Flag Burning Amendment Advances In House
 

Flag-Burning Amendment Advances in House
By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The House moved Wednesday toward approval of a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to ban desecration of the American flag, a measure that for the first time stands a chance of passing the Senate as well.

Lawmakers in the House debated — as they have six times before — whether such a ban would uphold or run afoul of the Constitution's free-speech protections.

Supporters said the measure reflected patriotism that deepened after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and they accused detractors of being out of touch with public sentiment.

"Ask the men and women who stood on top of the (World) Trade Center," said Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham, R-Calif. "Ask them and they will tell you: pass this amendment."

But Rep. Jerrold Nadler (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., said, "If the flag needs protection at all, it needs protection from members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedoms that the flag represents."

The measure was designed to overturn a 1989 decision by the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that flag burning was a protected free-speech right. That ruling threw out a 1968 federal statute and flag-protection laws in 48 states.

The proposed one-line amendment to the Constitution reads, "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." For the language to be added to the Constitution, it must be approved not only by two-thirds of each chamber but also by 38 states within seven years.

Each time the proposed amendment has come to the House floor, it has reached the required two-thirds majority. But the measure has always died in the Senate, falling short of the 67 votes needed. The last time the Senate took up the amendment was in 2000, when it failed 63-37.

Link to article.

-----

Interesting -- I didn't realize how many times this amendment has been brought to a vote.

I for one hope it passes.

I placed a Flag Pole in My Front Yard as My Best Friends Son Joined the Military and I wanted to do something for Him and All of Our Men and Women. His Sister who lives next to me has a Star for Family Member in Service in Her Window.

If My Flag gets tattered, I give it to Friend and He has it disposed properally and I replace it. I gave one to My Neighbor across the street when His got very ratty, a Nam Vet. Also sent one to My Chapter when some morons showed their Freedom of speach and tore one down from our House Flag Pole.

Granted We have The Amendment of Freedom of Speach, there is also the idea of Our Flag showing what The USA stands for and all of the blood shed to get us where We are.

If someone wants to burn it, "Shoot them and let God sort them out!", Re: Dave D. another Friend.

You would kill somebody over a flag?

The main point of Freedom of Speech is to protect, more than anything, political speech found to be offensive.

Any Congressman who votes for this does not deserve to be called an American.

what he said

ditto

OKAY, then come and drag your butts to My House and Burn the Flag that I hold High as something that is a symbol of Everyone before us who made this Country what it is. Those that have paid with their Blood to give you the right to say what you say.

Yes, it is My Freedom of Speach to profess this.

It is My Freedom of Speach to say if you are so Liberal that You do not care about the Men and Women who started this country, Protected This Country with Their Lives then why are you here?

Hey, try your Freedom of Speach in certain circles and See how soon you are under suspicion of Home Land Security?:rolleyes:

Wowie, Freedom of Speach!:eek:

Try Flying on Areo Planes and see Old Ladies in Wheel Chairs Searched, have your shoes take from you and being wanded to see if you really dont fit THE PROFILE!

Amazing, simply Amazing.

Oh, why dont some of You Read what the Stars, and Stripes realy mean. Red, White, and Blue.

Read how it is supposed to be disposed of.

Read how it is supposed to be displayed and why.

Just a very sore subject when I have lnow Peop;e who were Killed trying to Protect not just The Symbol of My Country but for what they beleived in.

what's freedom of "speach"?

how important of a freedom can it be to you that you can't spell it correctly even once?

I'm not sure what the main point of Freedom of Speech is anymore. It has been interpreted fairly broadly by the courts to take in a multitude of different situations.

While obviously not technically, it seems to me that calling someone un-American because he/she votes her/his beliefs is tantamount to something as worrisome as denying Freedom of Speech.

This issue is more emotional than logical.

Sooner or later this bill is probably going to pass because a majority in Congress will believe in it. Let it be. Then let the courts decide on the Constitutionality. That's why we have separation of powers in that same document.

SAVE OUR LIBERTIES

please....

the way that things are run by the current government (and no this is not a democrat vs. republican argument) all of our Freedoms will be taken away. It cutting pretty damn close to destroying the separation of Executive, Legislative, Judicial. Any person protesting anything that even remotely considered "unpatriotic", is hung out to dry. This country was founded on the principle of protesting leaders and keeping our freedoms.

Look there are 400 million (approx) people in this country and little by little we are letting 526 people, very slowly take away each one of our hard earned freedoms. If the mass population doesn't say something soon, this country is going to turn into a not so nice place to be anymore. We (the masses) have forgotten that we have the power, we put these people in office to do "OUR BIDDING" not to pat Us on the head and say..."we know what is best for you, now just sit tight".

OK stepping off my soap box and will lurk in this thread.


edited b/c I can't spell worth a damn and I have also apparently lost the ability to use grammar correctly, that is what happens when I get all fired up

CO-SIGN

Are we so foolish to believe that we are trading our liberties for security? What security....

My 2¢
 

While in practice, I am VERY much against burning the flag, I do worry about a couple facets of this:

1) The obvious: the flag is symbolic of the United States, and the liberties it proclaims. No matter how wrong I conceive the burning of the flag as a method of protest, I don't have the right to keep you (as a generality) from being an idiot.

2) The not-so-obvious: I may go through 4-5 flags a year. They get tattered, dirty, and worn. In the correct method of disposing of these flags, I keep them aside, and have one respectful flag burning a year. What if someone turns me in as a flag burner? Once a bill like this passes, it could easily be used against someone who means no harm.

As long as we cover the coffins of deceased soldiers with the flag, I am completely against the practice of burning the flag in protest - leave that disgraceful practice to those in hostile countries. The flag NEVER stands for one party, one candidate, one politician over another - it stands for the entire United States. There is no protest in the land of the free that can justify the burning of its symbol.

And if you question that last statement, I'll launch into what happened to a sorority sister when she lost her citizenship.

Re: My 2¢
 

I wonder about this every time that this subject comes up in Congress.

Even though it is satirical as hell, America The Book is probably the best civics book ever.

Page 30:
The three branches would in essence police each other with an elaborate system of safeguards and precautions that would prevent power from being concentrated in too few hands. Quipped a jubilant [Alexander] Hamilton, "The only way it could fail is if one party gained control of not just the Executive, but also the Senate and House chambers, and upon doing so, proceeded to bring in like-minded judges!!!!" And then the Framers all laughed and laughed and laughed."

Oh, and there's also this little article urging Christians to not support the amendment, since apparently the American flag is a graven image:
http://www.alternet.org/story/22268