Burning Issues

Today the Senate failed to pass an amendment to the Constitution which would outlaw the burning of the flag. By a single vote.

Let me say first that I am ever so happy to see our legislature debating such important issues as whether or not people should be allowed to burn a flag. You know, with the huge epidemic of burning flags and all. It is vital that we keep our priorities straight despite such pesky distractions as our increased reliance on foreign oil and sky-rocketing fuel prices, the deterioration of our environment, the growing deficit in our national budget, the mounting death toll in Iraq (both military and civilian), and the countless untruths passed down by our elected administration. Just to name a few.

Second, let me point out that failing by 1 vote means 66 of our 100 senators voted for the amendment. (Constitutional amendments need a two-thirds majority to pass.) In other words, a very large portion actually believe we need this amendment. When did we lose such faith in our country?

I had always thought that this country was strong enough to be able to take anything someone might "say." That's all that burning a flag really is. It's just a form of expression, usually in protest about the policies of our government or the actions of our people. And let's face it, there's a lot to protest about.

But more importantly, what are we so afraid of? So someone burns our flag. Do you mean to tell me that this actually damages us, as a nation, in some way? Are we that brittle? We're the United States of America. We have more flags. And it will continue to wave proudly.

If someone disagrees with the policies of this country so much, if they are so angry that they feel the need to burn a flag to get their point across, will prohibiting that act really change their feelings? Will it make them all of a sudden happy with the way things are? No. It will only limit the means by which they may express themselves. They will just some other method which will be equally as "offensive."

May I remind you that this nation was founded by a league of protestors. The ability to freely question and denounce the policies of our country and its leaders, to express our pleasure, and even more importantly, displeasure, of the way things are is at the cornerstone of our nation's foundation. Protest is not an act of unpatriotism, but rather a key ingredient in a democracy. There is a reason it was written into the very first amendment in our Bill of Rights.

To limit our rights of political expression is unpatriotic.