[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2309-H2310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ANNOUNCEMENT OF INTRODUCTION OF FLAG AMENDMENT

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, today marks the beginning of a grassroots 
movement to end the despicable acts of desecration to our national 
symbol, the American flag. On the west steps of the Capitol, a 
bipartisan group of Congressmen from the House and Senate will indicate 
their support for an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting such 
destruction of our flag. This announcement comes in conjunction with 
the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition of 89 civic and veterans 
organizations who have been pursuing this legislation for over 2 years.
  In that regard, Mr. Speaker, allow me to emphasize that the 
introduction of this resolution is not in response to changes that have 
occurred within Washington. However, it is in response to a massive 
surge from outside the beltway among concerned Americans who wanted to 
effect this change for some time. As evidence of the effect of this 
movement, 46 State legislatures have passed memorializing resolutions 
calling on Congress to pass this amendment protecting the flag.
  Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to respond to this overwhelming public 
outcry to protect our flag. To that end, today I will join with over 
150 of my colleagues in the House and nearly 30 Senators, in 
introducing legislation which does just that. At this time, I would 
like to invite those colleagues interested in backing this historic and 
long overdue resolution to join these cosponsors and thousands of 
veterans and other supporters at 10:30 this morning on the west terrace 
of the Capitol.
  Mr. Speaker, today marks the beginning of the grassroots movement 
which will ultimately put an end to the destruction of Old Glory.
  In those 89 organizations that I have mentioned, they cover, of 
course, every major veterans organization in this Nation. It includes 
others from the private sector such as the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks, the Grand Lodge of Fraternal Order of Police, the Grand 
Lodge of Masons, the Knights of Columbus, union organizations such as 
the Laborers' International Union of North America, the National 
Alliance of Families, and the National Grange.
  Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on listing all 89, but time will not 
allow that.
  Again, I would just call attention to the membership that we are 
having this rally on the Capitol steps, the west terrace, at 10:30 this 
morning. I invite you all to come and join this historic effort.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the complete list of the 
Citizens Flag Alliance, Inc. member organizations.

           Citizens Flag Alliance, Inc. Member Organizations

       AMVETS (American Veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam); 
     African-American Women's Clergy Association; Air Force 
     Association; Air Force Sergeants Association; Alliance of 
     Women Veterans; American GI Forum of the US, Founding 
     Chapter; The American Legion; American Legion Auxiliary; 
     American Merchant Marine Veterans; American War Mothers; 
     Ancient Order of Hibernians; Association of the U.S. Army; 
     Baltic Women's Council; Benevolent & Protective Order of 
     Elks; Congressional Medal of Honor Society of the USA.
       Croatian American Association; Croatian Catholic Union; 
     Czech Catholic Union; Czechoslovak Christian Democracy in the 
     U.S.A.; Enlisted Association National Guard of the U.S.; 
     Fleet Reserve Association; Forty and Eight; Fox Associates, 
     Inc.; Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.; Grand Lodge, 
     Fraternal Order of Police; Grand Lodge of Masons of Oklahoma; 
     Hungarian Association; Hungarian Reformed Federation of 
     America; Italian Sons and Daughters of America; Knights of 
     Columbus; Korean American Association of Greater Washington; 
     Laborers' International Union of N.A.; MBNA America.
       Marine Corps League; Marine Corps Reserve Officers 
     Association; Military Order of the Purple Heart of the USA; 
     Moose International; National Alliance of Families; National 
     Association for Uniformed Services; National Center for 
     Public Policy Research; National Cosmetology Association; 
     National Federation of Hungarian-Americans; National 
     Federation of State High School Associations; National Flag 
     Foundation; National Grange; National Guard Association of 
     the U.S.; National League of Families of Am. Prisoners and 
     Missing in SE Asia; National Officers Association (NOA); 
     National Organization of World War Nurses; National Service 
     Star Legion; National Vietnam Veterans Coalition; and Native 
     Daughters of the Golden West.
       Native Sons of the Golden West; Navy League of the U.S.; 
     Navy Seabee Veterans of America; Navy Seabee Veterans of 
     America [[Page H2310]] Auxiliary; Non-Commissioned Officers 
     Association; PAC Pennsylvania Eastern Division; Polish 
     American Congress; Polish Army Veterans Association 
     (S.W.A.P.); Polish Falcons of America; Polish Falcons of 
     America--District II; Polish Home Army; Polish National 
     Alliance; Polish National Union; Polish Roman Catholic Union 
     of North America; Polish Scouting Organization; Polish 
     Western Association; Polish Women's Alliance; RR Donnelley & 
     Sons, Company; Scottish Rite of Freemasonry--Northern Masonic 
     Jurisdiction; Scottish Rite of Freemasonry--Southern 
     Jurisdiction; and Sons of The American Legion.
       The Orchard Lakes Schools; The Retired Enlisted Association 
     (TREA); The Travelers Protective Association; The Uniformed 
     Services Association (TUSA); U.S. Marine Corps Combat 
     Correspondents Association; U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber 
     of Commerce; Ukrainian Gold Cross; Women's Army Corps 
     Veterans Association; Women's Overseas Service League; and 
     Woodmen of the World.
     

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