Mark Dayton: “ever since I began my campaign for the U.S. Senate over 6 years ago, I have consistently promised to support the…”

“ever since I began my campaign for the U.S. Senate over 6 years ago, I have consistently promised to support the proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the desecration of the American Flag. Indeed, I am a cosponsor of that constitutional amendment, which will soon be voted upon by the Senate. I value and respect the first amendment's protection of free speech, and I have personally experienced its importance. When I opposed the Vietnam War in the 1960s and '70s, the first amendment permitted my lawful dissent, although it did not prevent President Richard Nixon's Justice Department from tear-gassing our demonstrations or from unlawfully spying upon me. A generation and another war later, the first amendment again protected my right to speak out against President Bush's policies without intimidation or incarceration, and, this time, without being tear-gassed. I would never infringe upon those precious freedoms of expression and dissent. The question before us today is not whether we honor the first amendment, which we do, but, rather, whether an act as vile as burning the American flag should be considered ``free speech'' or is it an act of such wanton violence and outrageous disrespect that it should be ``out of bounds''? I come to the second conclusion. Our Nation's Pledge of Allegiance was first published almost 114 years ago and was established by Congress in 1923.…”