Anonymous

Sun May 15 2011 11:34

Marijuana is handled internally at LSU all the time Anonymous. When I used to live in the dorms I learned that the resident assistants were instructed to confiscate and destroy any marijuana or parephrenalia they found, but not to report it to the police.

Anonymous

Sat May 14 2011 12:07

Haas wanted a big show and he got one. Everyone knows what garbage like him has to say. We have heard it all before. Typical of cretins in his degree program and his appearance.

Anonymous

Fri May 13 2011 00:42

Thanks for printing his statement. I really wanted to hear what Mr. Haas had to say. It turns out it was awesome, beautiful and full of wisdom. Ironically, the mob crowd that was so "pro-American" was anti-1st amendment. A commenter here put it well in saying they proved Mr. Haas's point. Mr. Haas was courageous, with heart and a mind. We need more like him. Bravo Benjamin Haas.

Anonymous

Thu May 12 2011 22:41

The LSU students proved his point for him. He was never going to burn the flag, he just wanted to show that everyone was treating his friend, and in the end himself, guilty before proven innocent.

Anonymous

Thu May 12 2011 15:08

I am disgusted by the actions of LSU students yesterday. Instead of acting like young, educated Citizens, a good portion of you acted like nationalistic morons. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for making your school the laughing stock of the US. I was there and I watched it and it was despicable on all sides.

Anonymous

Thu May 12 2011 13:46

I wonder what Haas thought about the screaming and hollering and destruction of property in Wisconsin.

Reason

Thu May 12 2011 09:42

Like a lot of people here said already. Haas isn't completely wrong in his message (people simply hate Eslava due to the flag burning), but the reasons for his arrest are not. Flag burning is NOT illegal; we was not arrested for that. He was arrested for Grand Theft Auto, Drug Possession, and Misdemeanor Theft. And the only reason he turned himself in was because he fled to Georgia and asked his lawyer there.

Eslava was not doing this as some sort of protest or statement. He's just some dumb kid who got high and wanted to piss some people off, possibly because he saw too many Facebook posts about the war.

The "64 people" that were going to attend were simply misguided like Mr. Haas, or had another motive behind the action. He had absolutely no intention of burning the flag that day obviously, unless he thought he could die a martyr. I don't think he is a bad person, or a terrorist, or any of the negative things people has perceived him as. I believe he, like many American's tend to do in this day and age, simply heard what they wanted to hear to push their own agenda and justify their stance. People are quick to silence others when they don't agree with them; Conservative and Liberal alike are doing this all the time.

If any message(s) can be taken from this its this: We as American's need to stop hearing each other, and start listening. And that the mob mentality is a dangerous thing.

Anonymous

Thu May 12 2011 01:24

What is Benjamin Haas' relationship to the accused? Did help with the initial flag burning?

Anonymous

Thu May 12 2011 00:55

Haas' argument holds no ground. He claims the previous flag burner was treated unfairly, yet gives no evidence of this. He stole a car and a flag and burned it on a war memorial. End of story. He deserves whatever punishment the court deems fit. Yes he has the right of freedom of speech, which many Americans die for him to have, but he didnt need to incite the riot by burning the flag that gives him that right just to get attention.

Anonymous

Thu May 12 2011 00:16

I do not disagree with Mr Haas' intent as he has every right to speak his mind. Many Americans die every day for him to have that right. I do believe that questioning the government is a good thing if you think that they are doing things unfairly. Though I have not yet heard any details of how Mr Eslava was treated unjustly. I just feel that as a Communication Studies graduate student, he should have communicated his motives more clearly instead of inciting a riot with false claims of publicly defacing the flag. Although, maybe this is exactly what he wanted, as he seems to have gotten everyone's attention. I agree that some students may have crossed the line, but I do not think that we should be ridiculing them for their reactions as I believe that Mr Haas is the one at fault here for going about this the wrong way.

American 1990

Wed May 11 2011 23:58

Let's clear some things up here. First off, just to clarify I am not a one sided conservative as many of the students here are, but I do have to say that I was on their side today. The acts of the original Flag burning culprit (Issac Enslava) were very distasteful. The right to to freedom of speech and the right to burn a flag whether it is morally acceptable or not is a gift that thousands of people have died to protect. However, the CRIMINAL acts of Isaac where not something to be protested against. The acts of Grand Theft Auto, possession of illegal drug paraphernalia, and the stealing of University property are something that should be handled in the court of law independent of any specific point he was trying to make. The mere fact that Ben Haas announced that he was going to burn a flag in protest of criminal acts simply belittles the gravity of which a flag burning is supposed to imply. DO NOT burn the flag in which my blood brothers have died to protect unless you have a overwhelming/ life-changing reason.

Negrodamus

Wed May 11 2011 22:31

It may be protected, but vandalism isn't.

LJ

Wed May 11 2011 22:15

This was a brilliant gesture; it gave the LSU student body the opportunity to rise above hysterical, violent knee jerk reactions. Imagine how cool it would have been had he been allowed to finish this speech, with no flag being burned. Maybe we would have learned something other than what we already know far too well: a few dozen shrill "protesters" who would rather shout a person down than hear him out make our campus and our country look ignorant and hateful. These "USA" chanters are the same folks who sob "I just don't understand why they hate us so much" when they see anti-U.S. rallies and violence on TV. It is ignorance of the most astounding kind.

Kenny K.

Wed May 11 2011 21:57

The flag was not made by God; therefore, it is not sacred. The intense display of chauvinism on the side of the angry mob was severely misguided by the mind-created identity of nationalism. The sooner we Americans put more stock into being good to our fellow humans instead of patriotic citizens, the sooner we will be able to survive and coexist in the future.
Had I been in the state of Louisiana at the time, I would have supported Mr. Haas and his efforts to exercise the free speech we hold so dearly. I would have shown up and cheered him on- despite the lewdness of others.

Anonymous

Wed May 11 2011 21:40

The lesson is, fascist LSU students will assault you if you dare speak of burning the flag. Today we saw entitled conservative reactionaries at their best. LSU was shammed by the thug mob and have done more to disrespect the flag than Hass would have if he had burned it. It called FEAUX Patriotism!

Anonymous

Wed May 11 2011 20:16

@Mel, in the America that I know, people are allowed to do things that other people do not like, even if it makes the other people angry. 1st Amendment freedoms include flag burning (as SCOTUS has repeatedly held), and they also include words spoken against those who are burning the flag. But violence is certainly not protected by the Constitution

Anonymous

Wed May 11 2011 20:06

"avoid putting students into the criminal justice system when it can be taken care of internally." Excuse me but in my experience CRIMINALS who have COMMITTED CRIMES put themselves into the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Covering up crime is also a crime call aiding and abetting.

Anonymous

Wed May 11 2011 19:11

This reaction to Hass' hijinks is ridiculous and aggressive. These students are really out of hand and trying to procrastinate during finals. The chanting-for-his-blood mentality should stop. I'm not saying making a flag-burning protest in support of a student is the best way to make your voice heard, but the reaction here is over the top. If the administration wants to arrest someone for flag-burning, they can, but students shouldn't try to enact justice -- this protest was not peaceful; if police weren't there I think the students would have killed Hass for fun, basically

Anonymous

Wed May 11 2011 18:06

���������We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongues, at our peril, risk and hazard.���������

Anonymous

Wed May 11 2011 17:57

���������We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongues, at our peril, risk and hazard.���������