Charles T. Canady: “Mr. Speaker, the U.S. flag has long been a source of inspiration for Americans. The Stars and Stripes waving over Fort…”

“Mr. Speaker, the U.S. flag has long been a source of inspiration for Americans. The Stars and Stripes waving over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor inspired Francis Scott Key to pen our national anthem in 1814. One of the most poignant images of World War II has been memorialized in the Iwo Jima Monument, which captures the moment when U.S. soldiers hoisted the American flag on Mount Suribachi. Old Glory has had a profound impact on the citizens of this country throughout the years. There is no greater symbol of our unity, our freedom, and our liberty as Americans than our flag. In the words of Justice John Paul Stevens, it is a symbol of our freedom of equal opportunity, of religious tolerance, and of good will for other peoples to share our aspirations. Until less than a decade ago, most States and the Federal Government enforced laws prohibiting flag desecration. However, in 1989, in Texas versus Johnson, the Supreme Court of the United States, in a 5 to 4 decision, invalidated the laws of 48 States and an act of Congress which protected the flag.”