Political Quotes

“In my view, there is something larger at work here than simply the flag itself. I think this amendment offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) is an effort by mainstream Americans to reassert community standards. This bill is a protest against the vulgarization of our society. In our popular culture, decent standards are under constant and withering assault. This amendment is an assertion that the community has some rights, too, and that with rights go responsibilities which help provide a moral compass for our 'anything goes' society. This amendment partially corrects the oversight in our Constitution whereby we have a Bill of Rights, oh, do we have a Bill of Rights, but no bill of responsibilities. Then, of course, a right is meaningless unless we are all responsible for respecting it, so one depends on the other. This amendment asserts that our flag is not simply a piece of cloth, but like a photograph of our families on our desks, it symbolizes certain unifying ideals that most Americans hold sacred.”