Mark Dayton: “I wish to change the subject to another important matter that has arisen, because recently President Bush announced his…”

“I wish to change the subject to another important matter that has arisen, because recently President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment which would define marriage. While our majority leader, Senator Frist, wisely observed, last week, that one does not want to knee-jerk or respond too quickly to changing the Constitution--and I certainly agree with that observation--the Senate Republican Conference chairman recently said he hoped the amendment would pass out of the Judiciary Committee and be before the full Senate by mid to late April. So much for not knee-jerking or responding too quickly to amend the Constitution. This is one constitutional amendment that evidently is being put on the fast track. I ask my colleagues to compare that timetable with the proposed constitutional amendment to ban the burning or desecration of the American flag, which I support, which has been proposed for the 3 years I have been in the Senate. No votes scheduled on that. No statement by the President about the need to protect the American flag. For almost as long as that, there has been a proposed constitutional amendment to protect the rights of victims of violent crimes, which I also support. No vote planned on that.”