[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 98 (Thursday, June 15, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                                FLAG DAY

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM J. MARTINI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 1995
  Mr. MARTINI. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate not a person, 
not a place, but a symbol. That symbol is the flag of the United States 
of America. Today, on Flag Day, we celebrate all this symbol has come 
to represent.
  During World War II the Marines planted Old Glory at Iwo Jima; the 
U.S. astronauts placed the flag on the Moon; and every day our flag 
hangs behind the Speaker's chair as an individual reminder of why each 
one of us here in the House of Representatives have chosen to come to 
our Nation's Capitol. It is to insure the preservation and enhancement 
of the greatest form of government ever conceived.
  Mr. Speaker, as you may be aware, evidence from archaeological digs 
proves that individuals created flags as early as 3500 B.C. These 
findings have shown that national pride symbolized by a flag has 
existed for thousands of years. It is no wonder that immediately upon 
colonization America's first settlers raised colonial flags; and that 
upon unification of the United States, one flag was raised to symbolize 
the birth of our new Nation.
  The American flag is not merely a piece of cloth, rather it is a 
concrete symbol of what is valued in America. Almost 80 years ago on 
this day President Woodrow Wilson said:

       This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the 
     emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a 
     nation. It has no other character than that which we give it 
     from generation to generation. The choices are ours . . .

  Having the honor of being a Congressman from the State of New Jersey, 
I am proud of the contribution our State has had to the creation of the 
flag. Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence 
and a resident of New Jersey, was responsible for the stars in the U.S. 
flag.
  Since a New Jerseyian helped create the flag, I am pleased to help 
take steps to forbid the desecration of the American flag.
  Congressman Gerald Solomon (R-NY) has introduced H.J. Res. 79, a 
Constitutional amendment to prohibit physical desecration of the Flag 
of the United States. Some individuals will argue that this issue deals 
with the constitutional issue of free speech. I would argue that 
freedom of speech should be exercised and celebrated, and that even the 
freest of societies needs a common baseline of decency that should not 
be crossed. Without this baseline, a free society could quickly become 
an anarchical one. If it were not for our system of government and its 
institutions, these rights would not exist. As the symbol of those 
institutions, the flag deserves our respect and should be protected 
from gross defamation.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.J. Res. 79. I am 
convinced this amendment to our Constitution is one of the best ways in 
which we can restore the proper sense of respect and appreciation for 
our flag and our institutions.


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