[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10332]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                FLAG DAY

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, as we approach Flag Day tomorrow, I 
thought it worthwhile to reflect on the innate patriotism of so many 
Americans. Justice Brennan wrote, ``We can imagine no more appropriate 
response to burning a flag than waving one's own.'' That is exactly how 
the American people respond.
  Immediately following September 11, Americans all around the country 
began to fly flags outside their homes and businesses, to wear flag 
pins on their lapels, and to place flag stickers on their automobiles. 
This surge in patriotism over the past 9 months has made American flags 
such a hot commodity that several major flag manufacturers cannot keep 
flags stocked on store shelves. Within one week of the attacks, demand 
for American flags was 20 times higher than is typical for that time of 
year, according to the National Flag Foundation in Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania. During that same week, Wal-Mart sold 450,000 flags. 
Within days of the bombing, K-mart sold 200,000 flags.
  This expression of national pride was spontaneous, and consisted of 
individual Americans taking conscious acts of patriotism. No one in the 
government decreed that Americans must purchase and fly flags. There 
was no official direction stating that Americans should wear clothing 
and accessories with flag designs, but these have been wildly popular 
as well.
  Supporters of S.J. Res. 7, a constitutional amendment to prohibit 
flag desecration, believe that Americans need a lesson in how to 
respect the flag. I disagree, and I believe that the American people 
have proven these Senators wrong.
  At the height of World War II, in the case of West Virginia State 
Board of Education v. Barnette, Justice Jackson wrote, ``To believe 
that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary 
and spontaneous instead of a compulsory routine, is to make an 
unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free 
minds.'' Patriotism is flourishing in ways that no one could have 
predicted. Americans are rallying around the flag in a voluntary show 
of strength that demonstrates America's commitment to freedom and 
liberty.
  Respect cannot be coerced or compelled. It can only be given 
voluntarily. Some may find it more comfortable to silence dissenting 
voices, but coerced silence can only create resentment, disrespect, and 
disunity. You don't stamp out a bad idea by repressing it; you stamp it 
out with a better idea.
  My better idea is to fly the flag, not because the law tells me to; 
not because there is something that says this is what I have to do to 
show respect; I do it because, as an American, I want to. That is why 
the American flag has always flown at the Leahy home. The extraordinary 
display of patriotism we have witnessed over the past 9 months is 
evidence that the American public agrees.

                          ____________________