A Gravatar is the nifty little picture you see at some web sites next to the name of the person making a post or a comment. The picture usually reflects something about the person who uses it. There is a web site that allows people to sign up for a Gravatar and then, if a web site is appropriately configured, it will appear when someone comments. Gravatar has a rating system to give ratings to the little pictures so site owners can filter out content they find objectionable.
Anyone who has posted here recently will notice that I started using Gravatars. My default is an American Eagle and it displays if someone does not have a Gravatar of their own or if their rating is not one I allow to be displayed. Recently, Adam decided he needed a Gravatar of his own and he did not like the Eagle. His Gravatar is a picture of someone burning an American Flag. The interesting thing is that the Gravatar was given a G rating which means it is not likely to be offensive. Here is what Adam posted about his symbol:
Well, I recently signed up for my own gravatar. Gravatars are rated for viewer protection. Mine was rated G, of course. According to Gravatar, a G rating means: “Nothing potentially offensive will be given this rating.â€
I think some people around might disagree with this, but I’m glad Gravatar sees it my way. There is nothing potentially offensive about burning an American flag. Long live freedom of speech.Questions to Your Answers
Notice that the owner says there is nothing potentially offensive about burning an American Flag. Maybe there is nothing offensive to him but what about the millions of veterans who would disagree with that statement. What about the majority of Americans who support legislation to prevent Flag Desecration? What about past American Presidents who found it offensive. All but one of them changed their mind (Bill Clinton changed his after he was elected). Long live free speech is the cry. I wonder what was going through the minds of the people who rated this a G. I wonder how they would rate a picture of an aborted baby with the caption “Abortion Kills.” Of course, the latter would only offend the liberal left. By giving something like this a G rating Gravatar has forced us to have items we find offensive posted to our sites with no method other than removal of all Gravatars as our only recourse.
There are interesting debates about the Free Speech issue. Any thinking person knows that an action is not speech. If you give someone the finger you made an obscene gesture. Burning a Flag is not speech and our founders made that clear in their writings. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has added words to the Constitution when they cite the reasons for their rulings. The amazing thing is that I am unaware of any other country where this happens. In most places they burn somebody else’s flag, the flag of the enemy. Here, some left wing kooks burn our flag which is their way of saying our country is their enemy. When it comes to Free Speech here is an excellent point:
“Why is flag burning protected speech and prayer is not? What is said when you burn a flag? If speech can be other than verbal, why isn’t flying the flag speech? And burning the flag an assault on speech?†Major General Patrick H. Brady, USA (Ret.), Medal of Honor Recipient, The American Legion Magazine, May 1999
Why indeed? I could write about this issue for a very long time but that was not my intent. I brought this issue up because undoubtedly there will be people who surf through here and wonder why a site run by a veteran has a picture of a burning flag on it. I could easily remove the Gravatars but I choose not to do so. I made up my mind that this site would be open for the exchange of ideas (though as a private owner I am in no way obligated to allow anyone’s speech) and that I would not remove or censor any content (except the mild censoring to vulgarity, especially vulgar words which are hidden from view until a mouse over occurs). I censor vulgarity to protect younger uses of the web and it is a decent thing to do. But I will not remove the pictures and punish everyone for the inconsiderate action of one. I want it there to remind everyone what the face of enemy ideas looks like. I want America’s children to see the things that people do to disgrace themselves and their country. I want it there as a reminder to everyone who believes that the Constitution gives us specific instructions and that they are not open for amendment by activist judges. I want people to look at that and see that people who oppose war and cry for peace use violent methods (burning a living thing* is violence) to further their cause. And I want it there to show America that as much as we need to be involved in taking care of our enemies abroad, we can never, ever take our eyes off the enemies within.
Here is a very good resource about the Flag.
Here is an interesting piece about the Flag Amendment.
Here is the Flag Code.
*4 USC Section 8j “The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.”