Israel has arrested and then given two days of house arrest for a rather bizarre form of expression: defecating on flags, including Israel’s flag. I cannot say that I am eager to attend a showing of the Natali Cohen Vaxberg’s scatological creations, but the sentencing clearly violates free speech protections that many of us believe are a core human right. Warning: foul language is contained in the story below.
In the United States, the destruction of the flag is a protected form of free speech. In Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), the Supreme Court voted 5-4 that flag burning was protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is considered one of the core cases defining free speech in the United States. Brennan was joined by Marshall, Blackmun, Scalia, and Kennedy (Kennedy wrote a concurrence).
Cohen Vaxberg posted a video showing her defecating on an Israeli flag while she played Israel’s national anthem. In another video entitled “Shit Instead of Blood,” Cohen Vaxberg is pictured defecating on flags from around the world, including that of the Palestinian Authority. Cohen Vaxberg is described as a left-wing activist and artist.
It is a truly disgusting form of expression. However, the anger that it produced reinforces the view that this is not only a form of artistic expression but political expression. The Israeli court not only sentenced her to home confinement but banned her from using the Internet for 30 days. The Tel Aviv police insisted that her videos causes “damage to symbols of the state.”
It is always hard to criticize such punishments (even short sentences) in the face of such obnoxious and truly disgusting forms of expression. However, free speech is not needed to protect popular speech. We pay a price for the guarantee of free speech. That price is people like Cohen Vaxberg. By maintaing a bright line rule, we protect much more valuable forms of speech and avoid the dangers of allowing the government to draw lines between valuable and valueless speech. The slippery slope problem (a troubling image given this case I admit) has proven a real and consistent threat to free speech. We gain far more than we lose in protecting the very small number of flag burners or desecrators in this country.
Personally, I think a jar of urine is disgusting. The crucifix doesn’t add much to that.
Pat Roberts just won a tough victory. Bob Dole pulled Roberts lame ass out of the fire.
Yeah, they should run Walker. It’ll be great to get rid of him in Wisconsin, at least for a while.
Annie – We got Janet Napolitano out of Arizona and you got Homeland Security. Feel better about it?
I think Wisconsin deserves Walker. When your pastimes are beer and cheese what could be better than a union busting, theocrat like Walker! I’ve always said we should pass the republicon agenda for one year so folks could see it in action and never vote it in again.
Someone here mocked about flushing miscarriages down the toilet. Very elevated conversations. Nasty losers. I taught my players how to win and how to lose. Not all coaches did that.
SWM, You said several times you were making phone calls for Udall. That’s why I called him “your guy.” I will take you @ your word that Franken is really your guy. I’m happy for you that he won. My daughter voted for him. She’s an independent, but not much choice in Minnesota. I never ask who someone votes for, but she always tells me. Raised my kids to think for themselves on all issues, not just politics.
This reminds me of the “art show” where they had a crucifix in a jar of urine.
It’s disgusting, and hateful. And yet, it is free speech. I agree with protected free speech here, even when I seriously dislike the message. And I think that Israel should follow suit.
So, what does she do at a showing? Take a laxative and then “perform?”
Annie, I think the repubs should run Walker for president.
A zygote is a human like an acorn is an oak tree.
Personhood to zygotes, yep that’s truly important to the well being of this country.
nick, Franken is my favorite, and he was called the winner as soon as the polls closed. Udall is my son’s favorite as he lives in Colorado. Too bad he lost to that creepy personhood guy, Gardner.
Real tough loss for the Walker haters. They are 0 for 3.
A guy I don’t like, Scott Walker, has proven to be a winner. He beat a recall and just won his 3rd election in 6 years. Scaring seniors and woman isn’t working. The Dems need to come up w/ a positive message. Not the “man is evil and must be controlled” you’re hearing from the cultists here this evening. When the chips are down you see what people are made of.
Paul, you are such a shining star.
Yes indeed Mespo, we’ve seen that brutishness here in our small microcosm.
War on women repub takes it on the chin in Florida. Incumbent Southerland loses to democrat Graham.
“Southerland created waves after he hosted an all-male fundraiser in March, sending an invitation that read: “tell the misses not to wait up because the after dinner whiskey and cigars will be smooth & the issues to discuss are many.” He double-downed in September, arguing his event was no different than a “lingerie party,” and suggested that Graham would know what an event like that could be like.
“Listen: Has Gwen Graham ever been to a lingerie shower? Ask her. And how many men were there?,” Southerland said. Democrats argued that he was resurrecting the so-called War on Women, while Southerland maintained his remarks were being misconstrued for political gain.
Southerland also came under fire for voting against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and spearheading legislation to cut billions of dollars from the food stamps program.”
Annie:
Take a look around. Without a recognized authority exercising lawful power you see all manner of brutish, misogynistic, and abusive behavior. And I’m not talking about just in Syria or Iraq. Some people are thugs by nature and left unchecked they run or try to run roughshod over those they consider weaker or vulnerable. That action pollutes the environment leading to conflict.
SWM’s guy Senator Uterus in Colorado just got beat. It is heartening because exit polling shows women rejecting the scare tactics of the phony War on Women. Good for them.
“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry… no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
― Thomas Hobbes
Annie – “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” – Sigmund Freud
Annie – if our parents can’t teach us any more control over ourselves that we need something like a Leviathan over us, God help us. I truly believe Hobbs was an Atheist and he probably was crapping his drawers when the House of Commons was going to pass the tract on Heresy. Some Philosopher
I so agree Mespo! Hobbes knew that humans are brutes. Left in a state of nature we would not have survived ourselves. Those libertarians believe in rainbows and unicorns and think because something OUGHT to be a certain way, it is. Reality eludes them. They don’t understand the nature of man.
Annie – Oh Earth to Annie — 🙂
I so agree Mespo! Hobbes knew that humans are brutes. Left in a state of nature we would not have survived ourselves. Those libertarians believe in rainbows and unicorns and think because something OUGHT to be a certain way, it is. Reality eludes them. They don’t understand the nature of man.44
Really Really Really
Unicorns? I thought unicorns were fashioned after gay people. lol
happypappies – I thought only virgins could see and capture unicorns, hence their rarity.
Paul C. Schulte – is that so? I had not heard that. I thought they were any abomination of nature. Well, whatever, she has only taken to speaking with the rarified atmosphere of the mesopeliosimo. 🙂