Graeme Zielinski: 'Why I Burned the Flag'

Graeme Zielinski is the official spokesman for the Democrat Party of Wisconsin.

He conducts himself like a rabid attack dog, and Tom Barrett and Kathleen Falk and the Democrats and their media mouthpieces are OK with that. I suspect they're thrilled with Zielinski's bullying, thuggish tactics.

I don't know how they can be comfortable with someone like Zielinski being the public face and voice of the Democrat party.

Proud DEMOCRAT Graeme Zielinski is a proud American, so proud that he proudly burned the American flag.

Read Zielinski's own account of his "patriotic" expression - buring the American flag.

I believe it is not for government to decide how we should criticize it, and I come to the debate not as one who feels a great need to criticize government, nor as one who hates America. As a matter of fact, I love America. It's what I was taught, what I believe.

That is what I said some years ago when I burned a flag.

It was on a University of Wisconsin campus, long after the tumult during the 1960s when flag burnings were rife. There was no such tumult in 1995, however, and the only thing on fire was the flag I held at the end of a stick. I was in a near-empty square that used to be overflowing with protesters. But on this winter afternoon, the burning was witnessed by a few bystanders. I had no over-arching philosophy or ennobling ideas; I did not seek to petition the government for a redress of grievances. I went to the square with some lighter fluid and a flag seeking only to protest the effort to make my protest illegal.

But that is a foundational idea in itself, since how we protest is entwined with how we think. How I chose to act would be enough to land me in jail, if he world were as the flag alliance would have it. But I am confident that this world won't come to be because what I love most about America is its commitment to freedom and not mere idols. You wouldn't think such enormous issues were at stake when I burned the flag.

The few witnesses stared blankly, some with the pursed lips of disapproval. The fire extinguished itself, anti-climactically, and one young man asked for the flag's remains, presumably to be put on display on his dorm wall along with his Fugazi rock band poster.

For my part, I had the warmth of satisfaction, knowing that I exercised a freedom offensive to most people (myself included in most cases), but nonetheless protected in our great country.

Are Tom Barrett and Kathleen Falk and other Wisconsin Democrats proud of the actions of their official spokesman, Graeme Zielinski, proud American flag burner?

Has anyone in the mainstream media asked them what they think about having someone like Zielinski as the spokesman for the state's Democrat party?

Burning the American flag gave Zielinski the "warmth of satisfaction."

How can burning in protest the flag that his draped hundreds and hundreds of thousands of caskets holding the remains of our war dead, and millions of caskets holding the remains of our military veterans, police officers, and firefighters give Zielinski the "warmth of satisfaction"?

To me, that's sick. It speaks to Zielinski's character.

The way in which we exercise our freedom reveals a lot about each of us.

We are responsible for what we do. Our actions say more about who we are as individuals than any words possibly could. What we do is who we are.

Graeme Zielinski takes satisfaction in burning the most powerful symbol of our country. That's who he is.

Be proud, Democrats.