[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by HolyWarrior: So let me see if I have this straight... Burning a cross--verboten Burning a U.S. flag--ok WTF?

The two examples are not equal, HolyWarrior.

As an American, I might feel angry or insulted when I see someone burning the flag - but I certainly do not feel threatened.

Because of it's history, the symbolism of a burning cross is most assuredly a very direct and personal threat against a specific person...not just a certain racial group. The article mentions that the two "incidents" involved placing the cross either "in the yard" or "near the home" of specific individuals.

That is an entirely different scenario.

As Justice Thomas correctly pointed out, almost no other symbol in American history carries the stigma of implied hate and racial prejudice as the burning cross.

I just find it shocking that 4 of the Justices actually supported "burning the cross" under the First Amendment. I think this is one of the few issues where agreement should have been obvious and unanimous.