only fools burn say $50 notes for kicks.

Now, inciting or supporting terrorism is entirely different story and individuals found guilty on terrorist charges should hang, IMHO.

Grendel wrote on Oct 19^th, 2008 at 9:08pm:


yes what the kid did was very stupid and disrespectful as he said himself after:

"It was a stupid thing to do, not something that me as a person would normally do. If I just thought about it for a couple of minutes I probably wouldn't have done it. I would just like to apologise to the whole Australian community for doing the ungrateful act that I did,"

he also apologised to the RSL and went on a tour to gallipoli and walked the kokoda trail.

if I can find the article where he talks about it I'll post it

Grendel wrote on Oct 19^th, 2008 at 9:44pm:


not so- burning a flag can be a symbolic destruction of what that country is seen to support at any particular time.

it can be a protest against a particular action the country has just taken

I think you'll find that some people who protest and burn the flags of their own countries are doing so because they hate what they see happening in their country- that they think their country is going down a bad path. it's possibly not the best way to express it- but I don't think you can apply only your reading to it.

of course there are those who will burn the flag as a sign of hatred as you mentioned- but I would imagine those incidences are more likely to take place overseas than in the flag's country of origin

as to the kid burning the flag at the rsl- whilst I don't approve of it- I can see why he did it. the flag was used at cronulla as a symbol of racism and as a symbol of exclusion, of racial purity. which is just as much a desecration of the flag as burning it is.

being subjected to violence and hatred under a particular symbol can leave an obvious dislike of that symbol- I think in burning it he was saying 'up yours' to the people at cronulla who used the flag as a part of violence and hatred- as opposed to 'up yours' to australia

regardless however- I don't suport flag burning. I don't think it should be illegal as such- but it's something I wouldn't do and wouldn't support others doing

my grandad fought under the flag and gave a lot for this country - so I couldn't ever bring myself to destroy it (the flag) no matter how much I disagreed with something

Grendel wrote on Oct 20^th, 2008 at 11:15am:


lol- everyone knows that who lives in your head perhaps.

it's down to interpretation and intent. if you say you can read the minds of those who burn the flag then I applaud your telepathic abilities

I thought you saw the burning of ephigys as something more sinister than dissent?

anyway - with the kid at the rsl his action was spur of the moment, dummying up a likeness of john howard wouldn't have fit in with that would it....oh wait, his problem wasn't with john howard, it was with the rioters at cronulla as I previously mentioned.

I guess the ephigy burning doesn't quite fit into that

burning a flag can be saying "this is not the country we want, this is not what we want our country to be" as much as it can say "i want this country destroyed".

tallowood tallowood tallowood... 
know being the operative word dear... 

dont muddy the waters how often do I have to ask you? 

Grendel wrote on Oct 20^th, 2008 at 11:35am:


who am I apologising for?

Grendel wrote on Oct 20^th, 2008 at 1:13pm:


I don't think I'm apologising for anyone. hence the question.