Political Quotes

“I rise in support of and cosponsor this resolution which proposes an amendment to the Constitution allowing Congress to ban the desecration of our an American flag. You can speak your mind, but do not burn our flag. I am a strong supporter of our first amendment rights to the freedom of expression. However, we do have limits. If I burn my car, protesting the auto maker, I am fine. If I burn a U.S. dollar, it is illegal. For instance, court-made law restricts our freedom of speech as limited by the example given in law school classes about not screaming fire in a theater. That is court-made law that restricts my freedom of speech. What we are trying to do today with this amendment is similar. We want the authority to enact legislation to say that desecration or burning the symbol of our country is unjust, just as yelling fire in a crowded theater is unjust. A hallowed symbol like our flag deserves to be respected and protected as a national treasure. Our flag represents a principle our Nation was founded on and many people have given their lives for. I believe it should be afforded the maximum protection we can give it legislatively.”