Janice Schakowsky: “I rise today as a proud and patriotic American to oppose this resolution. Here is what some of the veterans have said…”

“I rise today as a proud and patriotic American to oppose this resolution. Here is what some of the veterans have said about this amendment. Jack Heyman, Fort Myers Beach, Florida, a Korean War veteran, said, ``I know of no American veteran who put his or her life on the line to protect the sanctity of the flag. That is not why we fulfilled our patriotic duty. We did so and still do to protect our country and our way of life and to ensure that our children enjoy the same freedoms for which we fought.'' Mr. Heyman's great grandfather was a Pennsylvania Regular during the Civil War; his father served in the Navy during World War I; his brother fought in World War II; and one of his children served in the Army following the Vietnam War. Bill McCloskey, a Vietnam War veteran from Bethesda, Maryland, said, ``Ultimately, Americans and our representatives on Capitol Hill must realize that when a flag goes up in flames, only a multi-colored cloth is destroyed. If our freedoms are lost, the true fabric of our Nation is frayed and weakened.'' Brad Bustany, West Hollywood, California, a Gulf War veteran, said, ``My military service was not about protecting the flag; it was about protecting the freedoms behind it. The flag amendment curtails free speech and expression in a way that should frighten us all.'' And how will Congress begin defining what the flag and desecration even mean? Our flag is ubiquitous. It is found in such places as commerce, art and memorials.…”