House Passes Flag Amendment

In an effort to thwart
two Supreme Court rulings that flag burning is symbolic speech protected by the
First Amendment, the House of Representatives passed a bill to amend the Constitution,
giving Congress “the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of
the United States.” The 3-to-1 vote mirrored the 1995 House vote on a similar
bill. The new amendment has been modified to meet some objections. Senator Hatch
is expected to introduce the bill in the Senate where a flag amendment failed
last time by only three votes. If the amendment passes in Congress and is ratified
by 38 states, it will amend the Constitution. First Amendment advocates are telling
their Senators that we can’t protect the flag by violating the principles for
which it stands.