6 ms·

Wait, they actually green lit a case about stepping on a flag? To what end? Does the FBI realize how many open missing persons cases there are? This whole quote

Wait, they actually green lit a case about stepping on a flag? To what end? Does the FBI realize how many open missing persons cases there are? This whole quote is nauseous.

weingsoftime 9y ago
Imagine the media storm if someone who is flag-stomping turns out to engage in terrorism. "FBI ignores a flag-stomping terrorist in plain sight" Then you'll realize why they do this.
dreamcompiler 9y ago
It was in the middle of WWII. The FBI's zeal was pretty high at that time.
- Cyph0n 9y ago
  It was a tense time, so I can understand why such acts would be flagged (pun not intended).
- glubGlub 9y ago
  My hypothesis is that the FBI knows some of its agents are useless, and keeps some busywork lying around to occupy them on slow news days. I've had passive/aggressive managers saddle me with nonsense before, and sometimes they were just in a mood but if a pattern develops, it's because they can't find a way to fire you. But, goodness gracious! Toying with people's lives, investigating random nobodies as if they might be criminals, as a side effect of interpersonal difficulties in the workplace? It's more likely than you think.
  - briandear 9y ago
    Just to be really clear since it seems some are missing the point -- this was around 70 years ago during World War II.
    - celticninja 9y ago
      Pretty certain the comment could still apply today. Too dumb to promote to expensive to sack, give them shit no one else wants or make work to keep them out of the way.
      - throwaway91111 9y ago
        I think the point is that it only applies today. Also, nobody has actually pointed out an instance of this happening. The FBI has had several extremely high profile cases in the last year; if they are incompetent, they have managed not to be totally useless.
    - glubGlub 9y ago
      I am aware of the noted time period.
saganus 9y ago
Just speculating, maybe they wanted to show how omnipotent they where? If you see someone (an adult presumably) stepping on a flag, and then days or weeks later you see them being taken away, you may start thinking those FBI guys know about everything you do. Kinda like with Santa Claus and kids, so you better not do anything wrong.
- komali2 9y ago
  Why would the FBI "take someone away" for stepping on a flag? Do you mean arrest them? On what charges?
  - saganus 9y ago
    Well yeah, maybe arrest, maybe just "come with us we need to chat" intimidation. It was figure of speech. Edit: Or so I thought until I searched a bit more and found this [0]: 18 U.S. Code § 700 - Desecration of the flag of the United States; penalties: (a) (1) Whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. So I guess if you stepped on a flag the FBI could in fact arrest you. [0]: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/700 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/700
    - tuxxy 9y ago
      That's not true anymore. Though, the law is still on the books, it cannot be enforced due to Texas v Johnson.[1] Though, the author says that this is during WW2, so I wanted to clarify to any foreign readers that this isn't the case anymore in our modern judicial system. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_v._Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_v._Johnson
  - throwaway91111 9y ago
    Communism? Treason? They were japanese? This time period is not exactly a shining example of american justice. The policies seem more inspired by xenophobic and ideological fears than anything rational.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
- artana 9y ago
  http://www.webmhs.com/2017/04/prediksi-as-roma-vs-lazio-30-april-2017.html http://www.webmhs.com/2017/04/prediksi-as-roma-vs-lazio-30-a...
LoonyBalloony 9y ago
Investigating victimless crimes is safer then trying to find a maniac kidnapper who steals people for fun. How many violent crimes are occurring while cops investigate some guy who wants to put drugs in his own body in his own house?
- anigbrowl 9y ago
  'Political crimes' often generate political pressure to investigate. If a Senator's office calls the FBI making a stir about something they're going to investigate as a matter of course. It's things like that that make me wonder whether lawmakers should actually be held incommunicado in prison-like conditions for the duration of their term, much as juries are sequestered in criminal cases.
ENOTTY 9y ago
this was in the 1940s during ww2
- throwaway91111 9y ago
  As i've discovered, there was an active law against flag desecration thst had not yet been declared unconstitutional in the general case. This may have less to do with the war than you might think.

Wait, they actually green lit a case about stepping on a flag? To what end? Does the FBI realize how many open missing persons cases there are? This whole quote is nauseous.

weingsoftime 9y ago

Imagine the media storm if someone who is flag-stomping turns out to engage in terrorism. "FBI ignores a flag-stomping terrorist in plain sight" Then you'll realize why they do this.

dreamcompiler 9y ago

It was in the middle of WWII. The FBI's zeal was pretty high at that time.

Cyph0n 9y ago
It was a tense time, so I can understand why such acts would be flagged (pun not intended).
glubGlub 9y ago
My hypothesis is that the FBI knows some of its agents are useless, and keeps some busywork lying around to occupy them on slow news days. I've had passive/aggressive managers saddle me with nonsense before, and sometimes they were just in a mood but if a pattern develops, it's because they can't find a way to fire you. But, goodness gracious! Toying with people's lives, investigating random nobodies as if they might be criminals, as a side effect of interpersonal difficulties in the workplace? It's more likely than you think.
- briandear 9y ago
  Just to be really clear since it seems some are missing the point -- this was around 70 years ago during World War II.
  - celticninja 9y ago
    Pretty certain the comment could still apply today. Too dumb to promote to expensive to sack, give them shit no one else wants or make work to keep them out of the way.
    - throwaway91111 9y ago
      I think the point is that it only applies today. Also, nobody has actually pointed out an instance of this happening. The FBI has had several extremely high profile cases in the last year; if they are incompetent, they have managed not to be totally useless.
  - glubGlub 9y ago
    I am aware of the noted time period.

saganus 9y ago

Just speculating, maybe they wanted to show how omnipotent they where? If you see someone (an adult presumably) stepping on a flag, and then days or weeks later you see them being taken away, you may start thinking those FBI guys know about everything you do. Kinda like with Santa Claus and kids, so you better not do anything wrong.

komali2 9y ago
Why would the FBI "take someone away" for stepping on a flag? Do you mean arrest them? On what charges?
- saganus 9y ago
  Well yeah, maybe arrest, maybe just "come with us we need to chat" intimidation. It was figure of speech. Edit: Or so I thought until I searched a bit more and found this [0]: 18 U.S. Code § 700 - Desecration of the flag of the United States; penalties: (a) (1) Whoever knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. So I guess if you stepped on a flag the FBI could in fact arrest you. [0]: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/700 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/700
  - tuxxy 9y ago
    That's not true anymore. Though, the law is still on the books, it cannot be enforced due to Texas v Johnson.[1] Though, the author says that this is during WW2, so I wanted to clarify to any foreign readers that this isn't the case anymore in our modern judicial system. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_v._Johnson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_v._Johnson
- throwaway91111 9y ago
  Communism? Treason? They were japanese? This time period is not exactly a shining example of american justice. The policies seem more inspired by xenophobic and ideological fears than anything rational.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

artana 9y ago
http://www.webmhs.com/2017/04/prediksi-as-roma-vs-lazio-30-april-2017.html http://www.webmhs.com/2017/04/prediksi-as-roma-vs-lazio-30-a...

LoonyBalloony 9y ago

Investigating victimless crimes is safer then trying to find a maniac kidnapper who steals people for fun. How many violent crimes are occurring while cops investigate some guy who wants to put drugs in his own body in his own house?

anigbrowl 9y ago
'Political crimes' often generate political pressure to investigate. If a Senator's office calls the FBI making a stir about something they're going to investigate as a matter of course. It's things like that that make me wonder whether lawmakers should actually be held incommunicado in prison-like conditions for the duration of their term, much as juries are sequestered in criminal cases.

ENOTTY 9y ago

this was in the 1940s during ww2

throwaway91111 9y ago
As i've discovered, there was an active law against flag desecration thst had not yet been declared unconstitutional in the general case. This may have less to do with the war than you might think.