[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SENSE OF CONGRESS RESOLUTION

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                           HON. CLIFF STEARNS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2001

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a Sense of 
Congress resolution that the Constitution of the United States allows 
for a prohibition against acts of desecration of the flag of the United 
States.
  I do so because I believe that nothing could be more important to 
most Americans than to preserve and honor our Nation's flag.
  In the past, those who have been prosecuted for flag burning have not 
been prosecuted for what they said, but for the method they chose to 
express themselves. Justice Stevens wrote that the government has a 
legitimate interest in preserving the flag, similar to the government's 
interest in protecting the Lincoln Memorial from acts of vandalism.
  Some say our flag is just a piece of cloth. Well, that's like saying 
America is just a piece of land, that Florida's just another state. No, 
there's something special about it. It's our flag. It represents us--
you, me, our families, our friends, our heritage and our future. It 
represents our memories and our dreams.
  To desecrate the American flag is to desecrate the memory of the 
thousands of Americans who have sacrificed their lives to keep that 
banner flying, intact. It is to desecrate everything this country 
stands for.
  Yes, Congress must be extremely careful when dealing with proposals 
that would amend the Constitution, particularly the First Amendment. 
American citizens must have the opportunity to voice discontent, 
however, that freedom of expression is not absolute.
  Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens claims that the act of flag-
burning has nothing to do with disagreeable ideas, but rather involves 
conduct that diminishes the value of an important national asset. The 
act of flag-burning is meant to provoke and arouse, not to reason. 
Flag-burning is simply an act of cultural and patriotic destruction.
  My Sense of Congress resolution reaffirms that Congress should have 
the power, but doesn't have the power until the constitutional 
amendment is ratified by the states.

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