On June 3 the House of Representatives narrowly voted to approve the so-called flag protection amendment. This amendment would alter the First Amendment for the first time in its history and allow Congress to outlaw the physical desecration of the flag.
Instead of standing true to the principles for which the flag stands, the supporters of this legislation want to restrict free speech and limit the right to protest the actions of the government. The dramatic campaign by the Bush Administration to erode our freedoms in the name of national security has produced a climate in which those who disagree with the government are labeled unpatriotic, disloyal or even traitors. It is essential during these dark days that we continue to defend freedom of speech and the right to dissent.
General Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strongly opposed the proposed amendment. "The First Amendment exists to insure that freedom of speech and expression applies not just to that with which we agree or disagree, but also that which we find outrageous," he said. "I would not amend that great shield of democracy to hammer a few miscreants. The flag will be flying proudly long after they have slunk away."
Another American hero, Senator John Glenn, warned that those "who died following that banner, did not give up their lives for a red, white and blue piece of cloth. It would be a hollow victory indeed if we preserved the symbol of our freedoms by chipping away at those fundamental freedoms themselves."
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Don't play politics with the First Amendment. In America, we expect that our right to free speech is not abridged. We expect that our elected representatives act in good faith and prevent encroachments on our individual liberty. This measure would require that we categorize the First Amendment guarantees into acceptable and unacceptable forms of speech. If we go down this road, what will be found unacceptable next?
The proposed constitutional amendment would do irreparable violence to our right to free speech and undermine the very principles for which the American flag stands.Those who favor the proposed amendment say they do so in honor of the flag. But in proposing to unravel the First Amendment, they desecrate what the flag represents, and what millions of Americans have died to defend.
Jailing protesters is common under authoritarian regimes, not in America.
Two young protestors in Hong Kong were arrested for burning the Chinese flag after mainland China took over control of the island nation. Cuban courts commonly jail dissidents who "dishonor" the Cuban flag. While jailing protestors might be common in totalitarian regimes, Americans expect - and indeed have put their lives on their line - to insure that our right to free speech is not abridged.