February 22, 2004

By: Zi Perry
Website: http://www.1st-in-flags.com

Ignoring voices of veterans, religious leaders congress marches toward passage of flag amendment

Congress continued its coordinated march toward passage of the "Flag Desecration Constitutional Amendment" today, with a Senate panel hearing testimony from a veteran and minister who oppose the proposed amendment.

Today's hearing comes on the heels of House action on the amendment last week. It will be quickly followed by a series of Senate committee votes starting tomorrow and continuing into next week. The constitutional amendment, SJ Res 14, would allow the prosecution of protestors, artists, and others who "desecrate" the American flag. The vague term "desecration" could encompass a broad range of actions, said the American Civil Liberties Union, including flying one's own American flag upside down.

"Now, almost 31 years to the day following the loss of my legs in combat, I am again called upon to defend the freedoms which my sacrifices in combat were said to preserve," Gary May, a highly decorated former Marine, said in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. "Freedom is what makes the United States of America strong and great - it is what has kept our democracy strong for more than 200 years," May said. "The pride and honor veterans like me feel is not in the flag itself, but in the principles the flag stands for and in the people who have defended them."

About The Author:

Zi Perry is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-flags.com.  The flags of the world are symbols of recognition full of beauty and color for each country.